THE SPECIAL CONSENSUS is a four person acoustic bluegrass band that began performing in the Midwest in the spring of 1975. The first band album was released in 1979 when the band began touring on a national basis. In 1984, The Special Consensus initiated the Traditional American Music (TAM) Program in schools across the country and began appearing on cable television and National Public Radio shows. The band has since appeared on The Nashville Network “Fire On The Mountain” show, toured for three seasons as 4/5 of the cast in the musical Cotton Patch Gospel (music and lyrics by Harry Chapin), and released twelve additional recordings. Songs from the 1998 Our Little Town, the 2002 Route 10 and the 2004 Everything’s Alright releases appeared on the National Bluegrass Survey chart in Bluegrass Unlimited and on the Gospel Truths chart in Bluegrass Now. A video production of the TAM Program, sponsored by the Northern Indiana Bluegrass Association, has been archived at the Nashville office of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and sent by the IBMA to hundreds of schools throughout the United States. In 2000, Pinecastle Records released the first band performance video, filmed for Iowa Public Television’s “Old Time Country Music” show, and The Special Consensus 25th Anniversary recording to mark this milestone year for the band. The 25th Anniversary and Route 10 recordings each received a Highlight Review in Bluegrass Unlimited, and Route 10 was included in the Top 10 Recordings of 2003 in both Bluegrass Now and the Chicago Tribune. In November 2003, The Special Consensus received a standing ovation after the first band performance on the Grand Ole Opry at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. The 2005 Everything’s Alright release was included in the Top 10 Recordings of 2005 in Bluegrass Now and Greg was featured in the September 2006 cover story of that periodical. The band was featured in the August 2005 cover story of Bluegrass Unlimited. International tours have brought The Special Consensus to the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Ireland and South America. In 1993, the band performed the first of many concerts with a symphony orchestra, complete with orchestral arrangements of songs from the band repertoire. The Special Consensus is included on the touring rosters of the Illinois Arts Council (Artstour) and the Heartland Arts Fund and continues to participate in the Arts Midwest Performing Arts Touring Program.

McPunk Brothers
http://www.avalon.net/~mswilson/mcpunk/

The McPUNK BROTHERS are five Iowa musicians who perform traditional and original gospel material in the bluegrass style. The group has performed at churches for the past eleven years. In addition, the band has appeared at many festivals and special events throughout the Midwest. In 1992 and 1997 they captured first place in the Bluegrass Band Competition at the Old-Time Country Music Festival in Avoca, Iowa.

Banjoist Paul Roberts has been playing for over 20 years and serves as emcee for The McPunk Brothers. The band has recorded and performs songs penned by Paul. His unique original songs are always favorites at festivals and churches. He won the gospel songwriting contest at Avoca in 1997. His unusual sense of humor shows through in his songs and in his unofficial role as The McPunk Brothers' spokesman.

Kirk Stimson handles the mandolin duties for the group and is also a proficient songwriter. The group has recorded several of Kirk's songs. Kirk recently released a new tape entitled "Time and Again" which includes many of his original songs. In 1989, he appeared on the Iowa Public Television show "Old Time Country Music." Kirk also sings tenor and lead for the group.

Mark Wilson sings lead and plays guitar.

Daryl Yoder plays the vital role of bass player and bass singer for the group. Daryl's solid sense of rhythm provides the foundation for the McPunk Brothers' sound. His bass voice adds the necessary strong bottom end to the group's quartet songs.

Guitarist Keith Yoder is probably the most versatile member of The McPunk Brothers. In addition to providing smooth baritone and lead vocals for the group, Keith will often play banjo, mandolin, or fiddle. He has released three recordings entitled "Songs for Kids", "Acoustic Christmas" and "Come Let Us Sing". His original instrumental compositions are favorites of the other band members, and contribute greatly to the band's sound. Keith won the flattop guitar and bass fiddle contests at Avoca in 1997 and 1999, and he also won the mandolin and banjo contests in 1999.

The McPunk Brothers have released six recordings that include a mix of traditional bluegrass, gospel, and original material.

THE CORDER FAMILY BLUEGRASS BAND has been performing in Southern Iowa and Northeastern Missouri for many years. Oma and her late husband, Bob, began their careers on radio stations in Shenandoah, Iowa, and St. Joseph, Missouri, in the 1940's. Their daughter Susan Miller, niece Brenda Smith and cousin Ron Whitacre have been entertaining and performing since they were kids. Mike Carter and Mark Ballantyne also hail from musical backgrounds.
Oma lives in Lancaster, Missouri. She is a retired beautician. Susan lives in Knoxville, Iowa, and works in the office at Marion County Mutual. Brenda lives in Des Moines and works for the City of Johnston, Iowa. Ron is from Glenwood, Missouri, and works for the city water department. He and his wife own and operate the local newspaper. Mike resides in  Indianola, Iowa, and works for Qwest. Mark is from Lamoni, Iowa, and is a retired mechanic.
Brenda, and Ron play guitar, while Oma plays mandolin, Susan the upright bass, Mark plays fiddle and Mike the banjo. Everyone shares in the singing and arrangements of the songs. During the summer you can find the group at local town celebrations and festivals with highlights of performing at the Iowa State Fair and the Des Moines Farmers Market. The group has also performed at Old Threshers in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Several members of the group are in the America's Old-Time Country and Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Avoca, Iowa.

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