Artist description What's a WayStation? Take the instrumentation and vocal blend of a bluegrass band, add the luminous voice of Karen Lincoln and the clever, topical songwriting of Peter Anick and Ed Kingsley. The resulting mix is not quite bluegrass, not quite folk, but a crowd-pleasing combination of the two. Whether they are singing about the love of nature or the nature of love, about forest fires, moonshining or weddings gone terribly wrong, their music strikes a chord with audiences. WayStation's unique style has garnered recognition in both the folk and bluegrass communities. The band has been named to the Artists' Touring Roster of the Massachusetts Council for the Arts. In 1994, the band represented the Northeast in the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Showdown in Owensboro, Kentucky. And their first album, Looking for Love, received excellent reviews from all sectors of the independent music press.

Music Style Bluegrass

Musical Influences Gillian Welch, Bill Staines, Bill Monroe, The Beatles, Skyline, Joni Mitchell

Artist History We met each other, some of us literally for the first time, on May 22, 1992, on the banks of the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts. Rich got all of us there under the pretext of "putting a band together to enter the northeast regional contest of the 'Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Showdown'"... which was hey, still a good 22 days away! The five of us jammed for a couple of hours and somehow Rich made it sound like a really good idea.We worked darn hard in those three short weeks, and learned five songs for the contest, one of which was an original Peter had written. It's probably a good thing we didn't win that time, because we wouldn't even have been able to play an encore. We did win the contest in 1994, and went to Owensboro, KY for the finals. But, that's another story.Something that took us by surprise was the amount of collaboration that evolved, very quickly, into complex ensemble arrangements. Peter says that a lot of the fun for him is writing a song and watching "what happens to it", once we all start working on it. All of us have a hand in creating the final shape of each of our songs. As a result, instead of showcasing individual abilities, WayStation arrangements try to emphasize textures and promote a group interaction between instruments and voices. In a sense, we really did 'win' back in 1992, because we discovered, in our varied backgrounds and experience, the basis of a new musical collaboration. As we continue to play and learn together, we travel down more and more interesting paths. We hope you can join us.

Group Members Rich Stillman, Karen Lincoln, Ed Kingsley, Peter Anick, Ed "Face" Korman

Instruments Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle, Bass

Albums Looking for Love

Press Reviews "From the opening track, "Hard Hard Choices", the exhilaration factor is high, with Rich Stillman's breathless banjo bolting from the ensemble like a horse from a burning barn, while Karen Lincoln's poised lead vocal glides atop the instrumental eruption. Not only here, but through the entire program, instruments spin in and out of the various cycles that these (mainly original) tunes set in motion, keeping one waiting to hear what they will come up with next."--David Royko, Bluegrass Unlimited"The progressive side of bluegrass."--The British Archive of Country Music"Here's a group with the bluegrass world at its feet. Excellent material."--Lee Bolton, WOBO Radio, Batavia, Ohio"Where bluegrass is heading in the twenty-first century is anybody's guess -- looks like WayStation will be one of the stops."--Paul Jacobs, Fiddler MagazineWayStation should appeal to listeners who like their bluegrass on the progressive side, smoothly presented, with thoughtful and creative touches. Their music and shows are designed to engage the mind as well as the ears."--Peter Wernick (Dr. Banjo )

Location Boston, Massachusetts - USA

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