ALEX STURBAUM

As a solo artist, Alex performs original songs interwoven with traditional music. Alex has performed solo at festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest, and delights audiences with  heartfelt songs, contagious enthusiasm, and friendly banter. They are also active as a teacher, and in the studio as a producer and session musician. Alex has released four solo albums: "River Run Wide" (2017), "Loomings" (2020), "Atlantic Dreams (2021), and "Slash" (2022).

The Vashon Sessions is an annual collaborative music project whose goal is to bring together some of the Pacific Northwest’s best folk musicians to create something new. Produced by Alex, the Vashon Sessions is a recording project that emphasizes musical connection, spontaneity, and the blurring of genre boundaries. Find out more on the Vashon Sessions' official website.

With Alex and Brian performing as Countercurrent, Alex and Penka Jane performing as the Try-Works, and Penka Jane and Brian performing as Dear Crow, it was perhaps inevitable that a trio would eventually form. One Dollar Whiskey performs driving square-dance tunes and joyous Americana harmonies with fiddle, banjo, guitar, and vocals.

Gallimaufry (Brian Lindsay on fiddle, Arthur Davis on piano, banjo, and trumpet, Donal Sheets on cello and guitar, Ness Smith-Savedoff on percussion, and Alex on guitar and accordion) formed in Oberlin in 2010 and quickly gained notoriety as a contra dance band to watch. Their multitalented, diverse, and enthusiastic approach to dance music has brought them on tours throughout New England, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. Gallimaufry released Places Left To Go, their debut album, in 2014.

Countercurrent (Brian Lindsay on fiddle and Alex on guitar) is an energetic contra dance band based in the Pacific Northwest.  Their music features lyrical fiddle, driving guitar, foot percussion, and harmony vocals. Countercurrent recorded an EP in 2015 and released their full-length album, Exchange, in 2018. They have toured extensively and performed for weekends, festivals, and dances throughout the country.

The Try-Works is a duo consisting of Alex and fiddler/singer Penka Jane Culevski. Building on a shared love of Irish and old-time music and rousing songs that usually involve whales, the Try-Works bring joyous energy and good times wherever they play.

The Waxwings (Amy Engleseberg on piano and accordion, Jesse Partridge on fiddle, Alex on guitar and accordion) formed for a one-off gig in Seattle, but soon found that they had created a smooth, energetic sound that was a delight to dance to and a joy to play. The Waxwings have been playing contra dances throughout the Pacific Northwest, and show no signs of stopping. Find their EP here.