Second String Band plays progressive acoustic music in and around the Triangle region of North Carolina. Our style is eclectic and ranges from bluegrass to newgrass to folk, rock, blues, country and jazz, and features traditional acoustic instrumentation and rich harmony vocals. Our song list has great depth, with a long list of original tunes and a wide variety of traditional and contemporary covers. With abundant lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, our sound maintains variety and interest. You can listen to some of our original songs and find out about our CD “Backroads” over on the Music page, and we invite you to come see us live and enjoy our music!

 

The Band:

 

Marc Auble — guitar, resonator slide guitar, vocals, songwriting Our most prolific songwriter, Marc really shines on acoustic and slide guitars. He’s also a talented electric guitarist and veteran of the local music scene, and displays his prodigious skills with power trio Sports Alternative. When not playing music, Marc can often be found building custom amplifiers and repairing sound equipment.

Miner Gleason — fiddle, mandolin, mandola, guitar, vocals, songwriting Classically trained, Miner has played with rock, folk and classical chamber groups and sung with barbershop quartets and chamber choirs. When not showing off his fiddle virtuosity, Miner enjoys fine food, good coffee, hiking, and making sawdust, and can often be found testing voice technology software.

David Hamilton — banjo, guitar, vocals An accomplished guitarist and banjo picker, David cut his teeth on heavy metal. Dragged by friends to a Grateful Dead show, he “got it” and fell in love with their folky roots. A meteorologist by trade, David can often be found crunching weather forecasting models when not hanging out with his kids or performing with his wife Betsy as Barely Above Sea Level.

Michael Lowry — mandolin, mandola, guitar, fiddle, bass, vocals, songwriting Although he’s been involved in music since an early age, Michael discovered a love for bluegrass only a few years ago and has never looked back. When not playing with Second String Band, Michael can often be found making music with his wife and two daughters or analyzing groundwater hydrogeology.

Bert McMillan — bass, guitar, vocals An experienced electric bassist, Bert’s a veteran of many local bands and also plays with Marc in Sports Alternative. He readily took to the upright string bass a couple years ago after receiving one as a gift. When not playing music, Bert can often be found serving up pints at the Player’s Retreat in Raleigh.