Paul Stowe (USA) acoustic & steel-bodied guitars, mouth harp, vocals
Paul grew up in a classical music family in Hartford, Connecticut (USA) and began playing the guitar at the age of 12. After moving to Salt Lake City, Utah (USA) at the age of 16, he began to play street music, festivals and clubs in the Rocky Mountain area. After two years of touring throughout Europe with folk and blues bands, he toured Italy living in Florence for 1 year before moving to the Munich, Germany area to join the country and bluegrass band “Kentucky Bluefield” and founding Matching Ties in 1986 and Grass Root Ties in 2011.
Paul manages Grass Root Ties, Matching Ties and Irish Folk Nights and plays as a solo artist. He lives southeast of Munich near Rosenheim, Germany.
Link: Paul Stowe Solo
Trevor Morriss (GB) mandolin, mandola, Irish bouzouki, guitar, vocals
Trevor grew up in southeast London and in Cornwall, England. As one of the first Englishmen to play bluegrass and American folk in a string band with his brothers, he was influential in bringing American music to the English folk circuit. He lived for 2 years in the U.S.A. and Canada, playing in bluegrass and folk bands and sitting in with many name acts, before returning to Europe and eventually settling 1980 in the Munich area. Trevor also played with Paul in “Kentucky Bluefield”. Trevor fills in on occasion with various country and Irish folk bands, works as a studio musician and teaches mandolin and guitar. Trevor lives south of Munich near Starnberg, Germany.
Georg Baehr (D) violin (fiddle), mandolin, 5-string banjo, vocal
Georg began to play classical violin at the age of 5. He grew up in former East Germany and Russia, attending the Franz Liszt Conservatory and touring till he was 19 with the “Youth Radio Orchestra”. At the age of 13 he began to play folk and bluegrass fiddle, later touring with East Germany’s “Fox Tower Bluegrass Band” throughout Europe and the U.S.A.
He joined Matching Ties in 2005 where he still substitutes on occasion. Georg plays an exciting blend of folk, bluegrass, swing and blues, dazzling his audiences with “hot licks”. Having toured with American and international performers such as “The Mickeys”, John Moore and Slavek Hanzlik he also plays and records with various country and bluegrass bands.
As a member of Grass Root Ties Georg returns to his first love, bluegrass music. Georg lives near Frankfurt, Germany.
Thomas Kaerner (D) upright bass, mandolin, dobro, vocal
Thomas was born and raised in the northern Bavaria area. Following lessons on piano and music theory he discovered his love for bluegrass and folk at the age of 14, and began to learn guitar and mandolin, later electric and upright bass which he developed as a member of bands in different acoustic music directions. Since 2000 Thomas has toured with various internationally famous folk and bluegrass acts such as “The Fox Tower Bluegrass Band”, “The Mickeys”, John Moore and Slavek Hanzlik. He joined Matching Ties in 2005 with whom he still plays on occasion. In Grass Root Ties Thomas also returns to the styles of music he is most versed in, bluegrass and American acoustic music. Thomas lives near Bayreuth, Germany.
Thilo Hain (D ) 5-string banjo, guitar, vocals
Thilo is a veteran of the European bluegrass scene having played for many years in various well known bluegrass bands in Europe and on tour with an impressive number of famous bluegrass musicians in the U.S. As founding member of the leading gospel bluegrass band “Sacred Sounds of Grass” with his brother Sam Hain, he plays great Scruggs and melodic style banjo with hard driving rhythms, but also very tasteful backings and musical lines as well as being an authentic and expressive bluegrass singer. Thilo sells and repairs fine acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins and other stringed instruments. He lives north of Frankfurt in Dillenburg-Frohnhausen, Germany.
Homepage: www.thilohain.com
