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Borderline Drive Bio
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Whether it's a slow-moving ballad or a hard-driving instrumental, this Manitoba bluegrass band delivers!
The four-member band hailing from the Winkler, MB area consists of Alvin Elias, banjo and vocals, Mark Fehr, guitar and vocals, John Krahn, mandolin and vocals, and Kayla Elias, bass guitar. With the exception of Kayla, each member brings with them previous band experience. Their shared appreciation of the music is where this band found its roots.
Since their inception in 2006, Borderline Drive has played many local fairs and festivals, and has traveled out of province as well. In the fall of 2006, they opened for Tom Jackson when his Singing For Supper Tour made a stop in Manitoba. This past summer they played the 21st annual Chilliwack Bluegrass Festival.
Their repertoire includes a mix of gospel and secular, with gospel being close to their hearts. Their trademark tight harmony vocals, special attention to instrumentation, and straight ahead, hard-driving traditional bluegrass style is pleasing audiences everywhere they go.
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Individual Bios
| Alvin Elias is a two-time Western Canadian Banjo Champion. He started teaching himself to play guitar when he was 12 years old. After promising his parents that he would practice and do his chores faithfully, he was given his first guitar at that age. After a special deal between his father and himself, he received his first banjo at the age of 16. Having been raised on bluegrass, Alvin's musical influences include greats like Clarence White, Tony Rice, and of course, Earl Scruggs. Alvin has played in various bands through the years including Wholesome Bluegrass, Dry River Boys & Keystone Bluegrass Quartet. Alvin is a welder by trade, and started at the young age of 5, when his sister caught him in the machine shop welding. His hobbies include playing and listening to music, as well as hunting and photography. Alvin and his wife Leah have been married for 18 years. They have a totally awesome 14 year old daughter Kayla! |
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Mark Fehr grew up listening to the likes of Dolye Lawson, The Louvin Brothers, and Ricky Skaggs. It wasn't until the year 2000 at the age of 20 that he picked up his late father's 1952 Martin guitar and began teaching himself to play. Mark plays a strong rhythm, and does a fine job picking as well. (With a little encouragement!) Mark is a gifted vocalist, with a distinct, high lonesome voice. Whether singing lead or harmony, his vocals are rich and pure, an integral part of the band's 3 part harmony structure. Mark played in several local bands before joining Borderline Drive, most recently with the group Second Chance. His interest in music has also led him to start a home recording studio, where he's recorded projects for several local bands. Other interests of Mark's include playing baseball, hockey, and drawing. |
| John Krahn started playing guitar at the age of 9, under the influence of his older brother Pete. He received his first mandolin at the age of 11, and played it for about a year, performing gospel shows with his family. When he was 19, he decided to pick up the instruments again--guitar first, and mandolin a few years later. Having grown up listening mostly to country music, he was only introduced to bluegrass in 2003. John then played music with his family again, until Borderline Drive was formed in 2006. John’s musical influences include Adam Steffey, Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice. In addition to playing his instruments, John also suffers from MAS and GAS--mandolin and guitar acquisition syndrome! Collecting them is half the fun! John and his wife Eva have been married for 6 years and have a 2 year old son Jonas. |
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Kayla Elias is the daughter of Alvin and his wife Leah. Kayla grew up in a home with a lot of music. To give Kayla a good start, her parents enrolled her in piano lessons at the age of 5, and she continued to take lessons for 9 years. At the age of 10 she started to show some interest in the guitar, so her Dad showed her a few things and she learned to play by ear. With the encouragement of some of the members of Borderline Drive, she started to play bass guitar at 13. Kayla loves listening to music. Her favorite groups include Rhonda Vincent, Tony Rice, and her absolute favorite, The Cherryholmes. She also enjoys some of the older stuff like Jimmy Martin and Johnny Cash.She's an old soul in a young body. When Kayla was barely 3 years old, she decided to climb on stage with her dad and the Keystone Bluegrass Quartet, and play air guitar and dance. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Other interests include cross stitching, rug hooking, scrapbooking, knitting and reading. She is currently at Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler. |
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