The Band Of Ruhks has brought its former Lonesome River Band members vibe full circle with the recent addition of Brian Fesler to the group. He has stepped in to the spot vacated by John Meyer who had played with them their first two years.
The three original members – Ronnie Bowman, Kenny Smith, and Don Rigsby – met when they played with LRB back in the 1990s. After leaving the group individually in 2001, they reunited to form the Ruhks in 2014 after Bowman had enjoyed a string of songwriting successes in Nashville. Don and Kenny also pursue their own musical careers outside of the Ruhks, but it is Ronnie’s main outlet beyond his writing.
Fesler was a member of an earlier version of Lonesome River Band, even before the release of their Carrying The Tradition album in 1991 shot them to the top of the bluegrass scene. Brian started with them in 1987, and toured alongside original members Tim Austin and Jerry McMillan, plus Adam Steffey and Dan Tyminski. He later worked with Steffey, Barry Bales, and Tim Stafford in Dusty Miller before that group was absorbed into Alison Krauss & Union Station.
Originally from Iowa, Brian now lives in Nashville where he serves as a pastor for the Church of Scientology.
Word from the Ruhks is that a new recording is in the works, so we hope to have more news about that soon.
