Jeff Crane plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, sings and dances. He has played music since he was a kid growing up in Colorado, playing electric guitar in rock bands in high school and at Bennington College in Vermont, where he studied art. He holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Hunter College, City University of New York. He taught art and aesthetic theory at the State University of New York at New Paltz from 2000-2012. In 2007, he bought a banjo and made his first foray into old-time music at the Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp. In 2008, Jeff brought The Shoe String Band together. Jeff also enjoys cooking and gardening and keeps a small flock of chickens. He plays ice hockey and is a ski instructor at Plattekill Mountain in the Catskills. Jeff and his son Henry can often be found taking hikes near his home in the Town of Esopus, NY.
Jeff works with a number of other musicians, depending on the event, from a banjo-fiddle duo to a full 5-piece band with a square-dance caller.
Here's what some folks have said about The Shoe String Band:
How fortunate for COTA (Celebration of the Arts) to have the Shoe String Band volunteer at our annual arts festival in New Paltz, NY in 2009 and 2010! Our family-friendly event on Historic Huguenot Street certainly provided the perfect back drop for their old-time tunes, and they were surely one of the highlights of our day. Whether they played "organically" under a tree or formally on stage, the Shoe String Band had our audiences' toes tapping and bodies bobbing - from the youngest to the oldest - along to their Appalachian music. This is truly a talented group of musicians who have mastered every string of their instruments!
Pat Albera-Henneberger, Performance Coordinator, COTA
Member, Board of Directors, The Arts Community
From The Mohonk Preserve:.
The Shoe String Band is great! Their music is inspiring - from the first note to the last, the dance floor is filled. The band is easy to work with, always on time and is a first-class operation.
