About The Band
Wilson Thicket has the acoustic soul of an Appalachian string band, but there is more to this Thicket than just a patch of bluegrass! Wilson Thicket combines a hand-picked group of the top singers, instrumentalists, and songwriters that Michigan has to offer, with decades of performing experience under their collective belts. Old school favorites, creative covers, and dynamic original songs are all delivered with strong doses of vocal harmony and creative instrumental mastery. This music has plenty of roots and lots of grass. There may be some thorns, but also some flowers. Welcome to the thicket!
Jason Dennie (Mandolin/Guitar/Vocals):
Jason is among the top singers, songwriters, and musicians you will ever lay ears on! His mandolin work with acts such as Annie and Rod Capps, Jill Jack, Billy Brandt and the Sugarees, STELLA, Mark Lavengood Bluegrass Bonanza and others, led to 10 Detroit Music Award Nominations. Jason is also a three-time CAMMY AWARD Winner for Best Folk/Bluegrass Instrumentalist, the 2000 Gamble Rogers Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, and a 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition finalist (with Wayward Roots). Jason has gained respect among guitar aficionados for his instrumental work, including 2000 release Just Enough (with guests including Sam Bush and Dave Pomeroy). His song “Five Points” was the theme song for the Acoustic Alternatives radio show on 107.1, hosted by John Bommarito. In recent years, his songwriting has been featured with Thunderwüde and is now on full display with Wilson Thicket! Jason proudly endorses K&K Pickups
Aaron Markovitz (Guitar/Mandolin/Vocals):
While Aaron has had an eclectic musical upbringing with all sorts and kinds of influences, his style has settled somewhere in between electric blues and acoustic flat picking, bridging both styles with a common goal: pulling that sweet tone out of a geetar. Steadily throughout his music career, Markovitz has become better known as a songwriter. He spent several years writing songs and playing mandolin with the Detroit based group Escaping Pavement, which won a Detroit music award for outstanding recording in 2016 with “The Night Owl”. Most recently, Markovitz was endowed with the position of ‘Artist in Residence’ for Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, the largest reform Jewish congregation in the country. Now it’s raining otherworldly talented men and the songs are flowing under this umbrella of killer musicians in Wilson Thicket!
Keith Billik (Banjo/Vocals):
Keith’s fiery, dynamic banjo playing earns him the award for most notes-per-song of anyone in Wilson Thicket! Keith is best known for his recordings and performances with Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys, Mark Lavengood’s Bluegrass Bonanza, and many other groups in his nearly twenty years playing banjo. Keith is also the creator and host of The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast, a show listened to by banjo enthusiasts worldwide, and which earned Keith a 2022 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award nomination for his involvement in the bluegrass industry. Keith is proud to endorse GHS Strings.
Scott Kendall (Upright Bass):
Being a fan of all types of music, Scott has found himself playing in bluegrass bands for most of his adult life, while also performing in ensembles as varied as math rock, jazz, classical, soul, funk, hip hop, blues, pop, metal, and pretty much any genre one can think of (regrettably he has never been a part of a Tuvan throat singing ensemble, but there’s still time). He is astonishingly grateful to play with a band like Wilson Thicket, because the musicianship and camaraderie is spectacular and hilarious. You can also see him performing regularly with groups like the Dave Menzo Band, Child Sleep, Louie Lee, Soul Priority, and Fallow Land.Contact: wilsonthicket@gmail.com