Still on the Hill

Sunday March 22, 3pm

Acoustic Contemporary Folk-Duo of the Ozarks

• Band members:Kelly Mulhollan - Vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, tenor ukulele, songwriter; Donna Stjerna - Vocals, fiddle, cello, mandolin, washboard, mbira, songwriter
• Julie Koehler, Bluegrass Now:Seemingly oblivious to the limitations of what two musicians can create, Still on the Hill has set new boundaries of originality. This duo uses traditional instruments from their home in the Ozarks (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica and scrub board) as well as other exotic offerings (Moon guitar from Japan, African Mbira, and Tenor Ukulele) to create a kaleidoscope of musical color and texture:
• The result is a yet-to-be-named hybrid music that simply compels people to stop and listen, to pause in their hectic lives and pay attention to something they've never heard before. It's magic, and there's simply not enough magic in the world today. Visually, Still on the Hill is full of color and motion; instrumentally, they command their instruments with power and grace, producing a sound that is both fresh and ancient at the same time; lyrically, their original material is packed with new ideas, social awareness and a level of intellect and consciousness that's seldom found in contemporary tunes.
• Still on the Hill has proved itself a favorite at many prestigious festivals and venues here and abroad, including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield, Kansas (in 2005, the duo took over the role of organizing and hosting Walnut Valley's NewSongs Showcase, an event that has been popular at the festival for almost two decades) and countless others. Their own region, the Ozarks, has voted them the “Best Folk Band” for several years running, and the mayor of their town, Fayetteville, Arkansas, proclaimed Dec. 20 th Still on the Hill Day for all the work the duo does in community service. They have produced seven widely acclaimed CD's (two as a foursome) and three years ago they signed with Swiss record label Brambus Records for the European release of their CD “Chaos & Calm”.
• Kelly and Donna helped form the original quartet version of Still on the Hill to explore their own music. When the group was just a few months old they ventured down to the Kerrville Folk Festival where Donna became a “born again” musician! A floodgate opened and songs began spilling out of her. With over 400 songs to her credit, Donna has become an accomplished and much loved songwriter. She especially likes to write songs in the folk tradition of spurring social change through music.

Still on the Hill

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