who are we?

We are Karel Hendee and Jonathan Lyerly, aka The Free Range String Band. We play Old-Time* string band music plus some early country songs. We typically will perform with numerous instruments on hand, including banjos, fiddle, guitar, bass and mandolin. Karel also clog dances. We love to play driving fiddle tunes, but we also enjoy singing harmony and doing some sweet old songs, too. Usually it just depends on our mood and the audiences mood!

We play concerts, coffee houses, house concerts, weddings, parties, and everything in between. Contact us for booking your event.

Jonathan Lyerly has been playing music his whole life. Starting on electric guitar at the age of 12, he now plays guitar, mandolin and fiddle with the FRSB, as well as drums and bass in other bands. Old time fiddle is his passion.

Karel Hendee started music later in her life, first learning the banjo. She has since added acoustic bass and guitar to her repertoire. She is a driving banjo player, and a solid bass player. She also loves singing harmony and lead.

 

*(Old Time music is not old-timey fuddy-dud music! Old Time refers to pre-bluegrass  American mountain music – the mother of bluegrass. Bluegrass  developed out of old-time as a performance music with virtuosic soloing, fancy stage moves, etc. Old Time is and was a more communal music, played for dances and for personal enjoyment on the porch or at a gathering. It is a uniquely American music – a blend of Scots and Irish fiddle with the African banjo and it’s rhythmic drive.