Cindy Browne — acoustic bass
Having recently stepped into the world of bluegrass, bassist Cindy Browne—a California native—has more than 30 years experience as a touring and recording musician playing a variety of styles that range from jazz to classical to ethnic folk. She has performed at festivals nationally such as the Concord Jazz Festival, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival, the San Francisco and Monterey Jazz Festivals and at various festivals throughout Europe, Japan, the Caribbean, and Jordan. Cindy is known for her recent work with jazz guitarist Mimi Fox, Wake The Dead, and The Webster Sisters with Scott Nygaard. A noted jazz clinician and instructor, Cindy holds a Masters Degree in Music from Washington State University, teaches music and directs the jazz ensembles at Las Positas College in Livermore.

Erik Thomas — mandolin
A founding member of Due West, this California native’s mixed musical heritage begins with the genes and influence of his world renowned mom, the famous classical violin soloist Camilla Wicks, and his trumpet playing dad, Bob Thomas, who worked with Harry James and Jimmy Dorsey during the 1940’s. Erik got his first guitar in his early teens and studied classical as well as blues/rock styles until discovering bluegrass at age 20. Erik has worked with an eclectic mix of artists, including Mickey Gilley, Elvin Bishop, David Grisman, Rob Ickes and Tony Trischka. An accomplished contest player, Erik has won the Western Open Mandolin and Flatpicking Guitar Championships. Erik's singing can be heard on the multi-million selling sound track of the computer game sensation The Sims™. He can transform ballads into works of art, and his inventive, precise mandolin technique and friendly stage presence all contribute to Due West’s exciting and unique sound.

For more information about Erik, visit his website.

Tashina Clarridge — fiddle
Tashina Clarridge is a very talented, highly inventive fiddler who has gathered her knowledge from nearly 21 years of musical experience. Starting violin at the young age of 2, she has been competing in fiddle contests since age 6, and performing for the past 15 years. Raised in the mountains of northern California, Tashina studied with Megan Lynch and Rob Diggins. Her musical horizons were also greatly expanded by frequent visits to Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp where she first heard Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster, and great influences Darol Anger, Buddy Spicher, Matt Glaser and, of course, Mark O'Connor. She has been a 6-time National Grand Championship finalist, as well as a 5-time California State fiddle champion, and 2-time Western Open Grand Champion. Though her contest history clearly distinguishes her as a sparkling clean, studied player in the genre of Texas-style fiddling, she reveals great musical talent in her skill of intricately arranging traditional, and not-so-traditional, tunes. Her enthusiasm for many diverse styles of music brings an unusual level of creativity to her playing.

For more information about Tashina, visit her website.

Bill Evans — banjo
Virginia native Bill Evans is one of bluegrass music’s top banjo players and teachers. He is well known to audiences internationally from his work with Dry Branch Fire Squad, the Jim Hurst Band, Bluegrass Intentions and the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience. His 1995 Rounder CD “Native and Fine” was awarded an Honorable Mention for Acoustic Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Association for Independent Music and his most recent CD “Bill Evans Plays Banjo” made both the Chicago Tribune and County Sales’ “Best of 2002” lists. Bill teaches at many bluegrass camps around the world and also co-directs the NashCamp Sonny Osborne Banjo Retreat in the Nashville area. Drawing upon his primary mentors Sonny Osborne, J.D. Crowe and Tony Trischka, Bill’s playing is a tasteful fusion of new and old sounds. Both elements are on ample display in Due West. In addition, the band performs the best of his many original instrumental compositions.

For more information about Bill, visit his website.