(Lee Rider, Brian Urban, Sam Arintok, Morgan Daniel, Dan Coulson)
Band: 2nd Hand Grass was formed in 2019, just getting together to do some bluegrass jamming. We had some gig offers and decided to do a private party and were well received, so we started doing some gigs here on the coast. 2nd Hand Grass plays bluegrass but so much more, putting our own twist on songs by The Band, Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top, as well as Bill Monroe, Peter Rowan, Flatt and Scruggs and other more traditional bluegrass artists. 2nd Hand Grass is comprised of veteran coast musicians from diverse backgrounds:
Brian Urban (banjo, guitar, lead and harmony vocals): Brian grew up in southern Minnesota and started playing piano in 5th grade, started playing the guitar in his early teens and banjo in his early 20’s. Brian was gifted a banjo from his brother Randy and that began many nights picking in their living room , small venues and dive bars. Brian's older brother, Dan and friends started a blue Grass band, High Grass Pickers which Brian later joined which lead to his nickname, "Sweetroll" After moving to the coast he has been a mainstay in the Highway One band and Soul Shakedown . Believe it or not, Brian has not done much lead singing but is our main singer now.
Morgan Daniel, an almost-native of the Mendocino Coast, has been writing and playing music here since the garage-band days of the 80s. Like most kids, he took piano lessons, but he switched to the guitar when he saw how cool his younger brother looked strumming the 6-string. While the quest for cool has since been abandoned as a futile project, a love for the guitar remains. He is a founding member of the acoustic band, Foxglove and plays the b-bender in Gene Parsons' New Nashville West. When he's not playing the guitar he may be making one in his home-based lutherie shop where he has been building and repairing stringed instruments for the past 15 years.
Dan Coulson (electric and stand-up bass): Dan has been playing music in a variety of styles for close to 50 years. He started out performing with his family band back in the 1970s (The Coulson Family Jazz Band). He has played in Jazz Big Bands, Punk Rock Ensembles, Polka Bands, Dixieland Bands, Folk Rock Bands, Top 40 bands and many other styles all over the world. In addition to the basses he also plays the tuba and trombone.
Sam Arintok (drums, lead and harmony vocals): Sam has been a musician for over 50 years. Recording and touring with many bands in the Sacramento and Bay Area, with eclectic influences that range from punk to diverse music from around the globe. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Sam eagerly embraces any new musical experience.
Lee Rider (guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, dobro): Lee started playing cello in grade school, clarinet in middle school and picked up the guitar in his early teens. He started playing bluegrass in high school when a banjo player from Kentucky arrived. He moved to the northwest and was a founding member of the Catch & Release bluegrass band, playing many of the major northwest festivals. Since moving to the coast in 2001, Lee has played with a variety of bands including The Rusticators, The Wayfinders and has backed many locals.
Gene Parsons: Gene plays with 2nd Hand Grass frequently, when he is not performing with his band New Nashville West. Gene's experience is vast and would take up many pages. Besides playing with the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Nashville West (among many other bands), Gene was also a mainstay in the LA studio scene in the '60's and '70's appearing on recordings for the Gosdin Brothers, Everly Brothers, Arlo Guthrie and the Rolling Stones, among others. Gene plays pedal steel, guitar, dobro and mandolin on different songs.
