 Backroads is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money by the vote of the people November 4th, 2008. Mark Bridge from Park Rapids, Minnesota. Sheldon Sheeby from Park Rapids, Minnesota. Our bass player is Richard Max from Park Rapids, and we have David Karim, guitar from Aichle. We play quite a variety, Bluegrass, Cowboy, and Americana in the gospel. And how did you all meet? I was up to a music jam up in Itasca, and when I got back, I had to find out who this banjo player was. So I made some calls, and I got a hold of him, and we got together for the first practice. And what did you think? Well, the first one was a little rocky. It was the Minnesota Ufte thing. Yeah. But he was patient, stayed with us. There's hours and hours and hours of practice with harmonies and studying old music. We like the old stuff versus the new. There's plenty of people writing new, but somebody needs to be out there preserving the old stuff. It's just as important. It's part of America's history. So we're proud to be able to play that type of music and keep it alive. And I'm convinced that even with all the songs written, there's so many, like Mark said, so many vintage songs that are unsung. And we're trying to do some of those. Some are very familiar, maybe some are not. But tremendous music by tremendous writers. In age, 1800s, when things were really tough. Just a little, she slowly pressed. She cried, oh, we'll start at home. Between twelve and a past four. He said, young man, don't you try to run. And what's it like being part of that preservation of a whole era of music? To me, it's very exciting because I like vintage, I like old. It has to be preserved. We enjoy it, but just to preserve it for the future generations to enjoy. All of us in the group like the older music. So it's just right up our alley. We do some that should remain forgotten, but that's fun. And our crowd that we draw is typically the older generation. And they like the music. They're like living for a short time and being in the good old times. And how did you first get introduced to that era of music? Was it something like you grew up hearing, or was it something you discovered later? For me, I've always been interested in the older stuff. I mean, my mom, she used to write the old barn dance shows. She was a lady DJ on the radio. And when not doing this, the other musical thing, I do a legacy artist with the state of Minnesota, and my show is called Historical Notes, and it's all music from the 1800s. So it's right up my alley, and I've always liked old bluegrass. I was probably the only kid in high school who liked banjo music in the 70s. To me, I was introduced to it five, six years ago. Like the gospel music, I was brought up doing polka dances and waltzes, and a lot of dancing, but this bluegrass just has such a good message, and it's very enjoyable to play. All aboard! Where did the name unpolished come from? You know, I figured you might ask that. It was a necessity. My wife said, you know what to tell them? David, the guitar player, and I used to do some music with the gentleman Dennis, a mandolin player in his 60s, and we did some music with him because he had been failing in health, so he liked to do his music, so he tried to get together. Then I mentioned I saw a really good bluegrass band. I won't mention the name. Very, very good, one of the best in the Midwest. They had played in Park Rapids, and I said, Dennis, I heard this fantastic group, and he says, ah, they're too polished. So when we got together and we were struggling for a name, I brought the name unpolished, and it worked both ways. It was a good name, plus it gives us some slack when we maybe don't play it right. That's a safety valve. I'm just very thankful that I can play with a wonderful group of musicians, a wonderful banjo player, bass player, guitar, to just try to fit in and grow with that each year is a little bit better, and I appreciate it. We've played together for six years, and we've never had an argument. That says something. I think a lot of that's our maturity and that kind of stuff, but we're really dumb, I don't know. But it's nice that we're that comfortable with each other, that we just play and enjoy it. We do enjoy it. There's a dark and a troubled side of life There's a bright and a sunny side tuned With the darkness in strife Sunny side we may also view Keep on sunny side, always on sunny side Keep on that sunny side of life It will help us every day, it will brighten Through the storm and its fury broke today Crushing hopes that we cherish so dear Storm and cloud will in time pass away Sun again will shine bright and clear Sunny side, always on sunny side Keep on that sunny side of life Help us every day, it will brighten All the way to the sunny side of life Let us greet with the song of hope each day Though the moment be cloudy or Let us trust in our savior all in his care Sunny side, always on sunny side Keep on that sunny side of life It will help us every day, it will brighten All the way to the sunny side of life It will brighten