IRONWEED BLUEGRASS BAND:
Kelly Jones-Fiddle, Harmony Vocals
Master and Multi-Fiddle Champion of state, regional and world trophies, Kelly Jones, brings seasoned licks and expertise to the Ironweed stage. Inspired by his father’s square dance fiddling, he began his musical journey at an early age. He entered and won his first fiddle contest, the Missouri State Fiddle Championship in 1965. His professional music career includes Opry Shows, a Special Services Band while stationed in Viet Nam, a ten year tour with national country legend, Judy Lynn including eight years with fiddle king, Bobby Hicks. Kelly has performed in every state, Canada and overseas. He was selected by the Performing Arts Center as Missouri’s state representative in 1996 to perform at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D. C. Currently he tours with Leroy Van Dyke and plays with Ironweed while home in Stover, Missouri.
Jane Accurso-Lead Vocals, Guitar
A lot of backwoods passion flows through Jane Accurso’s veins with her deep, Missouri Ozark and Arkansas roots. Her dad’s people were old-time stringband musicians and on her mom’s side, Aunt Pearl was known to be the best Schottische dancer in all of St. Clair County. From traditional grass to newgrass, from traditional country to Cajun and old-time, Jane continues to bring fire to the Ironweed stage with lead vocals, guitar and occasional mandolin, when smiled at real pretty. She likes to perform barefoot when the weather permits, but she has several pairs of excessively colorful cowboy boots reserved for wintertime use
Dierik Leonhard-Banjo, Fiddle, Clawhammer Banjo, Vocals and etc.
Dierik says he was born in Germany, but his close friends suspect that he’s really from the third moon of the Planet Banjo, located in Orion’s belt buckle. He is fluent in all styles of banjo picking, so he can — and often will — sound like Earl Scruggs one minute and Tony Trishka the next. Most pickers would be tickled just to know all of the stuff he’s forgotten or abandoned. Besides that, he is an excellent lead and harmony singer. His fiddlin’ raises the roof. His old-time clawhammer banjo will surely make you whoop & holler. Dierik has taught “Bluegrass 101″ for many years in the Columbia School system, and and has started many pickers down that high, lonesome bluegrass highway. Dierik has the biggest grin in bluegrass music.
Alan Loshbaugh-Bass Fiddle
Alan Loshbaugh is new to bluegrass but not to the upright bass. Originally from San Francisco, he settled in St. Louis for a number of years and now claims Columbia, Mo as home. Alan comes to Ironweed with an amazing background in jazz. He’s studied under St. Louis jazz giants, Bob Wagner and Tom Kennedy, has played in many bands from jazz to blues to rock and now, bluegrass with Ironweed. Alan embraces the traditional, devouring his Bill Monroe recordings with a frenzy while at the same time, hopes to throw a wide ranging skill set at a new-to-him kind of music and see what sticks!
Additional “Power-Weed Players”:
We also have some amazing ”power-weed players” available for a bigger sound and/or substituting for one of our regular players when needed…Joe Wieneman on mandolin and Mark Atkins Lieberman on bass. Multi-instrumentalist, Jake Clayton, is on a national tour right now with songwriter, Jimmy Wayne, and will be touring with Brad Paisley from May through September. We keep his spot warm and waiting on the Ironweed stage.
Joe Wieneman from Eldon, Mo., has played music since the late ‘70s, starting with Gateway Bluegrass, a family band and moving on to several other Midwest groups thru the 1980s-‘90s. Most recently, he toured with Frank Ray and Cedar Hill. Joe was a member of the original Rhonda Vincent & the Rage in 1995-96. He plays guitar, mandolin, & fiddle and sings baritone.
Joe Wieneman
….and now the Cajun band….
Ironweed has an evil twin..Swampweed, a Cajun Dancehall band... Swampweed features Ehren Oncken on Cajun button accordion and that ornery Jimmy Joe Culbertson on drums, triangle and washboard. Lots of lively dance tunes honoring the Balfa brothers, Dennis McGee, Canray Fontenot, Amede Ardoin, Cheese Reed and many others. Vocals are in Cajun French.
SWAMPWEED CAJUN BAND
Dierik Leonhard
Ehren Oncken
Cajun French vocals..Jane
Jimmy Joe Culbertson
Rich Oberto
The fine, sophisticated and thoroughly corrupted, Rich Oberto, Swampin’ with us whenever Jimmy Joe is on a mission from God…
Alan Loshbaugh
Sarah and John’s Mardi Gras Party
Jake’s golden guitar..
Swampweed Dancers 
Photos courtesy of www.johnlovessarah.com Thanks!
THE IRONWEED BLUEGRASS BAND AND THE SWAMPWEED CAJUN BAND wish our sweet music family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday with your families and friends! Our wish is that your New Year will be filled with magic, peace, joy and blessings of every kind. Thank-you for your endless support! We look forward to seeing [...]
IRONWEED (veronia noveboracensis) is a wildflower that blooms late in the summer. It has a small purple flower at the top, and a strong, iron-like stem. It’s a wild, tough flower but many argue it as a weed with a deep root and hard to get rid of. It’s real pretty and you’ll find it all over Boone County and beyond. Oh, and did we mention..the cows just won’t go near it.
IRONWEED (pickum singum excellentis) is a BLUEGRASS BAND from Columbia, Missouri formed in 1994. Some folks around here say there are strong similarities between the band and the wildflower. The IRONWEED BLUEGRASS BAND has developed a long, strong suit of hard-drivin' traditional and non-traditional bluegrass tunes. And when the folks want to dance, they can play some nice waltzes and two-steps, too. Their pickin' is awfully good -- and some will tell you that the singing is even better. This is a band to see, hear, and enjoy -- live!
