Check Out Rabi Phelan’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rabi Phelan. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Founded in early 2021, North Fork Crossing has quickly made its presence known all around Montana, most notably in the beautiful Gallatin Valley where it lives.

The quintet – Cade Slayden (guitar), Ryan Kelly (mandolin), Rabi Phelan (upright bass), Silas Rea (fiddle), and Matt Hickey (banjo) – are drawn to having Bluegrass reach a younger generation, priding themselves on their unique sound as “the evolution of string band music.”

Ryan and Cade knew each other as kids and began playing together in 2020. They decided to form a band, and over the next two years, added Rabi, Silas, and finally Matt. We have played all around Montana and surrounding states, starting at small venues and bars. We’ve quickly grown, graduating to larger venues like the Rialto in Bozeman.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of our biggest struggles as a band has been making the difficult musician life work with side jobs.

Most of us work full-time during the week, and then we travel on weekends. It’s been tough finding the right balance of work and music, and we’re slowly trying to get to a place where we can all quit our jobs and play music/tour full-time.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
By playing many shows in Montana and touring across Idaho, Utah, and Colorado, we have grown our audience to a wide range of listeners – consisting of traditional bluegrass lovers and diehard jam-band enthusiasts.

Our genre resides somewhere in a strange untapped realm between these genres and Psychedelic Rock, Americana, and Folk. We are proud of the music we play and are completely different from any other bluegrass band.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
They can support us by streaming our debut self-titled album, “North Fork Crossing,” on all streaming services. They can also visit our website at northforkcrossingband.com, which has links to photos, music, and all social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.northforkcrossingband.com
• Instagram: @northforkcrossing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northforkcrossing
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@northforkcrossingband

Image Credits
Andy Austin