Artist description Four acoustic musicians in 1979, playing for crowds in Anchorage, Alaska. Dana Cox (Ward), Don Schultz, Lynn Gudmundsen, Scott Merrick and Sound Engineer Ed Ward

Music Style Adult Alternative, Folk, bluegrass, original

Musical Influences Steve Goodman, Happy and Arty Traum, John Prine, Jimmy Buffett, Kris Kristofferson

Similar Artists Nickel Creek, Newgrass Revival, Dr. Schultz Band

Artist History In the summer of 1978, a legendary folk band who had been performing in the state of Alaska for several years disbanded. The Dr. Schultz Band--composed of banjo player extraordinaire Don Schultz; lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, autoharpist, and piano and dulcimer player Dana Cox (now Dana Ward); lead guitarist Lauren Arment (and in their last years joined by bass player Goodwin Trent and sound engineer Ed Ward)--was a fiery group of original characters. Pounding out tightly arranged folk, rock, blues, and gospel tunes for sell-out crowds in coffee-houses, whole-foods restaurants, and bars, they were known for their ensemble presentation (any of the group might take on a lead vocal if their vocal character was right for it), their mastery of their musical instruments, their intricate harmonies, and their collectively off-beat sense of humor. A feller named Scott Merrick, who had been playing music in the Anchorage area since the summer of 1975 and who had become a friend of the band, proposed a new group. As fabulous as the Dr. Schultz Band had been, what was the one thing they seriously lacked? A strong catalog of original songs. If a band were to "go somewhere" (in the sense of recording and/or achieving commercial success in the traditional sense), they needed original songs. Merrick (that would be me, dear reader) had 'em. Besides, he thought that singing with Dana and Don would be neat. (I just love this third person narrative!) After several summit conferences in Don's eclectic house on Winchester at the edge of the Chugach Range and Anchorage, the new trio began rehearsing under the watchful eye of their manager, John Speer, who had the dubious distinction of having worked as a stage manager with Alice Cooper. They also advertised in the paper for a bass player (Goodwin Trent had joined another band in the meantime and in any event the three were looking for a stand-up bass who might double on cello or violin). One man, a bluegrass bassist, rehearsed with them for two weeks before it became obvious that his sense of discipline was less developed than these three musical maniacs. Finally, a lovely lady named Lynn Gudmundsen, who had been teaching high school math in Palmer, north of Anchorage, called in answer to the ad. It was a match. Lynn's shy stage presence (no act!) and precision playing added a new dimension to the work of the original three. It soon became apparent that her violin work was far more valuable to the band's mix than any bass could be, so the band moved forward for the rest of its single year career relying on the rhythmical power of its other instruments for its drive. The Last Frontier Band rehearsed full-time, 6 days a week, sometimes 12 hours a day, for a month and a half before they unveiled the group at a party in the yard of the Winchester house. After that, it was pretty much full-time work. There were weekly engagements at "The Bread Factory" a whole foods restaurant and shocase, and the "Showboat Lounge" opened up later in the year, affording much larger audiences the chance to dine and enjoy the band's tightly planned but refreshingly delivered performances. The band headlined the musical performances at that summer's Alaska State Fair, performing for an estimated audience of 5-6,000 souls, their largest single audience. They toured the state, performing for sold-out crowds in venues as remote as Bethel and Nome, and they raised money for the "Last Great Race on Earth," the Iditarod dog-sled race, as the official Iditarod band. It was at the Showboat Lounge that the final performance of the Last Frontier Band took place, on New Year's Eve, 1979. Personal relationships had become such that the band could no longer continue. Scott moved on down to northern California, playing music in Los Gatos then signing on with cruise ships in the Caribbean for a while, finally relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, his birthplace, to take up a career as a teacher. Don stayed in Anchorage for a while, playing music, and relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his original career for a while, then headed back up to Fairbanks to play music again. Dana married Ed Ward and now creates and markets with him fantastic recordings for children, each song personalized with its designated child's name. Her recordings can be sampled at www.lullabiesforbabies.com. Lynn played music in Anchorage for a while, moved to Hawaii to take up her teaching career again, and now lives in Chicago, where she teaches university level math. All of the band members enjoy fruitful family lives and are happy. All still play music, each in her or his own way, for his or her own preferred audiences. It was a great wild ride. I hope that you enjoy sitting in and hearing the live music contained on this CD. It never would have been possible without the talents of the man out front, Ed Ward, our sound guy. Always looking for ways to improve the band's sound, he had a habit of cassette-recording shows with a recorder directly connected to the sound board. Any applause you hear bled directly thru the board via onstage vocal and instrument microphones. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this little record of a band as much as their audiences did, 'way back when... Ladies and Gentlemen: The Last Frontier Band

Group Members Dana Cox (Ward), Don Schultz, Lynn Gudmundsen, Scott Merrick and Sound Engineer Ed Ward

Instruments acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, violin, piano, twelve-string guitar, slide guitar

Press Reviews Ancient History

Location Anchorage, Alaska - USA

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