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Second String Band have been playing
progressive acoustic music in and around the Triangle region of North
Carolina since the summer of 2003. 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 give us a listen over on our Music page, where we are streaming most of our out-of-print first studio album “Backroads”.
With the sad loss of founding member Robert McMillan in October 2023, our future is uncertain. Perhaps we’ll resurface again, though
it somehow doesn’t seem right to continue as “Second String Band.” Both Michael and David play upright bass, and Bert bequeathed
his precious string bass to Michael, so perhaps a quartet is in our future. “Third String Band” perhaps? We shall see...
The Band:
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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 S.Alt. When not playing music,
Marc builds and repairs high-end audio equipment and guitar amplifiers.
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Miner Gleason — fiddle,
mandolin, mandola, guitar, harp, cello, vocals, occasional songwriting
Classically trained and obsessed with music, Miner has played & sung with rock, folk and
classical chamber groups for many decades. He also plays electric violin with Liquid Garcia.
When not playing or recording music in his studio, Miner enjoys travel with his sweetie, fine
food, good coffee, hiking & making sawdust.
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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.
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Michael Lowry — mandolin,
mandola, guitar, fiddle, string bass, vocals, songwriting
Michael’s been involved in music since an early age, though his love for
bluegrass came relatively recently. Besides lending his
sweet singing and picking to SSB, Michael also enjoys
rocking out with his electric band The Simple Joy.
After many years analyzing groundwater hydrogeology, Michael
embarked on a second career in nursing.
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Robert McMillan — string bass, guitar,
vocals
Our late friend Bert was also an experienced electric bassist and veteran of the local music scene
who frequently sat in with other
bands. For many years you’d find him behind the bar at the Player’s Retreat, serving up your
favorite libations. When not playing music, Bert could often be found in Holly Springs
helping the Carolina Brewing Company produce their deliciously tasty liquids.
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