Wild Shiners

The Wild Shiners soar musically and have a relaxed, folksy stage presence that engages the audience. That's no accident. Frontman, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Michael Lagasse has a relaxed manner that belies his intense talent. The result is that similarly talented musicians are delighted to join the core group. So, when you can find them playing, you may find a band of three, four, five, or more musicians having fun and making great music.

Lagasse plays flatpick guitar and mandolin—for the most part, and is the lead singer—also for the most part. In addition to Lagasse, this quintet (when everyone is available) boasts bassist Brian Turk, drummer T'ai Welch, Tom Grant on banjo, and fiddler Andrew Cook. Everyone on stage with the Wild Shiners is a triple threat, and any of them could sing lead in addition to harmony. Their music is rock-based bluegrass, or bluegrass-tinted rock. Either way, it's down-to-earth, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and always high energy.

The Wild Shiners play folk, bluegrass, country, a bit of jazz, and original tunes. They also pay homage to other local musicians and play their original songs. While life and other commitments have reduced their number of gigs at bars and listening rooms, they can be heard at the Gamble Rogers Music Festival, the Florida Folk Festival, and any other venues and festivals they can work into their calendar.