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The Tillers have been thumping their folk music for a decade, riding it all over the country and across the sea. In the beginning there were three of them - Mike Oberst on banjo, trading harmonies with Sean Geil on guitar, and carried along by Jason Soudrette and his big wooden bass. They busked for coins and burritos around Cincinnati, playing traditional songs; Woody Guthrie, southern blues laments, anonymous relics of Appalachian woods, churches, riverboats, railroads, prairies and coal mines. Six times they have received Cincinnati Entertainment Awards from CityBeat Magazine. The band caught wider attention nationally when they were featured by renowned news anchor Tom Brokaw in his documentary about the historic Route 50. They've played music festivals from coast to coast, toured Ireland and the UK, traveled with Pokey LaFarge and The Hackensaw Boys and shared a stage with countless icons like Doc Watson, Iris Dement, Jerry Douglas and Del McCoury. In order to pursue other passions, Soundrette chose his own replacement and handed over the bass reins to Sean's brother, Aaron Geil and the band soon added Joe Macheret on fiddle. Tragedy struck a few years later when founding bassist Jason Soudrette passed after a long fight with AML leukemia. The band has continued on in Jason's name, launching new tours, writing new songs and raising new offspring. The new self-titled LP is the band's most engaging record to date.