Portland, Ore.
Somewhere Between The Band and a String Band
www.fruitionstringband.com

When Mimi Naja began busking in the streets of Portland, playing mandolin alongside guitarists Jay Cobb Anderson and Kellen Asebroek, it felt natural to start a band. “We’d nail harmonies on the first try,” remembers Asebroek. “You don’t find that every day.” The friends believed in leaving things open, seeing what happened and letting the music come to fruition. With Keith Simon on bass, they were a full-fledged string band, covering everyone from Gillian Welch to Split Lip Rayfield, and garnering a loyal following with their original tunes. They eventually brought in drummer Tyler Thompson and Fruition’s folk sound gave way to full-blown rock and roll. “Our band is kind of like The Band,” suggests Asebroek, explaining that there isn’t a single lead vocalist and they flout genres – not to mention that their late-night grit is laced with technical precision. Fruition’s most recent album, Just One of Them Nights, was funded via Kickstarter and recorded in a week. “With the album, we get a chance to be pretty and explore the sound,” Asebroek says, citing The Beatles as a production reference. “And live, we get to rock out.”

When Mimi Naja began busking in the streets of Portland, playing mandolin alongside guitarists Jay Cobb Anderson and Kellen Asebroek, it felt natural to start a band…