Full Cord has been lining up win after win in 2022. Having been just recently signed with Dark Shadow Recording, they took first place over the weekend in the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival band contest.
This competition has a reputation for picking future stars early in their careers. Past winners include Greensky Bluegrass, Dixie Chicks, The Hillbenders, Front Country, Trout Steak Revival, The Lil’ Smokies, and Woodbelly.
Full Cord hails from Grand Rapids, MI, where they have been performing a mix of original bluegrass and cover music, with strong influences from pop, rock, and jazz, for the past 15 years. The current edition is Eric Langejans on guitar, Todd Kirchner on bass, Brian Oberlin on mandolin, Grant Flick on fiddle, Katie Kirchner on vocals, and Gabe Hirshfeld on banjo.
By winning the competition Full Cord earns a cash prize of $750 and a performance slot at the 2023 festival.
After being named the top band this year at Telluride, Oberlin was struck by the wonder of it all.
“Having heard so many of musical heroes from that stage, I humbly realized that my career has brought me there, and I played and sang as best as my heart could render. It’s an honor and privilege to know that the Telluride crowd will hear Full Cord’s music in 2023.”
Congratulations to Full Cord!
We should have additional reporting from Telluride later in the week.
