Raised in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, Kora began with more than a decade of classical violin training before an early introduction to bluegrass expanded both their musical vocabulary and their instrument cases. Fiddle lessons in the campers and parking lots of Michigan music festivals from folks like Ben Dean, Jaron Freeman-Fox, and Glenn Basham taught them how to reach beyond melodies and back other musicians.
A decade later Kora lives in the traditions of bluegrass and the fluidity of American roots music while continuously taking inspiration from the genre-hopping curiosity of musicians like Chris Thile and Andrew Bird. Irish/Celtic, jazz, traditional oldtime, rock, and the occasional musical left turn all find a way into their sound, although their CD collection contains more Radiohead and Calexico than traditional bluegrass.
As a collaborator Kora approaches music by listening and watching first, playing second. They listen for the phrasing, dynamics, and breath of a musician. They watch guitarists’ hands for the next chord change, learn the physical cues of the musicians around them, and anticipate the direction a song is headed.
There’s a lot of joy in playing music built on a head tilt, “the look,” and pulling a lick from a solo just to see where it’ll go. Rather than arriving determined to put fiddle or mandolin on top of a song, Kora looks for the place where those instruments can live inside it.
Kora has spent years touring and performing in rooms of nearly every description, from breweries, listening rooms, and tiny clubs to theaters, outdoor festivals, and major concert stages across the country. No stranger to long or late drives, their favorite venues tend to include dogs and popcorn.
Kora currently contributes fiddle, mandolin, and vocals to projects including Erik Koskinen, Dead North, and Nick Elstad. Recording credits include work with Luke LeBlanc, Raymond Little, Erik Koskinen, Richard Medeck, and Ani Mari, among others. Early projects include Keweenaw Brewgrass, Outlaw’D, and Ani & Kora, as well as many many picking circles over the years.
Along the way, Kora has shared stages with artists including Lindsay Lou, Pieta Brown, Joshua Davis, Thomas Sticha, Mike Labeau, and Billy Strings.
Years of classical study provide the technique; years of bluegrass, roots music, recording sessions, and touring provide the reflexes to sit in whenever the occasion arises.
Those who think creatively live on the edge of chaos.
shared stages with
The Accidentals
Ani Mari
Ben Dean
Billy Strings
Blitzen Trapper
Bob Hiltunen
Charlie Parr
Chris Bates
Chris Dorman
Chris Pierce
David Huckfelt
Dead North
Diana Ladio
Dr. Barbara Rhyneer
Dr. Elizabeth Myers
Eli Gardiner
Eli Quist
Erik Koskinen
Fauxgrass
Gibryn Arney
Glenn Basham
Jaron Freeman Fox
Jeremy Ylvisaker
Joe Wilson
Joshua Davis
Keweenaw Brewgrass
Lindsay Lou
Liz Draper
Luke LeBlanc
Lupine
Martha Scanlan
May Erlewine
Melissa Davis
Micheal Donovan
Solomiya Ivakhiv
Steve Jones
Sweet Water Warblers
The Burney Sisters
Thomas Sticha
Tim Havens
Trampled by Turtles
Triple Fiddle
Will Sexton
Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers
Micheal Labeau
Micheal Waites
Nick Elstad
Noah Levy
Organ Grinders
Outlaw’D
Paul Taylor
Pieta Brown
Red Thyme
Richard Medeck
Roe Family Singers
Scott Flavin
Sarah Kennings
Seth Bernard