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Northern Underground

The hard driving bluegrass tunes of Northern Underground reflect the spirit of the hardrock miners who came to Ferry County in the late 1800s - they've been drilling for gold and mucking ore ever since.

(Clockwise from front: Richard, Abby, Connie, Keith, and Alicia)

2008 Best Emerging Bluegrass Band in the Inland Northwest!

Tight harmonies, racing tunes, and sharp pickin' define the sound of Northern Underground, a five-piece bluegrass band from northeastern Washington.

NEWS from Connie...

July 29 - Abby has set up a myspace account for the band. Now I'm going to have to figure out how get added as a friend. I see that tango-grass, a young hot picker on everything with strings has already posted a note... also some guy named Tom, but I guess Tom is the first friend on every new account. http://www.northernudergroundbluegrass.com
May 17, 2008 - The INBA Best Emerging Bluegrass Band: We were honored to receive this award! Thank you to everyone who voted for us and for being such a great audiience at the Thang.
April 2, 2008 - Recording Project Take 3: What a sweet day! We recorded eight more songs today in Spokane at the Kelly Bogan Music Studio--Giles Corey, Limehouse Blues, Sleepy-Eyed John, Hardwood Floors, Old Crossroads, White Lightning Strikes, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown. After recording we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed over to Savageland Pizza where we were the guest band for the weekly jam that is held there. Talk about a great crowd--it's always inspiring to play for folks who like your music, AND, everyone chipped in to help with gas, and with gas prices the way they are, it helps a lot. Hopefully we'll make it back to Saveageland a few more times this year.
February 23, 2008 - Recording Project Take 2: Well it has been about six months since we first started recording, but one thing I failed to mention in August is that this is a do-it-yourself project. So when Richard bought the software and put Keith in charge of technology, we weren't sure how it was going to work, but we knew it would take time. With a little training from David Lust, we managed to lay some individual tracks last summer. Along with the new year, came a new approach--we decided to record as a whole group, instead of laying individual tracks. Talk about a red-neck set up! LOL! Imagine trying to record in our local youth center, which is the acoustic equivalent to a gymnasium. Leave it to Richard to figure it out, and in case you ever need to record in this situation, here's what Richard "done." First (and probably the key to it all), he got Mike Siracuse to help out. They put a half dozen or so carpeted risers on end and then arranged them in a circle about 12 feet across and 8 feet high. Next, he and Mike, and Mike's step-daughter Lauren, draped a brand new, crisp blue tarp over the top of the risers. That's about when I walked in and eyeballed things quite dubiously. But hey, I'm willing try just about anything once. Mike said it looked like stone henge, and quickly dubbed it "Carpet Henge." Inside Carpet Henge, we all gathered around a single mic--just the way we perform, while Lauren, our trained-one-the-spot-technician, ran Richards recording software from his laptop. All I can say is Carpet Henge worked surprisingly well--we moved the mic up and down a bit to get the right mix and the sound is, well--it hain't no kitchen table recording. To listen to the recording, you'd never know it came from such a redneck set up. We laid Red Clay Halo, Good, Road, Forty Years, Forever and Always, Wayfaring Stranger, Beyond the Rain, and Jesus Built a Bridge.
November 18, 2007 - Fundraiser for YD: We helped Youth Dynamics raise $2000--one of their most successful fundraisers in recent years. Our performance was recorded, so we may be ready to release a gospel CD soon. Thank you Edison!
August 6, 2007 - Recording Project Gets Started: Wherever we go people ask if we have a CD--we're excited to announce that we started recording today. We'll keep you posted on our progress!

ABOUT OUR MUSIC

Richard Eich--fiddler, singer, and guitiarist for Northern Underground--founded the band in February 2007. In addition to fiddle and guitar, Richard picks a mean mandolin and is an instructor in all the bluegrass instruments. He is joined by the sweet vocals of Abby Hodges on mandolin and Alicia Heinen on rhythm guitar. Both in their teens, these young ladies set a quick pace, blending their voices on gospel, bluegrass, and origianl tunes. Bringing banjo to the band, Keith Fletcher burns it up with traditional breakdowns and melodic licks that fill in the mix. Keith's mom, Connie Fletcher of the Fletcher Girls, sings a few tunes and adds harmony vocals while driving out the tempo on bass fiddle.

ABOUT OUR NAME

When gold was discovered on the north half of Ferry County in the late 19th century, the region was opened up to prospectors. Even today, miners blast and muck underground to make a living off of Ferry County ore. The hard driving bluegrass tunes of Northern Underground reflect the spirit of hard rock mining, which is well-matched by the loggers and ranchers who make a living working the above ground. Our name, "Northern Underground," is a tribute to everyone who scrapes out a living in these parts.

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