Rockin' Acoustic Circus

Every so often a group of musicians come together and form a band that brings a fresh new blend to captivate a listening audience. Drawing influence from musical heroes and various genres of music, RAC has developed a sound of their own - a sound that can only be sculpted by these six individuals. Their unique acoustic fusion pushes the boundaries of typical stringed instruments and allows each artist to express their creativity.

The Rockin' Acoustic Circus is pushing these musical boundaries in their youth. Turning heads with an overflowing talent pool and musicianship beyond their years, this six-piece ensemble comprised of five teens and one musical veteran are wowing crowds and critics alike. Although they are quickly morphing from a well-received regional favorite into a group with nationally recognized aspirations, to the average listener, members of the band could be mistaken for musicians in their prime.

"This band is open to all styles of music, and they are hardworking,” says veteran musician, Rick Morton, guitarist and leader of the Rockin’ Acoustic Circus. Morton once made a career out of fighting four-alarm fires but now, as "ringmaster" of RAC, he is fanning the flames of one of Oklahoma's hottest up-and-coming bands. “We really don't talk much about where it all might lead. If we play on a level that's consistent, exciting and fun, then where we play and when we play and how far we'll go, will take care of itself."

Morton's an outstanding instrumentalist - playing fiddle, guitar and mandolin, has already had quite the musical career. He won a national talent contest with Ronnie Dunn just before Dunn hit the big time with partner Kix Brooks. He's worked with such artists as Ricky Skaggs, George Strait and Kathy Mattea. And, in 1994, he recorded and played fiddle with The Tractors on their debut CD, which was Grammy-nominated and sold more than three million copies.

The rest of this young band may not have had the years of experience as Morton, but all of them have spent a good portion of their young lives playing music. Defining the groove with his "Dawg-inspired" mandolin chops, Sterling Abernathy is an accomplished player with a couple of contest championships under his belt and Iron Chef of the eight-string. Eric Dysart's impressive list of fiddling achievements includes being a semi-finalist in the Nashville-based Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. His fiddle playing is virtuosic with his left hand as smooth and unyielding as his bow hand. Voted "best hair in the band," and playing banjo for only about four years now, Carson Clemishire has licks to spare and rolls to be reckoned with, plus, and he's already earned a first place contest finish. Emma Hardin, "bluegrass cellist" for RAC is not only an accomplished classical cellist, but is breaking ground by innovatively chartering a journey into new musical territory with her cello.  Watching Emma's brother, Zac Hardin (also classically trained) play bass is like watching a man wrestle a bear, but kidding aside, that bear is not going to win. Young Zac can really plunk the stain off that bull-fiddle and rounds out this elite group of musicians.  

The Circus caught the attention of Oklahoma bluegrass legend Byron Berline, a three-time national fiddle champion and director of the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival. Berline says the thing that impresses him the most about RAC is they strive for originality, bringing their own distinctive style to bluegrass standards. "They step out and do traditional music their own way," he says. "They're not copycats and you see copycats all the time in bluegrass. They bring their own style and feel to the music."

Now, these powerhouse teens – along with their musical mentor – have merged into one impressive band. As they continue putting their unique mark on their music and writing more originals to add to their already impressive repertoire, listening to their acoustical fused music influenced by bluegrass, jazz, classical, swing, blues and even some rock-n-roll, make them an incredible listening experience. "I’m really focused, and they’re really focused," observes Morton. “Right now it’s about the music, about taking our opportunities to go play, play well, and have fun."