About Us

About the Band

Appalachian Heaven is a lively, driving five piece Melbourne-based string band, playing traditional “old time” music from Northern America. Instruments include fiddles, guitar, double bass, and clawhammer banjo. The band is also vocally entertaining. They enliven concert stages, run square dances and give instrument workshops.  Band members have extensive experience in dance-calling, and in teaching banjo, fiddle and flat pick guitar.
With its origins in traditional music of Europe and Africa, “old time” music is aptly named, representing perhaps the oldest form of North American traditional music other than Native American. The band’s repertoire is from the rural south of the USA (Southern Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky).  Many of the tunes are from recordings made between 1920 & 1940 but some folk, blues and modern country music songs are in there too.
Ian (banjo) regularly attends the large old time festivals in the USA, and has learned the style and joy of the music from some of the greatest Appalachian players, both current and from the last generation. He has played with Tracy Schwartz and Mike Seeger (RIP). The band’s other influences include the New Lost City Ramblers, Bill Monroe, Nickel Creek, Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss.
Appalachian Heaven’s first album, “In the Pines” was launched in April 2010 at the National Folk Festival, where the band knocked everyone’s socks off with their exceptional musical skills and obvious love of traditional material.
The second album “Railroadin’ & Gamblin’” was launched in January 2011 at the Auckland Folk Festival. The band was a headline act, and closed out the final concert in spectacular style, having an enormous marquee of people on their feet and dancing with abandon.
Appalachian Heaven wants to re-create and honor the music of the mountains.  But … they divert into modern USA country and Bluegrass music when they want to, and often! They sing happy and sad songs; they also want the audience up and dancing!

Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander first became interested in old-time Appalachian music 20 years ago, and started playing clawhammer banjo. Ian visits the USA to go to the  large fiddle festivals nearly every year and sponsors bringing USA musicians each year out to Australia for Harrietvile Festival and the National Folk Festival. Ian has been taught banjo by some of the greatest current Appalachian players and has played with many fine fiddlers, including old fiddlers from the last generation. Ian started the Appalachian Heaven string band five  years ago. Ian loves playing with his band at many Victorian music festivals.

Maggie Duncan

In a previous life Maggie studied classical violin and piano and DIY folk guitar.  She discovered fiddle music and now revels in Irish, Scottish, American and Australian traditional music.  She can be found playing in dance bands, sessions, parties, shopping centres, folk festivals and concerts, and is well known as a teacher of traditional fiddle, conducting regular workshops and teaching individual students.
She is also a keen dancer and dance caller, and loves to play fiddle tunes for dancing.

Kimberley Wheeler

Kim is a young musician from Geelong who was originally classically trained in clarinet. She discovered rock music and was next seen playing bass guitar for a heavy metal band in front of her own MONSTER amplifier. Kim now plays bass and sings vocals in Gerry Hales’ “Innocent Bystanders” and “Uncle Bill” … two great Melbourne bands. Kim joined Appalachian Heaven in 2009 as bass and vocalist. Kim’s instruments are bass, guitar and she is a great singer. Together with Gerry Hale Kim runs the “Guitar Gallery” in Fitroy.