The Brownsmead Flats play acoustic music that may best be described as “Crabgrass”. This folk/bluegrass style has a strong emphasis on vocal harmonies. A variety of instruments are played by the quintet. Dan Sutherland is featured on the hammered dulcimer, mandolin and fiddle. Ray Raihala picks banjo, guitar and mandolin. Robert Stevens plays the guitar and banjo. John Fenton is on bass and mandolin and Ned Heavenrich plays harmonica.
The group has four recordings to their credit. “Potluck” was produced in 1996, followed by “Rain” in 1999. In March, 2006, The Brownsmead Flats released two recordings. The first, “Astoria”, is a CD that was a year in the making and features numerous compositions that explore Astoria, its history and topics related to the Columbia-Pacific region. The second CD, “Live at the Liberty”, was recorded at the Liberty Theater in Astoria, Oregon as part of the bicentennial celebration of Lewis and Clark’s journey to the Pacific.