Fog Holler with Matt Michienzie Band

Fog Holler is a bluegrass band with an edge. What gives the band that edge is a topic of hot debate. For some, it’s musicianship – these bluegrass cats shred. For others, it’s the songwriting, traditional in style but topical in substance. Sometimes, they undeniably snare people with the squad factor – folks see 4 grown adults in matching monochrome, and they get curious. The secret, according to Fog Holler, is simply that they write and play bluegrass in 2024, with similar intention but very different context from the genre’s originators.

Inspired by a range of influences from The Stanley Brothers to Buck Owens to Meshuggah, Fog Holler breathes fresh life into well worn forms like the murder ballad and the power waltz. Described by two-time Grammy Award Winner Cathy Fink as “The next generation of the many shades of grass”, Fog Holler’s captivating tunes and coordinated outfits are quickly enthralling longtime bluegrass fans and newcomers alike.

Matt Michienzie originally hails from Foxboro, MA. For the past five years, Matt has resided in Los Angeles, where he plays with his countrified, bluesified, and grassified band. His passion as a songwriter is vividly clear: Matt sings from his heart and gives it his all in everything he plays. Whether fronting a bluegrass group, jam band, or country band, Matt is able to combine his influential and eclectic music curiosities in a very tasteful and unique way.

Not unlike many California grass bands, MMB is a progressive bluegrass project. The roots of the band are in bluegrass…although they have a keen interest in incorporating other genres into their sound, such as jam, soul, or traditional country. The band currently consists of fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and bass. In December 2022, Matt Michienzie Band flew back east to Matt’s neck of the woods to open for Tim Reynolds and TR3 at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA. This would begin their travels as a band. In summer 2022, the band made their Grass Valley debut at the Father’s Day Festival, hosted by the California Bluegrass Association.

Just recently, the band won 1st Place Band at the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest – one of the longest running contests of its type. In October 2023, the band competed in the Battle of the Bands at Huck Finn Jubilee in SoCal and took home first place. The current band members are Julian McClanahan (fiddle), Nate Schwartz (mandolin) and Chris Jackson (upright bass).

The band has opened for the Kitchen Dwellers, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, Water Tower Band, Hot Buttered Rum etc…

On their 2024 slate, the band played at the Long Beach Bluegrass Festival, Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest, Rambling Peaks Festival, The Western Swingout Festival, Huck Finn Jubilee, Road to Winter Wondergrass and more…

They are currently recording their first EP as a band. It will be released early in 2025.

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