Kristen Grainger & True North Electronic Press Kit

Short bio

The music of Americana-bluegrass quartet Kristen Grainger & True North resonates deeply with audiences listening for well-crafted songs, skillful instrumentation, and beautiful vocals.

Fronted by award-winning song crafter Kristen Grainger, the powerhouse string band includes Dan Wetzel, guitar and octave mandolin; Martin Stevens, mandolin, octave mandolin, and fiddle; Josh Adkins, bass – and everybody sings.

The band showcased at SXSW in 2022 on the USA Songwriting stage, and Kristen continues to earn national recognition for her songwriting, most recently taking first place in Common Ground on the Hill’s Acoustic Roots songwriting contest, and by Hope Rises II, a tribute to excellence in social change songwriting curated by Noel “Paul” Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary.  

Kristen was named, alongside Brandi Carlile and Dolly Parton, one of the Women Who Wrote Our 2020 Soundtrack by The Bluegrass Situation.

Detailed bio

Fronted by award-winning song crafter Kristen Grainger, the folk-bluegrass powerhouse includes  Dan Wetzel,  guitar; octave mandolin; Martin Stevens,  mandolin, octave mandolin, fiddle; Josh Adkins , bass – and everybody sings.

The band showcased at SXSW in 2022 on the USA Songwriting stage, and Kristen continues to earn more national songwriting honors, most recently at Common Ground on the Hill and Hope Rises, a tribute to excellence in social change songwriting curated by Noel “Paul” Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary.  

A songwriter whose star continues to rise, Kristen Grainger was named, alongside Brandi Carlile and Dolly Parton, one of the Women Who Wrote Our 2020 Soundtrack by The Bluegrass Situation. Kristen won first place in the 2020 USA Songwriting Competition (folk), and she has won or been a finalist in national songwriting contests at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Wildflower Festival, Merlefest, and Kerrville New Folk. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, Kristen served as vice president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and speechwriter for two Oregon governors.

An accomplished singer-songwriter who toured nationally as a solo artist, Dan Wetzel is also a luthier who handcrafts musical instruments, including those used in performance, that look and sound beautiful. His superb skills as a vocalist and on guitar, both flat-pick and finger style, give True North’s songs their fat sound and driving groove.

Martin Stevens grew up in the Old Time Fiddlers contest community, winning several state and regional championships during his childhood. Martin’s first two bluegrass groups, Athena and the River City Boys and Molly Adkins and Martin Stevens, performed for several years at bluegrass festivals in the Pacific Northwest. A silky-voiced singer and stellar fiddle and mandolin player, Martin was a co-founder of the Bluegrass Regulators, releasing two albums and performing all over the country, most notably as one of the IBMA showcase artists.

Josh Adkins cut his teeth, musically speaking, alongside Martin in the Bluegrass Regulators. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist of considerable skill and versatility, Josh delivers a solid bass groove that is anything but mundane. A monster musical talent, Josh’s superpower is his knack for arrangement, finding the missing piece, vocally or instrumentally, that best showcases the song.