NEW SHOES
Four Guys from the band you heard on A Prairie Home Companion every weekend!
Our repertoire includes: Bach, Bluegrass, The Beatles, & Beyond.
BAND BIO
Behind the Music
In the beginning, there was the Guys All Star Shoe Band, featured each week on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. The band played its own features as well as accompanying Garrison’s tunes and providing backup for many of the musical guests on the show. Those included opera singers, classical, jazz, New Orleans, Nashville and Austin soloists, pop icons such as James Taylor, Carole King, Aaron Neville, EmmyLou Harris, Mark Knopfler, Keb Mo, Elvis Costello, etc. The band was known for it’s extraordinary ability to find the heart of every style, providing immediate comfort and security to those artists that were performing live for millions of listeners.
The New Shoes are guitarist/mandolinist/ fiddler Richard Kriehn, bassist Gary Raynor, drummer Peter Johnson and frequent Guy’s guest steel guitarist Joe Savage. They continue the tradition by presenting music from many streams, the only requirement being the inherent quality of the songs, and of course, the joy of working together to bring this music to their audiences.
BAND MEMBERS
RICHARD KRIEHN
Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Minnesota-based multi-instrumentalist Richard Kriehn played with the “Guys All-Star Shoe Band” and the “House Band” on A Prairie Home Companion from June of 2010 until the host, Garrison Keillor retired in July of 2016. Richard has performed in symphony orchestras, bluegrass bands, baroque ensembles, pit orchestras, cover bands, country bands…but his new project, "New Shoes" takes the cake! He, and some fellow "prairie homies" put together a great quartet! They play everything: Bach, Bluegrass, Beatles and Beyond! Way before Prairie Home, Richard lived in Nashville. While in Nashville, he toured with Travis Tritt, Aaron Tippin and Michael Peterson, all the while, playing in the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble and the bluegrass group 1946. He appeared numerous times on the Grand Ole’ Opry and made appearances on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Prime Time Country as well an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. Before he and his family moved to the Twin Cities, they lived in Eastern Washington where he was a faculty member in the School of Music, Washington State University.
GARY RAYNOR
Bass
A Minnesota resident since 1977, Gary Raynor (bass) toured with Sammy Davis Jr., performed with the Count Basie Band, the Rupert’s Orchestra, and dozens of Broadway touring shows — including the first presentation of The Lion King. He regularly performs at local jazz clubs.
Raynor is featured on Janet Jackson’s hit single “Again” and the original Rio Nido album, I Like to Riff. Gary teaches across the street from the Fitzgerald at McNally Smith College of Music.
PETER JOHNSON
Drums, Vocals
Drummer Peter Johnson had a seven year stint with the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band. He started his career with a group that performed daily at L.A.'s Magic Mountain theme park. From there he hit the road, touring the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand with The Manhattan Transfer vocal group, and later with pop singer Gene Pitney. He’s had the opportunity to play with a broad spectrum of artists, including Chuck Berry, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, and Dave Brubeck. In addition to his work as a drummer, Peter has written hundreds of jingles and underscores for commercials, and he composed and produced the music for two Sesame Street Live shows.
JOE SAVAGE
Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, Harmonica, Vocals
Pedal steel ace Joe Savage may think of himself as a Perennial Sideman (title of one of his albums), and it is true that he has performed with a long list of artists in addition to being a go-to studio musician. But solo or sideman, Joe has been a welcome fixture on the Twin Cities music scene since moving from Cloquet, Minnesota, to Minneapolis in the 1980s.
CONTACT US!
Want to learn more about The New Shoes, their music, and their tour dates? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Email:
Phone:
509-595-3244