The Bankester Family is proud to endorse McKnight Guitars.
The Bankester Family is pleased to announce the engagement of our oldest daughter, Melissa, to Kyle Triplett of Salem, Missouri. Look for Kyle to be on stage with us in our upcoming shows.
It was a real honor to play in Benton, Kentucky on Memorial Day. The Bluegrass On the Square concert featured Rhonda Vincent and The Bankester Family. The newspaper estimated the crowd at just over 4,000 people. It was sure hot, but a lot of fun!
Rhonda Vincent took a moment for a photo with the girls in front of the big Martha White tour bus after the show.
The Southern Illinois Irish Festival added a "Celtic Roots - American
Traditions" segement to their festival this year, and we were asked
to bring a bluegrass flavor to the festival. I was a lot of fun!
Southern Illinois University President and
former U.S. Congressman Glenn Poshard joined us to sing "I Saw the
Light" and "I'll Fly Away" during a reception following
his formal inauguration as SIU's seventh president. It was a special evening
for us all.
Branson can be COLD in mid-October. After a quick run to the store to
buy long underwear, and with the loan of some beautiful
hand-woven shawls and a tunic, we played four shows at Silver
Dollar City outdoors, in a wind chill that was around 35-40 degrees!
IBMA was a lot of fun. We had the pleasure of playing a 1:00 am showcase
for the California Bluegrass Association.
The girls started playing and a lot of folk came in from the hallway to
watch the show. Emily and Alysha have a lot of fun with their new "twin
fiddle" routine.
Becky Buller took a moment to visit and pose with the girls after
we all played in Jacksonville, Illinois. Becky is a wonderfully talented
singer, fiddler, and song writer, and always takes time to encourage the
girls. Look for a new Becky Buller song on the new CD we're working on.
Molly Cherryholmes and Emily enjoyed a moment of relaxation together between
sets in Springfield, Illinois.
We had a great time playing the Cave Hollow Theater, at the Mark Twain
Cave complex in Hannibal, Missouri. Alysha was actually able to play some
fiddle with her broken arm. Now that's dedication!
Alysha talked Ben Isaacs into posing for a photo with her. She says she
likes his bass playing!
We had a great time in Lynchburg, Tennessee playing at the BBQ
Caboose Cafe for a live broadcast of The
Old Time Country Radio Show.
Alysha got a guitar lesson from Little Roy Lewis backstage at the Lewis
& Clark Community College concert on April 29. Wow!
We played a show recently with the Grascals - what an incredible group
of musicians! They're also some of the nicest we've ever met. They've
been really encouraging to the girls. If you haven't been to their web
site, click here. That's Jamie Johnson
posing back stage with three of the girls.
Lindsey and Alysha pose with Gene Roberts and Bluegrass Bob at the KDHX
studios in St. Louis, Missouri after our first one hour live radio show.
One year after winning the showcase competition, we were privileged to
open the Saturday evening show at the Greater Downstate Illinois Indoor
Bluegrass Festival. What a treat it was to share the stage with Marty
Rabon, Cherryholmes, Rhonda Vincent, the Dillards, and Dry Branch Fire
Squad. Everyone was so nice!
Silver Dollar City is a wonderful place! Many thanks to D.A. Callaway
for giving us the opportunity to play sixteen shows there in September.
Melissa is finally playing her new banjo that was given to her in New
Mexico.
We shared the stage at the Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois with
The Gordons, Shady Mix, and Nathan Clarke George and Band during a benefit
concert for Ross Sermons on May 13, 2005.
Performing at the 27th annual Harman Family and Friends show at Lewis
and Clark Community College.
On stage with the Harman family, and Dave Parmley & Continental Divide.
Performing at the 2004 Downstate Illinois Indoor Bluegrass Festival showcase
in Springfield, where the band won first place. They are scheduled performers
for the 2005 event.
At the Harman Auction show in Shipman, Illinois.
Mom broke her arm three days before this performance in Harrisburg, Illinois
at the annual BBQ and Bluegrass festival, and was unable to play and sing.
Good friends Robert Bowlin and Cassie Doolittle joined us for a fun gospel
set.
Our debut official performance at the Lincoln, Illinois annual Railsplitter
festival in September, 2004.
We went to Blugrass in the Gardens, in Rockhome, Illinois just to watch,
listen, and jam, but Terry Lease asked us to play three songs, then the
audience asked for another. This was on August 21, 2004.