Raising Cane, the band . . .

"...a band that deserves serious attention" -John Reischman

"...a significant voice of modern bluegrass music." -Bluegrass Unlimited

". . .songs and instrumentals that speak of the cost of living one's life one's own way rather than playing it safe." -Mike Compton, The Nashville Bluegrass Band

They call New Mexico home now. But they come from the flat cornfields of the Midwest and the misty Appalachians. They've walked the back roads of red clay Georgia and the folds of the Blue Ridge hill country. They're as much at ease in dusty badlands as beside whispering mountain creeks. Most of all, they love making music -- music from the heart of the Land of Enchantment. They're "Raising Cane" and they're one of the hottest bluegrass bands in the Southwest.

Hailing these days from across New Mexico, Raising Cane has only been pickin' together for a couple of years, but "they play as if they've been jamming hard for a decade," says the Taos News. Raising Cane is Gregg Daigle on lead guitar and banjo, Don Grieser on mandolin, Aimee Hoyt on rhythm guitar and Rich Sanchez on bass.

The band burst onto the bluegrass scene with a highly-lauded CD, a round of festival appearances throughout the Southwest and a raucous standing ovation as the opening act for Grammy Award winners Peter Rowan and Tony Rice. In their time together, Raising Cane has shared the stage with national acts such as the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, King Wilkie, IIIrd Tyme Out, and Blue Highway. It's little wonder that Raising Cane is fast becoming a common name in the western bluegrass music community.

Mike Compton of the acclaimed Nashville Bluegrass Band characterizes the band's first CD, released in January 2005, as "...a collection of songs and instrumentals that speak of the cost of living one's life one's own way rather than playing it safe." Compton continues, "They speak of home and of leaving home, lives and innocence lost along the way, the joyous struggle to build a new life from the dust, of reckoning with one's past and finding joy in the memories..."

Grammy Award winner Sally Van Meter produced the band's second CD, Ride The Rain, released in April of 2006. In his liner notes, noted mandolin player John Reischman writes, “The band boasts three strong writers, with the all-original program ranging from beautiful ballads . . . to celebrations of their southwestern home base. Raising Cane’s warm vocal sound . . . is complemented by tasteful and toneful musicianship. Add melodic romps on the creative instrumentals, and you’ve got a band that deserves serious attention.”

"A good part of the band's magic is their diverse backgrounds," said one follower. "What ties them all together is their sheer love of bluegrass and a huge dose of raw, energetic talent."

It's been said that bluegrass was created from a blend of hillbilly, gospel, country/western, blues and "old timey" music popular in the rural South in the '30s and '40s. But, with Raising Cane on the scene, bluegrass has taken on a new dimension. While preserving the great traditions of the genre's folk roots, Raising Cane now applies a rich, pleasing patina of America's great Southwest with music that spins stories, tugs at the emotions, and brings a broad smile to all those who hear it.

Raising Cane. Bringing enchantment to a grand old tradition.