The sound of the Portland, Oregon's Foghorn String Band could have come barreling through the grille-cloth of those big console radios in the living rooms of the 1950's, when the traditional sounds of rural America were still on the minds of young musicians transferring the old-time music to a distinctively modern age. Their tight instrumental work and line-up - fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar - is reminiscent of early bluegrass, but their powerful approach is whole-heartedly old-time, centered largely by the fiddle. Devoted to the interpretation and performance of American string band music, their style encompasses early country music, the fiddle repertoire of the Southern Appalachians and the Midwest, and the string band sounds of the Piedmont region. They are highly regarded by traditional music lovers, and have recently been tapped by renowned musician, Dirk Powell, to perform as the Dirk Powell Band.
