KAT & THE TRAVELERS featuring Kathleen Kraft

Kathleen Kraft: Lead Vocals  Kat grew up as a traveler, moving with her nomadic family across the continental US, Alaska and Europe. Under the large musical influence of her singer father, Kat heard a wealth of music as a young girl, listening and singing with dad to campfire songs, church hymns, folk and blues as well as jazz standards, swing, big band, Broadway and 70's soul. Over the years, Kat has stepped on stage at numerous area cafes, clubs, events and festivals. Past performance credits include lead vocals on R&B, funk and soul for Everyday People, as well as featured vocalist for jazz groups Wes Allen & Tom Harbeck, Marlon Foster & Friends, Mills Family Band and others. Kat has performed jazz, blues, swing, folk, country, rock and more as lead vocalist with her band, kat & the travelers, in its varying formats since 2007. Kat has also enjoyed her work as an advocate for her local arts and music scene, supporting artists and musicians by organizing exhibits and gallery shows at her own Gallery at Laughing Dog, and volunteering as a primary organizer of Harrisonburg's Fridays On The Square Summer Concert & Film Festival for 28 years. 
 

Doug Hedstrom: Guitar and Vocals Doug picked up the guitar at age 13, when his little brother started taking lessons from an old jazz guy; "I was too shy to go along, so when my brother would come home, I'd get him to show me what he'd learned, and it surely worked out." Doug is an inveterate tinkerer and has built many hotrod and custom vehicles... so it's only natural that he also builds his own amplifiers and guitars. Thirty years ago, Doug moved to Virginia and started the band, Bluzonia, which became a longtime musical project. From Ernest Tubb to Thelonius Monk, his main influences are Jazz, Swing, Bebop, and old Country. In 2010, he began playing guitar with kat & the travelers performing roots jazz blues and swing, vintage country and many of his originals as a duo, trio, and with a full band....Doug says, "Who could resist the chance to play with such fun and talented musicians? "Well, thanks, Doug!"  

John Stubblefield: Percussion - Drummer John Stubblefield started playing drums around the time the Beatles made their US debut. His dad owned radio stations and he grew up loving all styles of music. In college he played with The Charlottesville Blues Allstars (later called just The Allstars). During those years he opened often for the Nighthawks playing clubs in Virginia and DC. John spent 10 years playing and recording with the Jon Spear Band.
In addition to kat and the travelers, John currently plays swing and blues with Bluzonia and blues and rock and roll with the Wavelength Band. We are excited to have John along, providing his great and versatile percussion for us, filling the spot of former drummer Quintas Mills who left the area. 

Michael Haag: Bass and Backing Vocals - Michael originally hails from Northeast Ohio and started his musical journey playing trombone and began playing bass out of high school. Between working and raising a family, he performed with local Ohio bands over the years. Michael then stepped away from playing music for a time until he moved to Virginia in 2004, where he was introduced to the Charlottesville music scene by the Charlottesville Music Exchange Group and joined the Central Virginia Blues Society. Since locating to Virginia, he has performed in The Delta Backburners, The Electric Biscuit Continuum, The Gypsy Moths, The Still House All Stars, and Soul Perception, playing R&B, Soul, Classic Rock, Country, and Blues. Michael says he is honored to be performing on bass now for kat & the travelers. We are so happy to have Mike on board!