Fog Holler: Contemporary Stories Meet Traditional Bluegrass

As a saxophone player in high school, Casey Holmberg could not have been less interested in bluegrass music. “I never even liked to play the guitar,” he says. “As a saxophone player, the guitar just didn’t make sense to me.”  After hearing Ricky Skaggs’ Bluegrass Rules album, Casey began playing a used mandolin. “I listened to the ‘Rawhide’ track on repeat. I was mesmerized.”

While in college in Los Angeles, Casey began looking for a cheap banjo and found someone in his dorm who had one. “I began looking for people to play with – people in my age range and people who played the same genre.” He went to music festivals around Los Angeles, which exposed him to more bluegrass music. “I thought back to my childhood. My dad was a big folk and bluegrass fan back in New York. I remember Sunday mornings listening to David Grisman albums with him.”

Casey says he was drawn to the high-lonesome style. “Bluegrass tenor is something I’ve always been attracted to. I like the raw edge to it – it just feels right to me.”  When he felt ready, Casey invited his friend, Tommy Schulz, to back him on guitar in the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Competition. “We sang a lot of brother duo songs, like stuff from the Blue Sky Boys, the Stanley Brothers, and the Lilly Brothers.” Both Casey and Tommy had degrees in theatre, and they used that to their advantage while playing at farmers’ markets and at the Santa Monica Promenade and Pier. “We got a bunch of weird gigs from doing that.”

After living and playing in Los Angeles for a few years, Casey says he grew weary of the same music. “I began to write, distilling what we loved about bluegrass.” His friend, Noa, who studied bass performance at UCLA, joined them, and the band became official in 2018. Rounding out the band is Lillian Sawyer on fiddle.

When the band formed, they kicked around names and landed on Fog Holler. “It’s a nod to the northern California area where we are based, where the fog rolls in from the bay. And “holler” has a nice bluegrass sound to it. Fog Holler just seemed like the best choice for us. We have a good selection of songs written mostly by me and Tommy, with some help from Noa. We think of our songs as a narrative that tells a story. We pay close attention to how we arrange a show, and we like to add some intentional comedy and showmanship.

Fog Holler has a very traditional bluegrass sound, and the band members bring it with excellent musicianship. Yet the lyrics tell a much more contemporary story, with topical themes like mental health, climate change, and gender expression. Their first album, Or Else the Sun, was released in 2018, followed by Rocking in a Weary Land in 2021. Their last album was self-titled, released in 2022. “We are cooking up some new original music and plan on recording again soon,” says Casey.

The band committed to each other early on to treat their work like a full-time job. “If we don’t have a paying gig every day of the week, we will play at a farmer’s market or somewhere else. It’s important for us to play in public regularly so that we can see the response to our music.”

One of the first things people notice about the band is their sense of style. They wear monochromatic matching outfits, which is a nod to tradition, but they make it their own. “People comment on our style a lot,” says Casey. “For me, it goes hand-in-hand with what the genre is all about. We live in an individualistic society with a very open sense of fashion. But part of this goes back to my theatre training. We always rehearsed in black, which levels the playing field in a way. Plus, when we are all dressed alike, people know who’s with the band.”

Fog Holler has had a few changes since I first interviewed Casey for this article. Lily has left to pursue another project, and Tommy left to go back to school. While the shift was a bit of a surprise and took time to adjust, Fog Holler rebounded with the addition of Clare Armenante, who joined the band on fiddle, and Joel Cofield, who is taking on vocals and guitar. “They are both incredibly talented,” says Casey. “We are all excited about the fresh energy and new direction they bring to the band as we work to evolve the Fog Holler sound and continue moving forward.”

Casey says the band is looking forward to playing their first MerleFest this year.

https://www.fogholler.band/