Jim Atkins, banjo, guitar, harmonica, vocals
From jug band, folk, old-time and traditional music to Irish, bluegrass and rock, Jim has been performing professionally for more than 25 years. A native of Western Massachusetts and a resident of Galway, Saratoga County, Jim has played guitar, mandolin, harmonica, tenor and five-string banjo at festivals, fairs, coffeehouses, radio stations and clubs throughout the region, performing with the groups Dooley, Fire in the Kitchen, the Medicine Hat String Band, the Fiddler’s Tour and now Three Quarter North .
Mark Bagdon, Fiddle
Mark studied classical violin beginning in fourth grade with Sam Kates (Brooklyn, NY) and later with Dorothy Kessner, former spouse of the WAMC commentator Paul Elisha. We're talking Long Giland. Dotty claimed to have studied with the legendary Hungarian violinist, Leopold Auer, but Mark’s not sure. Mark has played violin or viola with various orchestras over the past 50 years and in traditional groups since arriving in the capital district in 1978.
After attending a contra dance at the Petersburgh Grange Hall at Fox Hollow Festival in 1978, he fell in love with traditional fiddle and thought "I can play that." (Good thinking, Mark!) He has played for contra dances, English Country Dances, and with various orchestras, including the New Haven Symphony; the Kinderhook Quartette (1977-1979); Small Potatoes (contra dance band with David Barnert and Sandy Goldring in the 1980's) and Clef Hangars (contra dance band with Peter Siegel and Margaret Mathews from 2000 - 2005). He is currently concertmaster of the Delmar Community Orchestra (2007 - 2010). Mark lives in Delmar, New York.
Nelson Gage – mandolin and guitar
Nelson came of musical age while growing up in the San Francisco Bay area in the 60’s and early 70’s. As a guitar player, he was drawn to acoustic music after hearing Norman Blake’s solo on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline Rag. Nelson enjoys flat-picking as well as finger style guitar like that played by Merle Travis and Reverend Gary Davis. It was soon after developing an avid interest in bluegrass and fiddle dance tunes that Nelson branched out to the mandolin – his current love. Since the 1980’s Nelson has played with several local musical luminaries such as Dave Crump and the acoustic trio “Yankee Doodlas.” With Three Quarter North, Nelson has hit his full stride by lending his unique style of swing and gypsy jazz to the band’s performance repertoire. Nelson was born in Albany and resides in Delanson, New York.
Dave Rhodes, bass, guitar, vocals
Dave regards himself, first and foremost, as a songwriter. His tunes have aired on the Songwriter’s Network (www.musictogousa.com), Martha’s Vineyard Radio (www.mvyradio.com), and with Three Quarter North on Crumbs Radio (crumbs .net/bands). Dave also has songs placed with Pump Audio. Dave penned three of the songs on Three Quarter North’s new CD, “North By Northeast.”
Dave is a member of the Albany Musicians Union, The Northeast Country Music Association and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. He plays bass and guitar with Three-Quarter North, but his musical credits don’t stop there: he also plays trombone with Georgie Wonders and his big band, the Nisky Dixie Cats, and the Delmar Community Orchestra. But it’s with Three-Quarter North that his songwriting ambitions find their fullest expression, for which the band is pleased and grateful. Dave is a resident of Delmar.
Mark Smith, guitar, vocals
Mark Smith was not born with a guitar in hand but found one there early and hasn‘t let go since. His first instrument was the trumpet, but it didn't rock, and it didn't last. Then he heard the Beatles and his fate was sealed. At different times over the years he experimented with the banjo, piano, drums, synthesizers and other instruments, but the siren song of the guitar always called him back. He wrote songs and played in coffee houses during his college years, both solo and with a group, and later with a couple of bands that never quite made it to a stage. But he kept at it, jammed with a lot of good people, and learned a few guitar licks along the way.
And, he never stopped writing songs. Mark plays a mix of folk, blues, bluegrass and rock and roll. Mark’s musical heroes include James Taylor, John Fogarty, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Ralph McTell, Leo Kottke, Hot Tuna, Norman Blake and Tony Rice. A native of Voorheesville, Mark resides in the town of Bethlehem.
Pete Houghton, Sound/Production
Pete started down the Sound Guy path while still in high school where he first landed a job in productions. After graduating from college with a degree in media, he went to work using his video and graphics skills at a local college. Pete volunteered at the Fox Hollow folk festival for a couple of years, then became involved in sound reinforcement for the bands Natchez Trace and Aardvark Crossing in Albany, NY. Later, he reconnected with his old high school buddy and banjo player Jim Atkins. Jim mentioned that Fire in the Kitchen, a group he was playing with at the time, was looking to do some recording. Pete started helping out and was hooked back into the Sound Guy seat. Shortly after Fire in the Kitchen was extinguished, Jim asked Pete to work with a new band, Three Quarter North, where he is happy to remain until his dying day.
