Music is a family affair for the Stockdale band

By John Benson

It’s a family affair for the Stockdale Family Band, which for the past five years has been traveling all over Ohio, sharing its unique brand of bluegrass-meets-old-time-Appalachian style music with families looking for a wholesome night of entertainment.

“As a family band, we heard dad playing guitar when we were young, and we’d have music nights and whatnot, so we got interested in the music,” said singer-mandolin player Charles, 18.

“We started picking up instruments ourselves. And then how it really started was before we were a band, people asked us to play at parties and private events and we said, ‘Hey, we can do this.’”

That’s when father Tim (vocals, guitar) and sons Charles, Calvin (banjo), Jacob (fiddle) and James (bass) started performing together as the Stockdale Family Band out of their Bolivar, Ohio, home.

In addition, mother Kathy acts as the band’s manager.

For the Stockdales, it’s a hobby based around a love of bluegrass music.

“It’s the kind of music I grew up around, that I grew up with and that I came to like just like anyone who grows up in a certain culture or genre,” said Charles, a home-schooled student who recently graduated from high school and plans on attending Kent State University in the fall. “So that’s kind of what it means to me; it’s great music I like to play.”

So far, the family act has numerous releases to its credit, including its most recent effort “Bluegrass in the Backwoods,” which Charles describes stylistically as straddling the fence between old-time bluegrass and progressive sounding tunes.

There’s also a gospel influence driving the outfit, which averages one or two live shows a week. This includes the act’s Sunday show at Main Street Theater in Columbiana.

While the group has gained a regional following, what hasn’t hurt the family act was the fact it appeared on the fourth season of the ABC-TV reality show “Wifeswap.”

So far, Charles said the added publicity has attracted a certain kind of audience member. “Our show is for someone who likes to hear the bluegrass feel, but isn’t necessarily a hardcore bluegrass fan,” Charles said.

“It’s more for the person who wants to come out and have a good time. We put on a real show. We just don’t stand up there and play the music. We entertain. So we have lots of gimmicks in our act and a lot of entertainment that goes along with the music.

“So it’s really a great opportunity for them to come out and see a family getting together and doing something positive together. I think people will really enjoy it.”

If you go

What: Stockdale Family Band

When: 8 p.m. Sunday

Where: Main Street Theater, 5 N. Main St., Columbiana

Tickets: $10. For more information, call (800) 838-3006 or go to mytheatercompany.com.