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The Clover Point Drifters are a bluegrass band from Victoria BC
Canada. Their repertoire consists primarily of traditional bluegrass
songs, with a sprinkling of country, folk, blues and pop melodies
served up in the bluegrass style. Their songs feature close heartfelt
duet and trio harmonies, backed by strong banjo, dobro and mandolin
accompaniment.
The band has been active since January 2000, but the members each
have a decades-long love affair with bluegrass music.
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Mike Kraft
(banjo, harmony vocals) is
one of Victoria's secrets that don't involve underwear. Besides
being one fine banjo player, he also plays guitar in a variety
of country, rockabilly and blues bands. Basically, any band
that wants a real musician tries to snag him. Mike endured
painful back surgery in 2003, but now that his aura has been
properly aligned, he has re-established his rapport with the
universe, and he shares with us his humour and stock picks.
He is a former member of The Chance Brothers.
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Larry Stevens
(resophonic guitar, lead vocals)
has a gift for singing the country song,
good times and bad, love and loss, the past and even further
past. For many years, he lived in Vancouver and played the
dobro with several bands, including the New Nash Ramblers
who were the BC Country Music Association Bluegrass Band of
the Year. In 1999, he drifted over to Victoria, where his
rich warm voice has become a welcoming and familiar sound.
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Dan Parker
(mandolin, lead vocals) drifted
west from Ontario following a successful attempt to attain
a higher education. He is one of those annoying people who,
if given some new musical instrument, will spend almost no
time at all making it sound like they have played it for years.
And then he'll show you the tune he has just written for it.
If that isn't enough, he also built his own guitar. Dan's
spirited and inventive solos complement the plodding efficacy
of the old farts.
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Alan Law
(guitar, lead & harmony vocals)
does most of the arranging and supplies
the beverages for rehearsals. That makes him the band leader.
He is strictly a rhythm guitarist ("I do not play any notes"),
but his drive, passion and stamina are second to none. In
a band of baritones, he enjoys the role of tenor singer, and
he loves singing harmony more than almost anything you can
imagine. Previous combos include playing with George in Back
At The Ranch and with Mike in The Chance Brothers.
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George Robinson
(bass, lead vocals) has
the longest pedigree in the band, having played bluegrass
bass since 1977. By good luck and happenstance that year,
he managed to obtain ownership of Duke Neilson's bass (Duke
played for many years with Don Messer and the Islanders, a
Canadian musical institution if ever there was one). Being
thus equipped, George spent the next 3 years on the road with
the New Silver Tone Rangers, with only 2 weeks off. Talk about
cutting your teeth. Thanks to the unforgiving march of time,
he has now been playing this bass longer than Duke did. Other
former bands include Every Day Street Band, Cedar Hill and
Back At The Ranch.
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Photography
by Barbara
Pedrick |
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