Ten Foot Tall & 80 Proof

They’ve been described as honky-tonk, country, rock, edgy and progressive but, if you ask Bozeman, Montana’s Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof what style they are they’ll tell you, “made in Montana, roots, rock, country!”  Ten Foot Tall & 80 Proof have never wondered where their music might take them but rather where could they take their music.  Since the band formed in early 2006, Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof has rapidly ascended the Rocky Mountain region’s musical ladder.  In January 2007 they embarked on a recording project which resulted in their debut album, “Princess of Doom” which was released in January 2008 and are currently in the studio recording their second release, “Another Round” due out in December 2009.  2008 & ‘09 found these boys wandering around the U.S. in their big van “Stella” playing over 150 shows/year in such places as Minnesota, Michigan, Wyoming,  California, Idaho, Washington Oregon and of course, Montana.  Collectively, the members are versed in a broad spectrum of styles, including country, bluegrass, R&B, blues, rock, jazz and funk and their shows include a touch of them all.   See ya on the dance floor!

Raised in the north woods of Michigan, Kris’ earliest memories of music include bouncing down the road in a 1978 GMC pickup listening to 8 track tapes of The Beach Boys, John Denver and Conway Twitty while trying to sing the words to Hello Darlin’.  Involved in group singing throughout his childhood, he studied the trombone and piano as a youth which took him to Europe for two summers to share his love of music, specifically jazz.

In 1995 Kris moved to Helena, Montana and Bozeman in 1997.  In 2000 he formed an acoustic trio with Josh Heins and Sally Newsome which sparked his passion for the acoustic bass.  After a  short absence from Bozeman’s music scene, which included the damp and rich musical haven of Bellingham, WA—where he fell in love with the upright bass—and the warmth of a small community of musicians in interior Alaska, Kris returned to Bozeman.  Shortly thereafter he rejoined Sally Newsome to form the acoustic band, The Norris Hot Strings, and begin his journey towards old time country.  Along the way he joined renowned singer/songwriter John Lowell and mandolin virtuoso Tom Murphy to form The John Lowell Trio.

It was at this point that Kris rejoined Josh Heins and returned to his roots.  Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof was formed.

A prolific and talented songwriter, Kris’ originals featured in Ten Foot Tall reflect his flavor of country music, “if it ain’t about whiskey, women or trains it ain’t 80 proof!”

Aaron grew up in Bozeman playing drums from a very early age.  He has been a regular on the fill in list of local drummers since age 10, where he has covered Classical, Combo Jazz, Big Band Jazz, Rock, Funk, Blues, Country and you name it.  He went through the Bozeman Music Program where he played in the symphonic band and marched the snare drums for the 1999 Rose Bowl Parade.  His awards include the Louis Armstrong Award for Jazz, Honorable Mention at the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival, and The Most Outstanding Soloist at the Lionell Hampton Jazz Festival.  Aaron is now enjoying digging deep into the traditional rhythms and patterns of Honky Tonk and Old Country, applying his own twist and helping to create the Old-Timey but unique sound of Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof.

Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Josh Heins started his music career playing the trombone  at age 10.  Drawn to the guitar driven classic rock that dominated the airwaves in his rural Minnesota home, Josh put down the trombone and started playing the guitar at age 12 on a Yamaha nylon string acoustic he borrowed from his aunt.  He quickly moved on to an electric guitar and began playing along with his CD collection, learning from guitarists like Angus Young, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmi Hendrix and Kirk Hammet.  Josh spent a few months in a Metallica cover band in college until moving to Bozeman in ‘98 where he soon met Kris Clone and Sally Newsome and formed the acoustic trio Third Wheel.  When the trio disbanded, Josh would follow the strong vocals of Newsome and help form the   8-piece Rhythm and Blues powerhouse The Sol Congress.  After a three year stint of R&B and funk, Josh would again join Clone, this time with thoughts of honky-tonk and country.

Originally from Alabama, Preston “Professor” White has been playing music as far back as he can remember. While in middle school he joined the concert band playing trumpet which he played as his main instrument until college. While in high school and college he studied music theory and applied it to playing guitar as well as piano. While playing trumpet in a funk/southern-rock band in Alabama, the band asked him if he could play piano on a few of the songs.  Soon the piano became his main instrument and White played in several bands including Frieda Peoples, Hi Vibe, Blue Rue, and the Mysterious Goo before moving to Montana in 2003. He settled in Bozeman and started sitting in with many local musicians where he met Josh Heins who invited him into a new project that he and Kris Clone were working on. He is now an integral part of Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof playing piano and mandolin, and as one of the main songwriters.