As the story goes, the inspiration for BIG TROUT RADIO came when Artie, Chris and Tom were driving through Trout Country in Chris’ brand new Studebaker. "Tom was fiddling with the radio, trying to pull in some Uncle Dave Macon or Bix Beiderbecke," Artie recalls. "We came around a mountain curve and suddenly this station lit up the dial—a whacky 10 watt station that just played fishing songs. Like the announcer said: All trout, all the time."
Artie Traum is an award-winning guitarist who has been featured on over 30 albums. Traum's latest vocal release South of Lafayette is a "hip fusion of folk and jazz esthetics" writes Sing Out. His 1994 release Letters From Joubee hit #1 on the smooth jazz radio charts. The followup, Meetings With Remarkable Friends (1999) was awarded Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of 1999 (NAV Award) and voted Best CD of 2000 by Hudson Valley Magazine. In 2001, Traum released The Last Romantic which was placed "on this year's list of best releases" by Jazz Times. Performing since the 1970's, Artie Traum has worked with his brother Happy Traum, songwriter Pat Alger and The Woodstock Mountains Revue. Traum's songs have been recorded by The Band, David Grisman and Tony Rice. He has produced CDs for Tony Levin, Laurence Juber, Livingston Taylor, Diane Ziegler and many others. Traum has performed at the Catalina Jazz Trax Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Newport Folk Festival, and has composed music for film and tv shows. Artie Traum is a clinician for Taylor Guitars, performing guitar workshops around the world. Traum's instructional materials Essential DADGAD and Essential Riffs For Guitar continue to be best-sellers for Homespun Tapes. "Artie Traum has the natural, soulful touch that other guitarists only dream about," says Donald Fagen of Steely Dan Artie's website is at http://artietraum.com/ Chris Shaw A descendant of steamboat pilots, "pathfinders," and other rustic archetypes of the Adirondack region of New York State, Christopher Shaw is steeped in the lore of the American Northeast. He carries forward the tradition of the great troubadour/storytellers who have enlivened parlors, taverns, and roadsides since colonial times. Chris has several recordings to his credit including his 1988 debut, Adirondack, which has been entered into the Library of Congress Folk Archives. Chris' latest solo effort, Adirondack Serenade, is a celebration of the musical styles and traditions of his native Adirondack Mountains. Chris has been featured on public television documentaries, including Songs from the Heart of the Adirondacks, Christmas in the Adirondacks and Adirondack Storytellers. He has been the spokesperson for the I Love NY Adirondack region television commercials. A recent performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC was simulcast over the Internet and is archived by the Kennedy Center. In 1993, Chris teamed up with Taylor Guitars, whose exquisite handmade guitars have earned the respect of the worldwide musical community. As a Taylor clinician, Chris performs concert/workshops around the USA. His instructional guitar video, Back Porch Picking, is a popular tool for many of his workshop attendees. Chris has also been sighted on streams and lakes around the Northeast, rod in hand, waiting for that big trout to take the bait Chris' website is http://chrisandbridget.com Tom Akstens Tom grew up in Boston, where he was swept up in the folk music craze of the 1960s. Like most teenagers of that era, he bought a guitar and a denim jacket to avoid becoming a social outcast. He went regularly to the Club 47 and the Newport Folk Festivals, where he heard legends like John Hurt, Skip James, Bill Monroe and Muddy Waters, and revival performers like the Jug Band and the Charles River Valley Boys. Tom first met Artie in 1972, which was incidentally the same year he began fly fishing in the Catskills and the Adirondacks. Artie produced Tom’s first solo album for Takoma Records in 1976, which has recently been reissued in Japan by Slice of Life Records. In addition to playing music, Tom is a licensed fly fishing guide and outdoor writer and photographer. He lives on an old farm in the southern Adirondacks with his wife Susanne Murtha (who designed the cover for Big Trout Radio) and two very cool cats, Sammy and Snowshoe. |
