The Cousins pause mid-set, from left to right: Ward, Hughes, Riley, Damrel and Goldsmith.

By Shanece Brent, Staff Writer

Published in print Sept. 17, 2014

On Wednesday night, the members of Yer Crooked Cousins tuned their instruments in a comfortably dim living room on Fulton Street. Led by accomplished fiddler Holly Riley, the band consists of Jason Hughes on banjo, Brooke Ward on mandolin, Nate Goldsmith on guitar, and Emily Damrel on bass.

It’s easy to tell that the Cousins love playing their instruments, leading to a sound they describe as “good time havin’ music.” Though they’re not actually related, music is a family affair for all of the band members; bluegrass was passed down to each of them from parents or grandparents.

“My whole family is really into music so it’s been the thing since before I can remember,” Nate said. Jason plays his grandfather’s banjo; Brooke was exposed to it through her grandparents, and her father who was an accomplished bluegrass musician. This familiarity of the genre extends to the fans of the music as well. “One of the best parts about being in this band is that everyone is so receptive to what we do, because it’s such a normal thing for North Carolinians,” Nate explained.

“We all are or have been at UNCG at one point or another,” Holly said as she explained the band’s origins. Emily and Nate are both Double Bass and Composition majors, while Holly is a Music Education major. The band met through UNCG’s Old Time Ensemble, and was soon playing music together outside of school. “This band started as sort of a party jam band,” Holly said.

They began as The Fire Escape Ramblers, attracting large crowds of after-church listeners as they performed on their friend (and former Crooked Cousin) Sara’s fire escape on Sunday mornings. Soon realizing that they could make money from their art, the group (renamed Yer Crooked Cousins after the “crooked fiddle tunes” they played) began looking for places to perform.

Since then, the band has played at countless venues and fiddler conventions across the state, but of all the places they’ve played, downtown Greensboro eatery Crafted: The Art of The Taco, is unanimously the band’s favorite. Each band member spoke highly of Crafted, which was their first paid, weekly gig.

“We love Crafted. We love [owner] Rhonda Fuller,” Brooke said, summing up the feelings of all the members. But the band is by no means in it simply for money. “If we were playing in front of hundreds and hundreds of people, that’s awesome. But if we’re sitting here, on a school night, drinking beer, playing music with each other, that’s just as awesome,” Holly said.

Yer Crooked Cousins has many upcoming shows, which include preforming at Hoppin’ Johns Fiddlers’ Convention on September 18th – 20th, The International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass festival on October 3rd, and Pickin’ at Priddy’s on October 25th. But despite being well-booked, The Cousins are always looking for new places to play.

“We’ll play almost anywhere for almost anything,” Jason said.

“And we’ll work for food,” Emily added with a laugh.

So if you need an experienced, passionate, local band who loves their art, be sure to make room at the table for Yer Crooked Cousins.

For booking and information, Yer Crooked Cousins can be contacted via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/YerCrookedCousins, or at YerCrookedCousins@gmail.com.