Tara Mills and Jimmy Stelling played with Turtle Zwadlo at Pale Fire Brewing at the Icehouse. They play nearly pure bluegrass, using a guitar, banjo and a bass. Mills writes the songs, plays a more percussive guitar, Stelling plays the banjo and Zwadlo plays bass.

Mills writes most of the band’s pieces. She recalls how much she loved songwriting from a young age.

“So, the funny thing is, as a child I had a band in elementary school, and I had a band in middle school, and I was always the songwriter. I always loved writing poetry and songs. It’s always been something I’ve done since I was a kid. I’m more of a songwriter than a guitar player,” Mills said.

She also plays guitar, something which she didn’t pick up until later in her life.

“I used to play piano and write songs on the piano when I was a kid. When I got older I bought a guitar. I was in college and didn’t have a piano, so I just figured out songs on the guitar,” Mills said.

Stelling also remembers picking up music at an early age, his father helped him learn to play banjo.

“When I was very, very young, my dad played [banjo;, he got me into it. As a little toddler I picked up bluegrass, but I actually played when I was seven, when I was actually doing it fairly well. The banjo was very big. It’s the same banjo as I use now. I was six or seven when I picked [banjo] up and actually played it,” Stelling said.

All the band’s members had previous experience in bands, most of those bands were also bluegrass.

“Jimmy was in The Hackensaw Boys, Turtle was in a band called frog legs. Turtle, myself and another guy named John had a band called ‘Yankee Dixie.’ This trio has been together for three years. We don’t really have a name, just Tara Mills and Jimmy Stelling,” Mills said.

The band loves to play together.

“Our band is great and has great musicians, and it’s awesome playing with these guys. I love the fact that I can play songs that I’ve actually written. I play a lot of originals. I think it’s awesome just to get some original material and share it with the world,” Mills said.

The band isn’t exactly new, they’ve been together for a while now.
“I started playing with Tara maybe three-and-a-half years ago. Turtle had been in a band with Tara before, so now he’s our trio. Sometimes we have another banjo sitting in or a mandolin. Something to add a little more. Bluegrass and folk, a little folk rock. That’s what we play,” Stelling said.