It came from America. It came from the dark hollows of the Appalachians, where the sun refused to shine; from the peaks and valleys of the Smoky Mountains; from the levee camps along the

mighty Mississippi; from deep within the bayous of Louisiana. It also floated down the Hudson and along the Erie Canal. It could be heard on the shores of the Great Lakes and from every town

and hamlet where men and women worked and played, lived and died. It was the song of the masses. A great unfinished symphony that plays on and on. It was the music of America. This weekend,

the Oldtone Music Festival — now in its second year — celebrates traditional American music. From Thursday to Sunday, Sept. 11, the Cool Whisper Farm in North Hillsdale, Columbia County,

acts gracing the stage will be such notables as the vaudevillian Two Gentlemen Band, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass, Cajun accordionist Jesse Lege, and the Oregon-based Foghorn

Stringband. The Foghorn Stringband — which consists of Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, and fiddle), Reeb Willms (vocals, guitar), Nadine Landry (vocals, upright bass) and Stephen

"Sammy" Lind (vocals, fiddle, banjo) — has been going strong for more than a decade, having recorded eight albums and touring internationally. When the TU reached out to them, the

band was in the midst of a string of performances in Ireland. Nevertheless, bassist Nadine Landry took the time to chat with us. "The Foghorn Stringband was born in Portland around

2000, when a handful of guys started playing together at the National Fiddle Championship in Weiser, Idaho," she says. "Sitting in a field and playing tunes for hours on end, they

decided they should do more at home." Article continues below this ad "Sammy and Caleb were part of that original group," she says. "Meanwhile, Bill Martin, a square

dance caller in the Portland area, was reviving the Southern dances and needed a live band. It was the perfect match, and Foghorn Stringband became very active, igniting an old-time music

movement in the Pacific Northwest. "They recorded four albums between 2002 and 2006. Eventually, some of the other band members decided to move on to other career paths, so in 2007

Sammy and Caleb carried on as the Foghorn Duo. I joined the group in 2008 after they played a festival in Alaska, expanding it to a trio. Finally, Reeb joined in 2011 and the group was

complete." What sort of musical upbringing did the individual members have? "We all grew up listening to traditional music," Nadine continues, "Sammy's dad is a big

fan of Doc Watson and Norman Blake and plays guitar and mandolin. Caleb's stepmom played the fiddle. He took up the fiddle in college and eventually switched to mandolin. Reeb's

dad and uncles had a country band and singing has always been part of her life. Article continues below this ad "I also grew up in a musical family. My grandmother was a fiddle player

and she taught all her kids to play guitar and piano." How long has the band been playing internationally? "The first international tour Foghorn ever did was in Ireland in 2003, at

the Baltimore Fiddle Fair in West Cork," she says. "We've played that festival quite a few times over the years. Malaysia was next, then Scandinavia, including Sweden,

Denmark and Finland. Since the current lineup was formed, we've been to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Canada.

Everywhere, basically!" Does the band have any favorite places to play? Article continues below this ad "Ireland is on the top of the list," she says with excitement. "We

have been there more than any other country and we love the people, their wit, their and passion for music. We also had a blast in Australia and plan to go back next year. Although

they're within the U.S., Louisiana and Alaska are also some of our favorite places in the world." "We are very excited to be part of the Oldtone Music Festival," she

concludes. "It means a lot to us to see a stellar lineup of traditional music, whether it's old time, cajun or bluegrass. We have lots of friends in the area and are looking

forward to seeing everyone in such a beautiful setting." _Alexander Stern is a frequent contributor to the Times Union._ Article continues below this ad