The Players

TOM DRAUGHAN
​Tom Draughon originally formed TrueGrass as part of a multimedia theatre show he created about the rural roots and history of bluegrass music. Tom is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, primarily playing Doc Watson style guitar and fronting lead vocals. He also plays clayhammer banjo and old-time fiddle (and occasionally ukulele too). He is a music educator and teaches at Northland College and through the Northwoods Strings, as well as giving private lessons. And with his gift of perfect pitch he tunes pianos!

BRUCE QUALEY
​Bruce Qualey is a classically trained bass player who enjoys performing all kinds of music. In learning the instrument, he studied with the assistant principal bassist of the Minneapolis Symphony and attended the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan, for five summers. Over his decades of music making, he has performed in many types of ensemble groups and in many musical styles. He played in the Rochester (MN) Symphony Orchestra for twenty years while at the same time playing in a traditional bluegrass group. After moving to northern Wisconsin in 1995, he was the long-time bass player in three popular northland groups: Duck for the Oyster, an old-time dance band; the Namekagon String Band folk group and The Dean’s List big band. Bruce is excited to be contributing to the vocal and instrumental possibilities of TrueGrass.

JED MALISCHKE
Jed Malischke has been producing concerts, festivals, and fairs for fifty plus years, first as a kid in his hometown of Milwaukee, and then as a professional with his own production company CM Management. For the past thirty years with the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association he has created five annual music festivals and several concert series. His premier event, the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival has been nominated by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in Nashville as Event of the Year five times! And all this while performing and touring throughout the US and Europe with with groups like Java Jam, Radio Bluegrass, Dick Kimmel & Co, and the Mill City Ramblers. Jed plays a vintage 1927 Gibson arch-top banjo, Martin D-18 guitar, Dobro resophonic guitar, and stand-up bass fiddle. He has lectured and taught on the history as well as the performance of bluegrass music, served on the board of directors of the IBMA and the Foundation For Bluegrass Music (FFBM). No wonder that Wisconsin Public Radio host Tom Martin Erickson dubbed him "A Friend of Bluegrass."

Invite Us To Your House

TrueGrass can perform in a variety of configurations to fit your venue and budget, including a "Tom & Jed", the "TrueGrass Trio," or with additional guest musicians. Want to put on your own concert production or outdoor mini-festival? We can find other complimentary groups to join us and provide PA, MC, and stage management for a large concert venue or small outdoor festival, all for one set price. Plus we help advertise and promote your show with press releases, social media, and Enews. Put us to work at your house this coming year!