Frostbitten Grass

Frostbitten Grass is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s hot-blooded acoustic quintet, that combines great live entertainment, originality, humor, and individual talent into their own unique style of bluegrass- influenced acoustic music.

Matthew Sayles (Guitar & Harmonica) and Ryan Olthouse (Mandolin), Sven Gonstead (Dobro & Guitar and Banjo), Ken Thiemann (Woodwinds, Guitar & Mandolin) and Bob Guidebeck (up-right Bass), combine brother style duets and four part harmonies to original music and traditional music with tunes & influences ranging from Early Bluegrass, Celtic, Country Blues, Contemporary Bluegrass, Acoustic Jazz, Swing, and Country.

“This music will guarantee circulation to the extremities”

Jerry Florian, Founder of the Midsummer in the Northwoods Bluegrass Festival

Matthew Sayles was born in in Rochester MI, and has been playing music since the age of 11. His first exposure to music was through trombone (which is a recognized disadvantage), but he still managed to learn orchestral music, jazz, and big band swing.

Picking up the guitar & harmonica in the early 90’s,led him to inspiration for exploration in music in the likes of Metallica, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Steppenwolf, Corrosion of Conformity, and the Doors. By 1996 Sayles was exploring the music of Doc Watson, Bill & Charlie Monroe, The Delmore Brothers, the Louvin Brothers, Clarence White, Django Reinhardt, and the David Grisman Quintet.

Ryan Olthouse is a multi-instrumentalist born in Middleville, MI to a musical family with roots in traditional gospel harmonies. His first instrument was a trumpet on which he played primarily jazz music, and he has since picked up Guitar, Mandolin, and is currently teaching himself the fiddle.

Olthouse & Sayles met through chance at a rowdy gathering in 1997, and grew together both vocally & instrumentally in the eclectic music scene of Marquette as a duet. They have a long standing familiarity with each other, and their sense of humor reflects it. Frostbitten Grass formed in 2000, and Olthouse continues to contribute essential vocals and original music to the band.

Sven Gonstead: After graduating from the Roberto-Venn School of Luthery with the intent of making guitars in his spare time, Gonstead became taken by the craft of building acoustic instruments. Upon graduating from the Luthery school, he was hired by the Santa Cruz guitar company (makers of both a Tony Rice and Norman Blake signature model), where he perfected his skills and developed his own style. In 1998, he opened his own guitar studio where he could explore his own ideas and creativity. Gonstead builds all types of guitars, but specializes in lap-style acoustic and resophonic instruments. He produces a variety of designs ranging from vintage-style “dobro” to more modern pieces with contemporary refinement.

Gonstead started out his musical career on Trumpet, and then began a long exploration into blues music while playing professionally in the Southwestern US. He was a regular on the Tuscon and Phoenix music scene, and claims Albert Collins, Kelly Joe Phelps, Rob Ickes, and Ray Charles as his biggest musical influences. He now resides in Big Bay, Michigan where he builds Gonstead Guitars.

Bob Guidebeck joined Frostbitten Grass in late 2001 after a campfire music session at the 23rd annual Hiawatha Music Festival, bringing with him great Baritone vocals and roots in the classic country of the 1950’s & 60’s. Guidebeck has played in all types of bands throughout the Upper Midwest for over twenty years, and is familiar with a catalogue of music in all genres. His tastes are widespread, and his playing reflects it; he can make a song swing and hop with his bass work, as well as gallop and jump.

Ken Thiemann: In his early teens, Ken was inspired to play music after listening to bands such as Celtic Frost, Black flag, and Venom. He started playing bass guitar at age 15 and was inspired early on by guitarists in Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. Shortly after this, he began taking classical guitar lessons and steering towards the more progressive sounds of Yes, Peter Gabriel, and King Crimson. A Tony Rice video given as a gift was the first time that flat-picking bluegrass began to influence his music "I had seen rockers all coked up picking fast, but that guy was flat out sick- and his face was etched of hard oak, from, like, being on the road or truck driving for miles or something." In 1998, he met banjo player Taylor Klipp and for the next four years would develop his style within carp, a punkish sort of bluegrass band that had a little success in Houghton (way up in the Keweenaw of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula). "Anyone who thinks carp didn't define something sucks and is in denial", states Thiemann. "I think we ruled." Thiemann went to start some crap with the early Frostbitten Grass at a gig in Calumet, MI, because he thought they were invading carp’s turf. Somehow, they ended up being good friends. Carp broke up in the spring of 2003 and Ken went to the Netherlands to take an environmental engineering position. In Europe, Ken found a new appreciation for electronic music and music featuring Celtic flute and whistles. After arriving back in the states, he joined Frostbitten Grass after a knife fight to establish dominance ranks within the band. Ken now resides in Houghton, Mi. He is not married and has two fish left.

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