Westbound Situation

Westbound Situation

“Westbound Situation excites me when I hear them because I feel their need for virtuosic creativity. Their music gives me the desire to be involved with who they are and what they do. To me they are the essence of sophisticated music making.” —Ranaan Meyer, Time for Three

“Westbound Situation is definitely creating a presence with this project. Fresh, driving, and current, this album never keeps the listener idle” — Malcolm Parson, Turtle Island String Quartet

“Here you have one of the most new exciting developments for the American String band!”  —Mike Marshall

​​Westbound Situation blends the precision of classical chamber music, the rhythmic drive of bluegrass, and the colorful expression of jazz into a new style of chamber music—chambergrass. The quartet—comprised of Grant Flick on violin, Jake Howard, mandolin, Zach Brown on cello, and Jacob Warren on bass—mixes composition and improvisation seamlessly into their entirely memorized arrangements.

The group formed out the 2016 Acoustic Music Seminar (AMS), a program run by multi-instrumentalist Mike Marshall. All four members of Westbound Situation were two time participants, an honor reserved only for a few exceptional candidates.

Westbound Situation has a strong commitment to music education. The group’s combined experience in classical, bluegrass, jazz, and original/improvised music is something not typically offered in the standard curriculum found at most schools and colleges. These styles, among others, give each student the chance to make their own music. Through this process, valuable lessons in creativity, listening, and leadership are achieved. Each member of the group maintains a private studio, and all have been invited to provide workshops and masterclasses at schools across the country.

Westbound Situation’s exciting and diverse concerts feature a set of unique original repertoire colored with recognizable standards from many genres. With bluegrass, classical chamber music, and jazz all coming together in the group’s concept of chambergrass, a Westbound Situation concert is dazzling musical journey not soon forgotten.