Downtown Ramblers

Biography

Meet the Downtown Ramblers. They call themselves a “nordic urban bluegrass” band, a mixed expression that indicates the music they play, where they’re from and what they love.  Their music is based on traditional bluegrass with influences from all kinds of music, including Swedish folk music, pop, and jazz. It all started in 2005, when lead singer Emelie Junsten asked Pär Öjerot if he wanted to play some country music with her. Within a few weeks Martin Blomberg and Oskar Reuter were invited to join the band. After a few lineup changes, bass player Kalle Annerhult joined and the Downtown Ramblers took the form that remains the same to this very day.

In the early days of the Downtown Ramblers, they played covers, but their focus gradually changed and they decided to dedicate the band to bluegrass only. By that time, Oskar, the mandolin player, also started to write songs for the band. In the fall of 2007, the Downtown Ramblers won the Swedish Bluegrass Championships, and the following summer they  performed at almost every major country and bluegrass festival in Sweden. They released their first CD in late 2008.

Their follow-up CD, “On the Other Side of the City”, has just been released, featuring thoughtful lyrics, beautiful harmonies and tasty licks. Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien sings and plays fiddle on “Be My Baby Still”, and Crooked Still fiddler Brittany Haas joins in on three tracks.  This is a band on the rise, worldwide. Just consider: in 2009, they were voted the #1 European Bluegrass Band at the European World of Bluegrass Festival. This gave the band the opportunity to present their music to an American audience for the first, but certainly not last time at the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in 2010 (Nashville, TN).