Chester River Runoff at the Front Porch 5/13/11 : Too Many Miles

Chester River Runoff perform "Too Many Miles" by Ben Armiger at the Front Porch house concert, 5/13/11
Sam Guthridge - banjo, Marc Dykeman - bass, Nate Grower - fiddle, Ben Armiger - guitar


The first streams of Chester River Runoff started flowing in the winter of 2003, when Ben Armiger and Sam Guthridge were introduced and started jamming occasionally in Ben's old barn down by the Chester River. For a year, with Ben on banjo and Sam on guitar, the duo would play occasional open mic nights, and busk in Chestertown on summer Friday evenings. The idea of forming a band was never really considered until the fall of 2004, at a Halloween party hosted by Ben's neighbor Marc Dykeman. Marc dug an old Army-issue aluminum bass out of an outbuilding and played a couple of songs with the duo, who were shocked to see people get up and dance.
Inspired, Ben and Sam assembled the original quartet, with bluegrass newcomer Tim Parent on mandolin and Ian Trusheim on bass. The four hung out and casually learned a few tunes in an attempt to learn how to play their new instruments, for by this time Sam had taken up banjo and Ben guitar. A month or so later, they had gotten a dozen songs together and were asked to stop by and play a party hosted by some Washington College students on a farm outside of Chestertown. The group cobbed together a PA with some borrowed microphones and pieces of home stereo equipment, and ended up playing their short setlist 4 times through, for a group of partiers that danced until the farmhouse floor was beyond repair. The stars had aligned, and a band was born.
A month later, they had a show's worth of material worked up and played their first gig at a local bar, where ballots were collected, and the name "Chester River Runoff" was selected by popular vote. In the Runoff's early days, shows were dominated by jokes and silly covers to keep the crowds entertained in spite of their beginners' instrumental prowess. However, each member practiced diligently, with Ben switching to guitar and Sam to banjo for most of each show, and as more original material was added to the sets the music began to stand on its own.
This lineup played around the area and traveled as far as Maine, until the fall of 2006 when Tim departed for personal reasons and Ian left to devote his attention to leading another band, The Took. What seemed like the end became the birth of Chester River Runoff as a serious presence on the bluegrass and roots music scene, for Marc Dykeman joined the band on bass and brought with him his wealth of musical knowledge, impeccable timing, and a producer's ear, and Nate Grower joined on fiddle, who at 20 had already gigged with most of the area's bluegrass acts and brought a dose of serious professionalism and depth of knowledge about the bluegrass scene. The summer of 2007 saw the group's area expand, and it's first widespread exposure when the Associated Press put out a story on the bands topical songs "Where the Speed Limit Changes" and "Plastic Houses", which decry exurban sprawl development on the Eastern Shore.
At present, Chester River Runoff can hang with the best of the bluegrass scene, with big harmonies and tight instrumental work. At the same time, they preserve in their live shows the warm spirit and humor of friends who got together simply to hang out and learn an instrument. They have an impressive repertoire of original songs, which strike audiences with their honesty and their way of tackling subjects not usually attempted by bluegrass songwriters and takes on the classic themes with a fresh perspective and new imagery. The Runoff have successfully played many of the best and most well known clubs and theatres in the area, including the Avalon Theatre in Easton, Ram's Head Live, the Purple Fiddle, and have played at major festivals such as the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival and Falcon Ridge Folk Fest. They have shared stages with many of the best in bluegrass and Americana music, including Steep Canyon Rangers, the Avett Brothers, the Hackensaw Boys, and Adrienne Young; and have had many great shows in unlikely pairings, such as with punk and reggae bands, and even opened for garage rock legends the Fleshtones. The group plays regularly in the triangle described by the Eastern Shore, Richmond, VA, and New York City, but they are always looking to expand their range even more. The band has released a live CD, and its studio debut, "Blue Heron Farm" is set to release on October 8, 2010....