Bio
A four-piece string band featuring some of the most talented pickers in the twin cities, Uncle Kenny performs a tasteful blend of bluegrass, old time, classic country, jazz, and whatever else they want! After a number of shared gigs and informal living room jams, Nate Baker (Daniels & Baker), Rachel Calvert (Barbaro, Triple Fiddle), Willie Christianson (Brotherhood of Birds, Ryan Gebhart), and Mike Hedding (Pistol Whippin’ Party Penguins, The Katey Bellville Band) decided they enjoyed playing together so much, it was time to form a proper band. Combining thoughtful, dynamic arrangements with blistering hot instrumentals and perfectly blended vocal harmonies, Uncle Kenny stays faithful to a traditional sound…with enough twists and turns to keep contemporary audiences on the edge of their seats.
Meet the Band
The cuties behind the music…
Nate Baker – Guitar, Vocals
Nate Baker has a Bachelor of Music degree from Northern Illinois University, and a Master of Music degree from Utah State University studying under Fareed Haque and Corey Christiansen.
He was a finalist in the Union League’s Jazz Improvisation Competition in 2012 and 2013 in Chicago, and was the People’s Choice Award recipient in 2013.
Nate has recorded with various artists including the Buffalo Gals Band, Nathan Kalish, Danny Gottlieb, as well as members of Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, and Tortoise. He has toured both nationally and internationally, including playing the main stage at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
Nate is well versed in many styles including jazz, bluegrass, folk, and rock. He teaches guitar, mandolin, and ukulele.
Rachel Calvert – Fiddle, Vocals
Rachel started playing violin at the age of four, and grew up in the prestigious Augsburg Suzuki Talent Education program. While a student at Lawrence University, she received the Ensemble Award, studying with Wen-Lei Gu and Matt Turner while performing with the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra, the Improvisation Group of Lawrence University, and various small ensembles including a jazz string quartet and a tango trio.
Her band Barbaro won the John Hartford Memorial Band Contest (2018), the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Association Band Contest at Minnesota State Fair (2018), and were selected musicians for the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad program in 2023. During their time in AMA, they toured Qatar, Türkiye, and Bulgaria where they both performed and facilitated educational music workshops. Rachel recorded three albums with Barbaro, including About the Winter, engineered and produced by GRAMMY-winner Brian Joseph.
Rachel has sung and played fiddle/violin on dozens of recording projects, and is also a founding member of Triple Fiddle and Said in Stone. She serves on the board of She Rock She Rock and is the violin and music instructor at Zen Montessori Preschool.
Willie Christianson – Bass, Vocals
Willie Christianson is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist known for his versatility not just across instruments, but also across genres. Sought after as a bassist, singer, drummer, and guitarist, he plays bluegrass, jazz, and rock, and more.
Willie is a founding member of progressive bluegrass collective Brotherhood of Birds, gracing stages like First Ave, Blue Ox Music Festival, and Boats & Bluegrass. You can also catch him onstage with folk acts like Ryan Gebhart and Lenz & Frenz – or maybe in the kitchen whipping up the best meal you’ve ever had.
Mike Hedding – Mandolin, Vocals
Mike Hedding has been a staple of the Minnesota bluegrass scene for the better part of a decade. He first started playing mandolin in 2005 while he was studying at the University of Minnesota. He had been listening to classic rock and jam bands for years, but started to develop his taste for bluegrass while learning the mandolin. He quickly decided he needed to widen his talents and picked up the banjo.
His whirlwind introduction into the genre soon found him in the field of teaching. He started teaching mandolin and banjo in 2009 and had a full roster of in person students. In 2014, Mike started his online teaching business Mike Hedding Music and started recording video lessons. He now interacts with thousands of students all over the world teaching banjo, mandolin and guitar.
Mike plays with several bands in the Twin Cities including Brotherhood of Birds, Pistol Whippin’ Party Penguins and The Katey Bellville Band.
all photos by Samantha Jean Cohen/No Aesthetic Stills