The Journeymen will bring original bluegrass and acoustic swing music with their brother-like crooning to the Dogwood Center on Saturday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m. 
As acoustic musicians go these days, Brian Oberlin (mandolin) and Luke Gitchel (guitar) have a chemistry like no other. They have been playing together for 15 years, yet each performance is full of new ideas as they spring and lope through songs, bouncing off each others nuances with a lively thrill. Their vocal harmonies are likened to brothers as they honed their skills together as teenagers playing in several different Michigan bands. They both grew up in music playing bluegrass on their 
respective intruments and they write their own songs in the bluegrass and swing genres.
Luke Gitchel, originally from Howard City, began playing guitar at the age of 5. Since then he has excelled on any stringed instrument he picks up, and seemingly, bluegrass is in his blood. At the age of 18, he won the WMBMA guitar and mandolin picking contest in Michigan. His powerful and spot-on rhythm/solo guitar playing adds to his choice lead singing. He played with the infamous Wendy Smith for several years and he now plays with Moutain Ruckus in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (a bluegrass band in Dollywood).
As both a musician and songwriter, Luke attempts to bring his own style of music and blend it with the tradition of bluegrass music. As an avid student of history and nature, Luke incorporates these two genres into some of his songs. From the ballad Iditarod, to the dangers of the Colorado River in Ghost on the River, Luke takes some history, blends it with folklore, and creates a song.
Brian Oberlin, originally from Rockford, spends much of his time teaching
mandolin at his own mandolin camp in Portland, Oregon. He also performs as a solo act around the Pacific Northwest playing anything from Vivaldi’s mandolin concertos with an orchestra, to performing western swing music at festivals and concerts. His swing chops on mandolin and crooning voice add a perfect fit to the sound of the Journeymen. Brian was a finalist at the 2003 Winfield mandolin championship and a member of the award winning band Grasshoppah.
After completing their performance tours of Chicago and West Michigan, the Journeymen will head to the west coast to complete their summer touring schedule. Check out the sound of the Journeymen at http://www.journeymen-music.com/.
Tickets: $10. Black Box. 7:30 p.m.
The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and one hour prior to an event. For information, phone 231.924.8885.