The Whistlepigs String Band is:

Chris Jones, Guitar & vocals
Fred Keller, Mandolin & vocals
Joel Olson, Banjo & vocals
Catie Jo Pidel, Fiddle
Ross Willits, Bass & vocals

Chris Jones plays guitar and sings for the Whistlepigs String Band. Chris was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (with a Grandma from Turkey Hollow, How bluegrass is that?) The Jones’s moved to suburban Chicago land. After college Chris gravitated to the big city of Chicago. Chris studied folk music in the early 90’s at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Il.

After a stint in Nashville, writing songs with college friends and soaking up a musicians dream, Chris relocated to Minneapolis with his wife in July ’99. Chris and his wife Annette and their two kids Sam 5 and Maggie 3 now make South Minneapolis their home.

After twelve years in social work case management, Chris became a stay at home dad and now spends days bicycling around South Minneapolis with Sam and Maggie in the Burley. You may see them at the Falls, out at Lake Hiawatha playground, taking the light rail to the down town library or eating French fries at the Chatterbox Pub!

Chris teaches guitar and banjo at the Simply Strings Studio in south Minneapolis. Contact him at chris@simplystringsstudio.com if interested in lessons with this Whistlepig. Chris also leads children’s music at Faith Mennonite Church in the Seward Neighborhood in Minneapolis. The Winter of ’07 found Chris stepping out of the spotlight to arrange and perform music for the stage performance of “Tuck Everlasting” at the Youth Performance Company.

Chris plays a customized 2003 Martin HD 28, bought at Willie’s in St. Paul set up at Hoffman’s Guitars in Minneapolis, a BG 250F Gold Tone Banjo with Nechville set up, and 1921 (?) John Jubeck fiddle.

Contact Chris at 612-718-9509 or "shlomojone“at “yahoo” dot ”com"

Fred Keller (Mandolin & Vocals), is the band's chief songwriter and ethnomusicologist. He has an uncanny knack of finding the most bizarre and unusual songs from the strangest sources. Who else would have turned up the gem from the band's CD Unjugged, "I Picked Up A Hammer and Knocked Him in the Head" and made it into a hit single? But most impressive is Fred's ability to write a bluegrass song that sounds like it could have been written a hundred years ago, but is completely free of cliche."

"I began learning roots music back in the 7th or 8th grade when I picked up guitar and took finger-picking lessons from a man named Truman Sogge at Zwemke Music in Kasson, MN. He taught me how to play some good old Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt and Doc Watson music. I didn't know it then, but those tunes really stuck with me," he said.

"I'm married, have a daughter who just graduated from college, and am allowed to occupy space in the house owned by my 2 German Shepherds. I've had the great fortune to have worked with some great players, to have played some amazing venues and to have had a hell of a lot of fun doing so. I've taken lessons from folks like Mike Compton, Don Stiernberg, Alan Bibey, Butch Baldassari, Peter Ostroushko, Carlo Aonzo, Matt Thompson, and Frank Wakefield. I shared the stage once with Phil Cunningham from Silly Wizard. I currently have the distinct pleasure and honor to share the stage with three of Minnesota's finest. I play the prototype "Maestro" mandolin by Hans Brentrup, a 2003 Gibson F5-L (Fern) and a 1929 Gibson A1. Hope to see you at a show! Reach me at 320-245-6799"

Catie Jo Pidel is the newest and undisputedly youngest Whistlepig, but she is no stranger to the Minnesota bluegrass scene. Her friendly smile, boundless energy and love of all things bluegrass have made her many friends.

For the past 6 years she has been seen playing her fiddle on and off stage at all the local bluegrass festivals, many jams and fiddle contests. She took up the fiddle at age nine and soon realized that bluegrass and old time music were her passion.

Rather than pursuing the traditional Suzuki Violin method, she took her first fiddle lessons from Pop Wagner. She has also studied with Lisa Fuglie, Jim Price and Chuck Millar, with a smattering of violin lessons from Lara MacLean. She currently takes lessons from Eric Christopher of The High 48’s and webcam lessons from Matt Combs in Nashville, TN.

After winning her age division at the 2007 Minnesota State Fair fiddle contest, Garrison Keillor asked her to be part of his “Best of the Fair” performance of A Prairie Home Companion. Having listened to the show most of her life, it was quite a thrill.

When Catie Jo isn’'t playing her fiddle, singing or writing songs, she is probably doing homework (while listening to music on her iPod). She also enjoys being part of school plays. She has played the Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof,  the Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard of Oz and an orphan in Little Orphan Annie.

Catie Jo first met Fred, Chris, Ross and Joel in June of 2003 at a bluegrass festival  and a fast friendship ensued. She performed with them for the first time later that summer and the rest is well, history. After five years as a piglet, she is thrilled to finally be a “real ‘Pig”.

Joel Olson started out playing the guitar at nine years-old; he was coerced into playing trombone in the school band because he had long arms, and he began an obsessive/compulsive relationship with the banjo in 1986 at nineteen.

As a kid, Joel grew up singing along with records by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, and later the Beatles. Joel’s first exposure to music resembling bluegrass, other than “Dueling Banjos” and the “Ballad of Jed Clampett,” was a pop album called High County Snows by Dan Fogelberg. The record had drums on almost every track, but featured great pickers like Herb Pederson, Jerry Douglas, and Vassar Clements. Nowadays, Joel immerses himself in Bear Family collections of Monroe, F&S, the Osborne’s, and Jimmy Martin, along with the banjo playing of Bela Fleck, Alan Munde, Alison Brown, and Tom Adams.

By day, Joel is a high school English teacher and makes his home in St. Francis, Minnesota with wife Glenn Ellen and daughters Zoey, Abilene, and Jolie.

Ross Willits (Bass & Vocals) blames the return of his bluegrass fetish on his good friend Joel Olson, who called him up a few years ago and asked him to play bass in a Minneapolis bluegrass band. Having played bluegrass years ago and missing it, Ross agreed, but pointed out a minor problem--he didn't play bass. Joel didn't think it would be a problem, and now after 5 years, it's not too big a problem.

A few years ago, he discovered Big Bill Broonzy and other greats of the early Delta Blues. He's worked to bring some of that sound into The Whistlepigs with the tunes, "Last Fair Deal," and "Step It Up and Go." More recently he's found bands like the "Memphis Jug Band," and he's trying to figure out how to work in that rough and ready sound.

In August 2008, Ross got married to his long-time love, Susan. The band's portraits on this page (except for CJP) are from that blessed day, when the 'Pigs played the all-important role of ushers. Ross couldn't ask for a better bunch of friends. Truly.

Ross' day job is Managing Director of SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development in St. Paul. Over the past few years, he's been working on raising large amounts of money to build a new theatre. His dream came to life last year as his new theatre building opened in December '07. There's still money to be raised to complete the project, but the place is up and running, and is a greater thrill than he could have imagined. The Whistlepigs held their "Fenceline" CD release concert there in Feb. '08. It's a marvelous venue for a concert. See the videos here.

Ross plays a G. Edward Lutheries "Eminence" portable upright electric bass.