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  Nothin’ Fancy formed as a bluegrass band in 1994 to compete in a bluegrass competition. Since then, they have grown in popularity, released 11 full length albums, and continue to perform at festivals across the United States and in international engagements. Their audiences have gathered at notable venues such as the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN; the Lincoln Center in New York City; and the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. They have been seen at Dollywood, and are a regular fixture at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO where promoter/coordinator D.A. Callaway described Nothin’ Fancy as “the act that America needs to see.” They have successfully hosted their own Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival every year since 2001 in Buena Vista, VA on the fourth weekend of September. The festival has become a notable event for the Shenandoah Valley bluegrass scene and attracts acclaimed bluegrass bands and bluegrass music lovers from many corners of the U.S., Canada, and even overseas. The band is known for their smooth vocal blends, stirring performances, irrepressible humor, and for traveling the highways in their beloved bright yellow tour bus.

Their two-decade career has earned them a dedicated fan base, six Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Entertainers of the Year awards, honorary Mountaineer status by order of former WV Governor Joe Manchin III, and certificates of appreciation from several VA towns, and even had the Buena Vista mayor declare it as “Nothin’ Fancy Day” at one of their festivals. On April 10, 2015, the all-male music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia inducted four members of Nothin’ Fancy into honorary brotherhood through the chapter at James Madison University (the fifth, Chris Sexton, joined Phi Mu Alpha in 1995 at Shenandoah University’s chapter). The band was also inducted as the 2015 members of the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor given once a year to Virginia’s most notable country and bluegrass musicians on October 10 of that year.

mike@nothinfancybluegrass.com
Mike Andes
Mike Andes, born and raised in Timberville, VA, began performing publicly at age 14. Mike will tell you his music ability is God-given. He plays by ear and has never had any lessons or professional training. Several family members, including his brothers and uncles, influenced Mike with their musical abilities. In the early 1980s, Mike formed his first band, The East Coast Bluegrass Band and in 1994, was a founding member of Nothin’ Fancy. Mike always wanted a full-time career in music and Nothin’ Fancy has given him the opportunity to fulfill this goal. During his time with Nothin’ Fancy, Mike has been nominated for Mandolin Player of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Individual Entertainer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year through the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA). Mike has become well known as an exceptional MC for the band and keeps the show rolling from song to song with his wit and charm. Mike has always considered Charlie Waller to be his bluegrass hero. He learned his trade by Charlie Waller and the Country Gentlemen’s example. The Seldom Scene has also been a huge influence on Mike’s music. When Mike is not touring with Nothin’ Fancy, he enjoys building mandolins, fiddles and woodworking in general. He also enjoys the outdoors and gardening with his wife, Becky, at their home in Pataskala, OH. Together, Mike and Becky have three sons, three daughter-in-laws, one daughter, one son-in-law, and four beautiful grandchildren.

chris@nothinfancybluegrass.com
Chris Sexton
Multi-instrumentalist Chris Sexton is usually seen with a fiddle, and sometimes contributes to the vocals. He debuted with the band in 1998 at the Maury River Fiddler's Convention, where the band won first prize in the bluegrass band competition – he still has the ribbon. He appeared as a guest on the band's second and third self-released albums and joined the band in the summer of 2000. His dad, “Buster” Sexton who played banjo in several bands in the 70’s and early 80’s, introduced Chris to bluegrass. Although his first instrument was a mandolin, Chris soon focused his energies on the violin. Throughout middle and high school, he grew as a violinist in symphony orchestras, the All-Virginia Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Apprenticeship Program, while keeping his bluegrass roots. Chris attended Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance. Soon after, he found himself fiddling with the East Coast Bluegrass Band with his father, and Nothin' Fancy shortly thereafter. He also has appeared in the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony, and served as the assistant principal violist with the Loudoun Symphony, and also served for five years as a co-director of the American Children of SCORE based in Warrenton, VA. His violin work could also be heard on several TV specials in the early 2000s that were featured on the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, PBS, and the National Geographic Channel. In 2008, Chris returned to Shenandoah University for a master’s degree in violin pedagogy (the methods of teaching violin in private lesson settings) and graduated with the MM in 2010 – all while maintaining a busy touring and teaching schedule. When Chris isn't playing bluegrass, he’s teaching violin, viola, cello, piano, and bluegrass fiddle in his own studio in old-town Manassas, VA. He also routinely does work for DC-area recording studios as a session musician, and he is also an adjunct professor of violin, viola, and cello at the Woodbridge Campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. In the fall of 2005, Chris released his first solo disc on Pinecastle Records, Coffee at Midnight and he released a second, all-classical solo album entitled Proof in 2013. His hobbies include cooking, composing music, and traveling.

jacob@nothinfancybluegrass.com
Jacob Flick
Jacob is a student at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. He is majoring in Appalachian studies with a concentration in bluegrass, and is among a new generation of bluegrass musicians who are pursuing the study of the music in institutes of higher learning. When not at ETSU, he hangs his hat in Singers Glen, VA. Jacob has been a fan of Nothin’ Fancy for years, and considered playing with Nothin’ Fancy “a dream job” ever since. The crew of Nothin’ Fancy are happy to make that dream a reality!
He is an avid fisherman, collects vinyl records, spends time with friends and family, and of course spends a lot of quality time with his banjo.

curt@nothinfancybluegrass.com
Curt Gausman
Curt Gausman lives north of Charlottesville, VA with his wife Lori, is returning to bluegrass after a stint off the road with bands based out of Northern Virginia in the 1980s. He was part of Hobbs and Partners, led by Arnold Hobbs, which also included John Paganoni, John’s son Chris (who has filled in as a substitute with Nothin’ Fancy on more than one occasion), and Mark Delaney. From his work with Hobbs, he formed the Hazel River Band, which he led through 1996 and recorded two albums with the Hay Holler label. He enjoyed success as a charter bus tour coordinator operating his own tour bus company until the pandemic of 2020. Curt came to the Nothin’ Fancy festival and delivered some impressive tenor on his audition with strong rhythm guitar to back it up. He joined us at several performances from October 2022 in West Virginia, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Florida, and the responses from the crowd over Curt’s seasoned voice and affable smiles were enough to earn his place with Nothin’ Fancy. He is thrilled to be playing and singing once again!

jenkins@nothinfancybluegrass.com
Jenkins
From the dark swamps of the midlands of the Palmetto State comes a wondrous musical force of nature wielding a largemouth upright bass. The fresh face to Nothin' Fancy carries the torch of bluegrass music in his heart and has done so for several decades. He has performed on three continents to much acclaim while working with US Navy Band (Country Current) veteran Frank Solivan and has recorded previously with Frank Wakefield. Jenkins is an entertainer both on the stage and while hanging out with you in the fields of bluegrass festivals far and wide, and he only asks that if you're going to throw tomatoes at him, remember to take them out of the can first. Come find us out there on the bluegrass trail - if you're lucky, he'll autograph your Nothin' Fancy CDs with a hearty "Thankins" from Jenkins!
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