BROADSTONE

Formed in 2000, their professional work ethic, vast playlist and tight harmonies have allowed the group to open up for double platinum recording artist Confederate Railroad kick off the Saturday afternoon atmosphere of college football for the I-AA National Champion Appalachian State University Mountaineers, and allowed audiences to relax to the sounds of uncorking wine bottles and dancing at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Music fans are not the only ones catching on to BROADSTONE, the media have taken note as well. Jeff Eason of The Mountain Times newspaper reviews the band: "For a lot of bands in North Carolina, there's country and then there's rock and roll…and never the twain shall meet. That's not the philosophy of Broadstone. They love that type of hybrid music featuring a country heart with a rock and roll beat. BROADSTONE blends the classic vocal harmonies of 70s Southern Rock bands like Pure Prairie League with the country and western drive of more modern acts."

100,000 watt powerhouse WFMX 105.7 in Statesville, North Carolina choose the band as a Top 5 finalist in the 2004 Battle of the Bands competition for the western North Carolina, southeast Virginia, upstate South Carolina region.

With a play list that covers country, oldies, classic rock & roll, along with mainstream radio hits, don’t be fooled into thinking that BROADSTONE is just a “cover band”. The groups singles “Love Dot Com” & “It’s You” have received radio and dance club air play from Boone, NC to Jacksonville, Florida to the “ Lone Star State” of Texas and around the world via the world wide web.

Some bands can say they are “high energy”, if you're looking for a TRUE high energy show from start to finish then BROADSTONE should be your next choice!

Band Members:
James Jestes Guitar, Lead & Harmony Vocals, Songwriter

Born and raised under the shadow of the scenic natural attraction Grandfather Mountain, Jestes began his musical career at an early age while attending Valle Crucis Methodist Church. From there music continued to play a role as he stayed active in school singing in the elementary school chorus and then onto the audition only cast of the Watauga High Choral Ensemble Troupe.

After high school James left the hills and mountains to serve his country in the United States Navy. The travel and new surroundings afforded James the chance to expand his songwriting while getting a taste of music from California to Florida to Virginia Beach and points in between.

After returning back to North Carolina, Jestes became involved with his first working band. Along with Kenneth they formed the group "New Wheels Turning". This experience proved vital for learning the ropes of working in a band enviroment and writing more material.

You can hear many of these songs now as they have become some of the more requested items in BROADSTONE's play list. The Watauga county native is currently attending Appalachian State Unversity in Boone, NC

Kenneth Reece Bass,Guitar, Harmony & Lead Vocals, Songwriter Like most entertainers the 32 year old started performing in church and school. From there his resume stretches from radio and TV to stage productions.

Besides music one of Reece's deepest passions is broadcasting. A DJ,news director and sports play by play commentator his list of stops includes numerous radio stations all across western North Carolina over a 17 year career, including a stint for the Appalachian Sports Network.

The Valle Crucis native is a graduate of Wilkes Community College with a degree in broadcasting and attended Appalachian State. When not searching for the next entertainment gig, Reece also owns and operates Kenneth Reece Trucking company and is the webmaster for www.broadstonetheband.com.

Brad Martin Drums, Vocals It was once said "A country band with no drums is a bluegrass band" Send in the drums we do by introducing Brad Martin.

Influenced at an early age by watching his Dad pound the skins, Martin decided to get in on the action at the young age of 11. After receiving his first kit that year, Martin worked on his skills during his teen years and into high school. That practice started paying off when in high school he and some friends formed a band.

That short lived group gave the 1999 Surry Central High School grad some much needed experience. That experience prepared him for his next stop with the band FLASHBACK. For the next 2 years the Statesville, NC based band played a mix of oldies and classic rock. The Dobson,NC native became more versed in many musical styles which was providing even more of a founation for things to come.

When the then 3 man BROADSTONE was in search for a drummer, a meeting was arranged by mutual friends of both the band and Brad. Having attended several BROADSTONE shows, Martin's audition turned into a jam session and secured his place as the first drummer in BROADSTONE's history. A singer/songwriter Martin's song "He Took A Rose" which speaks of God taking a loved one has become a request everywhere the band plays. Martin is scheduled for graduation from Appalachian State University in 2006 and is engaged to Tiffany Yoakley.

Jamie Dooley Guitar, Harmonica, Lead and Harmony Vocals How many people can start off a conversation with "mother was a rock and roller" At least one can, BROADSTONE's newest member Jamie Dooley.

A rich music talent along with a deep understanding of music theory is very much a strong suit of the 29 year old. But as Dooley will tell you he had a great teacher. His mother was a music major out of Elon College and then toured the east coast full time for 8 years with the rock and roll band "The Alpacas" based out of Burlington NC.

Growing up Jamie was around music more than most children are around toys. When talking about music Dooley's quick to point out that his mother instilled an attitude of "performing harmonies right on the mark with no room for error". When you're around Dooley for any length of time at all you can tell that he believes in getting harmony right and that harmony may be the most important part of any song.

With the benefit of learning music from his mother, who later became a collegiate music teacher after leaving the road, he was able to put it all into practice as the family started a family gospel group as Dooley turned 7 years old.

Dooley began to expand on his musical boundaries by learning guitar at the age of 12 and drums at 14 while in the school band. The family gospel group continued to tour all through out the Mebane, North Carolina native's school years as well.

Years later, after finishing school, all of Dooley's musical talents really hit home with the 1996 formation of country group Southern Grace. That band got a taste of the big time with a very quick rise to the top of the independent country music field.

A year later,in 1997, Dooley and the band were the toast of the independent country music community as they picked up a whopping 5 nominations from the Academy of Independent recording artist (A.I.R.A) for: Country Group of the Year ,Country Vocal Performance of the Year, Country Single of the Year - Someone To Care Individually Dooley was also honored with nominations for: Country Song of the Year - Someone To Care , Country Singer/Songwriter of the Year

The nominations and Nashville exposure lead to an appearance on the legendary TV talk show Crook & Chase, on (what was then) TNN - The Nashville Network. Many country fans will recall that Crook & Chase served as a spring board for lots of country music artist and provided valuable exposure not only to viewers across the country but also to Nashville music insiders. Shortly after the skyrocket in exposure both in and out of Nashville, the band found its self with creative differences and parted ways.

While the let down of the band separating was a major disappointment there was an upside. The day before the big Crook & Chase performance, while buying clothes in a western store for that performance, a chance meeting between Dooley and Becky Mann takes place. This relationship leads to marriage which in turn allows Dooley to expand his songwriting into areas otherwise unthought about.

Still yearning to return to a working band Dooley dabbled in theatrical musicals and then moved on to a regional bluegrass band.

But the sounds of country and rock kept calling him back and he left bluegrass to perform with the Mt Airy, NC based band Generation Gap. A member of Generation Gap just happen to include a connection to BROADSTONE in the form of Brad's father Darryl. After attending BROADSTONE shows and then helping out to run sound for the band, the idea was hatched to get together and jam. A bond was quickly built between the 5 guys leading to the invite for Dooley to join the band in Spring of 2006.

Becky and Dooley currently reside just outside Mt Airy and have a little girl Samanatha.

Bill McQueen Lead Guitar The newest member of the band has been there, done that and is looking for more. The Miami, Florida native has already spent 10 years on the road opening up for everyone from Marty Stuart to Montgomery Gentry. But just because he's lived that lifestyle doesn't mean he's ready to kick back and remember the good ole days. The Boonville, North Carolina resident has a fire and drive, along with experience, that fits in perfect with the BROADSTONE work ethic.

A multi-insturmentist, you might find McQueen on the banjo,fiddle,mandolin,dobro,guitar or bass on any given song.

When he's not burning up the stage, McQueen can be found in his recording studio working on his latest solo project or engineering a session.

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That concert is set for Friday, March 24th. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door. Broadstone will take the stage at 9 p.m. with Confederate Railroad scheduled to play a little after 10 p.m. Members of Broadstone will hold a “meet & greet” with the audience starting at 8 p.m. They will be signing photos and meeting with fans at that time. “This is yet another dream come true for the band,” said Kenneth Reece, bassist and vocalist for Broadstone. “Each member of the band continues to put in long hours each week to improve on our sound and stage show in hopes of getting another rung higher on the ladder. Being asked to open for Confederate Railroad, a band that has had several top ten country hits and that we have based our style on, will truly be a highlight of our musical careers.”

The Broadstone lineup includes Reece, vocalist and drummer Brad Martin, lead guitarist Joe Crisp, and rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist James Jestes. Jestes, Reece and Crisp are all Watauga County musicians, while Martin originally hails from Dobson, North Carolina. The quartet has been together for the past three years, prior to which Broadstone was a trio for three years. The slot opening up for Confederate Railroad is one of several weekends that Broadstone will be performing at the Branding Iron. The band will return to the venue on April 28th and 29th, and on June 9th and 10th.

In 2004 Broadstone was selected to perform four times at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, including a spot as the featured band during the estate’s annual wine festival. The band also finished in the top five at the 2004 Battle of the Bands hosted by WFMX 105.7 FM in Statesville. This year the band will make its first appearance on the North Carolina coast and has a number of shows scheduled in Emerald Isle, NC. Locally, they will appear at The Library Restaurant and Pub on Saturday, April 8th, starting at 10 p.m.

“This year we are busier than ever,” said Jestes. “We have added some new shows on the North Carolina coast, Tennessee and Virginia. That combined with school and our jobs is going to make for a very interesting year. But we love playing, so it’s worth every mile and sleepless night.”