Hit & Run Band
BAND BIO
2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Showcase Invitee
First Place, 2005 SPBGMA International Band Championship (Nashville, TN)
First Place, 2003 Telluride & 2002 Rockygrass Band Contests (Telluride & Lyons, CO)
Nashville-based Hit & Run, fronted by Rebecca and John Frazier, has performed on the stages of Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, Smilefest, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival, Blue Ridge Harvest Fest, Blueberry Bluegrass Festival, and many other renowned venues across North America. Since 2002, Hit & Run has been sharing stages with the likes of Jimmy Martin, J.D. Crowe, Hot Rize, Rhonda Vincent, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Del McCoury, David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, and many other recognized musicians in bluegrass music. Yet the band has also been invited to perform alongside popular acts like Creedence Clearwater Revisited, G. Love & Special Sauce, Galactic, and Medeski Martin & Wood. These sorts of achievements don’t come easily for any band, and they certainly didn’t come easily for Hit & Run; yet somehow, this young group of hard-working musicians have carved their own vision and shared these successes.
Hit & Run formed in Colorado in late 2001 with the mutual desire to play authentic-yet-modern bluegrass. A few months later, the group of stellar pickers won the 2002 Rockygrass Band Competition in Lyons, CO. Less than a year after that, Hit & Run took first place at the 2003 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest, making them the first and only band to win both contests. According to Denver’s Westword newspaper, “Something’s got to be up when one bluegrass band suddenly surpasses all the others. Here in Colorado, that band is Hit & Run.” Hit & Run went on to take first place at the 2005 SPBGMA International Band Championships in Nashville—a rare feat for a first-time competitor.
“Hit & Run is far and away the most exciting bluegrass act in Colorado right now,” shared Eric Pirritt, Colorado talent buyer for Boulder’s Fox Theatre. “They have been able to harness a style of bluegrass that has both young kids and older folks lining up in the streets for their show, each and every time they play.” Hit & Run’s appeal may be their youthful energy combined with polished vocals, hot picking, and their contemporary sound. Hit & Run tastefully interprets standard bluegrass and traditional tunes, and they skillfully craft original tunes; their music is “handspun yet motor-driven, a well-oiled machine of sound produced by men and women with flying fingers and high, lonesome voices.” (Westword)
Rebecca Frazier holds the honor of being the first-ever woman on the cover of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine (September 2006). She has also been featured in Bluegrass Now (April 2006) for her flatpicking guitar and vocal accomplishments. John Frazier’s mandolin virtuosity has garnered him recognition as one of the nation's premier mandolinists. His "classic" sounding original songs are an integral part of Hit & Run’s repertoire. He is also a member of legendary singer John Cowan's out of Nashville. North Carolina native banjo player Andy Thorn brings his rock-solid, groove-oriented timing and original compositions to the band. His resume includes stints with Larry Keel & Natural Bridge and Broke Mountain. Dobro virtuoso Todd Livingston claimed Colorado fame as the 2001 Colorado Dobro Champion and is a founding member of Hit & Run. Singing and playing bass is New Hampshire native Steve Roy, whose mastery of the upright bass is a unique delight.
Two-time Grammy winner Gene Libbea joined the band as bass-player/singer from January to June 2003. His 13-year tenure with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, as well as his 30-plus years as a professional musician, brought priceless ideas and input to Hit & Run Bluegrass during that time. Says Libbea: “This band has immense talent. They are destined to go far.”
Hit & Run was invited to record their debut album, “Beauty Fades,” at Doobie Shea Studios in Boones Mill, Virginia. Tim Austin, founder of the Lonesome River Band and Doobie Shea Records, produced and engineered the project in January 2004. Their 2005 sophomore release, “Without Maps or Charts,” has sold thousands of copies nationwide, and receives daily airplay on Sirius Satellite Radio. "I've Kissed You My Last Time," a track from that record, was the most requested song on Sirius Radio in June, 2007.
“It is easy to see why Hit & Run is moving up so quickly—their music is powerful and their professionalism is amazing for such a young band,” comments George Gertz, producer of the North Fork Valley Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. Hit & Run has gained the respect of promoters, fans, musicians, and media across the country.