#clusterpluck

The Garden Welcomes ClusterPluck to the 2016 Whitaker Music Festival Wednesday, June 15, 2016

ClusterPluck mixes bluegrass, folk, rock, and country into a hearty sonic stew. Throwing tradition aside while utilizing banjo, guitar, bass, violin, mandolin, and dobro, this St. Louis, Mo 4-piece produce an up-beat, grassy energy with a little country jam for listeners of all ages to savor.

Learn more about the band in our brief interview with members Chris Rader ( vocals, banjo, guitar), Justin Torres (vocals, bass, guitar), Derek Rutter (vocals, mandolin, guitar) and Matt Gadeken (violin, vocals):

How did you become interested in playing music?

Chris: I don't remember what made me want to play music exactly but I do remember whenever i first touched a guitar that I knew I'd play forever.

Justin: I have been around music my whole life.  My father is a musician and I went to a lot of rehearsals and shows growing up. I have always been intrigued by music and wanted to be a part of it.

Matt: I grew up in a fairly musical family, but I think what really set it off for me was when I started taking piano lessons in 2nd or 3rd grade.  I really connected with my teacher and developed a curiosity for different kinds of music.  Because of that (and just a general curiosity), I took every opportunity I had to learn something new.  I started playing violin in my school orchestra in 4th grade; drums in band in 5th grade, which went on to include jazz and marching band; sang in choirs, went to contests, played in rock bands, took other instrument lessons here and there, did some college time exploring recording, live sound, etc…  So I guess you could say that desire was there from the start, and through having access to the right channels I was able to explore performing from an early age.  

Derek: I've been around music my whole life. My dad, and uncle were both in bands so growing up I pretty much had full access to whatever instruments were just laying around.

Can you pick a favorite song? Why do you like it?

Justin: I go through spurts of favorites.  Out of the songs we play, I like "Places" and "Where do we go from here" a lot. Favorite out of the bands I listen to right now would be, "Gone Wonderin" by Jackie Greene.

Chris: One of my favorite songs is "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" by Travis Tritt.  It's a tale of a boy that learns guitar and dreams big while everyone says he's crazy. Turns out he hits it big and stays humble. Great Country Song...just a great song period.

Matt: No.  Maybe for a week or two, then I’m on to something else.

Derek: That's a tough one there are so many great songs out there it's tough to pick a favorite. I guess it would just depend my mood, Lenny by Stevie Ray Vaughan is definitely up there on that list for sure. He can just hit that one note BAM! it just hits your soul.

What is your favorite spot in St. Louis and why?

Justin: I love the Broadway Oyster Bar and the Bootleg in the grove.

Chris: I love when we play at the Broadway Oyster Bar. The staff there are super nice and we have a good relationship. It is our home turf.  

Matt: I was going to try and give an answer unrelated to where we play, but the truth is playing music is my favorite thing to do, and my favorite place to do that in St. Louis is the Oyster Bar.  We always see a lot of familiar faces and friendly staff.  Good food, good music, good times.

Derek: I would definitely say that the Broadway Oyster Bar is by far my favorite place to play in St. Louis. They have amazing food and the crew are all top notch, and treat us very well. 

What does performing at the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden mean to you?

Justin: To me its an honor to be a part of a St. Louis tradition that showcases music and arts. So many amazing performers have been able to share their music at the botanical garden and we are very fortunate to be a part of such an awesome event.

Chris:  Getting to play among all the beauty that is blooming is always better than a smelly bar. Ha! Really though, it will be a refreshing and revitalizing way to share our music with others.

Matt: I’m excited to play for a slightly different demographic.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of friends too, but hopefully we can connect with some people that don’t make it out to our usual spots.  

Derek: The Botanical Garden is such a beautiful place. I am grateful to get the chance to be invited to play music there.

What do you like most about the St. Louis music scene?

Justin: I like how we all work together to build it more and more.  There are so many musicians we have shared the stage with time and time again and its alway a treat to be able to see how we grow as musicians and friends. Thanks so much for having us this year and it’s been nice chatting with you.

Chris: The St. Louis music scene is very diverse. There's many artists in the area whose sound is not so easy to describe.  I like bands that have a style where you can hear the unification of the sound but you can't quite pinpoint exactly what that sound is.

Matt: KDHX.