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Exceptional solo guitarist weaves funk, blues, and rock n roll into a mind melting experience you won't forget

Fishtrap
Jeff Showman - harmonica, Curt Knudsen - guitar, Matthew Purkerson - bass, Jeff Parkhurst - drums, and Margen Carlson - vocals
Great vocals, jamming guitar and harmonica solos, and good-time dance music have made blues-rock band Fishtrap a fan favorite in Olympia, WA for over 15 years. Set lists are spiced with blues, rock and Americana songs from artists such as BB King, JJ Cale, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Eilen Jewell and Shannon McNally, as well as audience-favorite originals.
“We enjoy playing our own tunes, and it’s great that fans dig them too,” says harmonica player Jeffrey "Dr. Soul" Showman, whose stage name comes from a disk jockey stint at Bellingham's college radio station. His music career began with local bands Blues Monsters and Tastes Like Chicken. He brings a vast knowledge of blues, soul, and R&B music from his collection of more than 1,000 albums.
Composer of the band's original instrumentals, Curt Knudsen is a master guitar technician who can play virtually any style with swing and taste. Crowds love it when he suddenly throws Wes Montgomery licks into a solo, or starts channeling Northwest or surf guitar. In his former life as a salmon scientist, Curt actually used to trap fish.
Margen Carlson, Fishtrap’s vocalist, grew up in a house full of jazz, blues and soul. She began singing in school choirs, eventually performing in concert and jazz choirs and group contests. Throughout her teens, she studied classical voice and sang in solo competition. In the last few years Margen realized that, “I was thinking I might sing after I retired, but then realized ‘Why wait?!” She began jamming with jazz and swing players around Olympia, which is where she met bass player Matthew Purkerson.
Matt, Curt, and Jeffrey met in the parent band at Olympia's Lincoln Elementary School. Playing bass in church as a youngster gave Matthew the chops to contribute a deep, soulful melodic touch to Fishtrap's rhythm.
Drummer Jeff Parkhurst got his first drum set at 10 years old and has been a working class drummer in the Pacific NW for the last 50 years. He recently put out a solo album of his own work on Green Monkey Records. Jeff’s experience with diverse artists and venues is a perfect complement to Fishtrap’s varied setlists.
The band’s music goes beyond the confines of traditional blues, mixing rock, funk, country and soul into something for every musical taste. When it's time to play soft and soulful, they do, but sometimes there’s breakout excitement. If the guitar and harp catch a musical idea and start riding it, Margen waves them around for another 12 bars, and they take off . That explains why Fishtrap fans are legion, with testimonials on every sign-up sheet: “You guys are great!”, “Good dancing music!”, and “You guys ROCK!” .
Contact: Jeffrey Showman, showmans@earthlink.net/(360) 790-3111 or Margen Carlson, margenc@hotmail.com/(360) 280-8898.

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