(Photo courtesy of Sisters Folk Festival)
Named after the largest Rock concert of the 70s, Watkins Glen is an Oregon-based Rock n’ Roll band
that strives to create magical musical moments while paying tribute to the repertoires of four legendary
American bands: The Band, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band and Little Feat.
About Watkins Glen
Band leaders Gabe Johnson & Evan Read-Mullins, also guitarist and keyboardist for popular Funk/Rock
outfit Elektrapod have gathered some of the very best musicians from the Oregon music scene with the
intention of creating one of the most authentic, inventive and compelling Rock n’ Roll bands in the West.
In just a very short time, Watkins Glen has developed a reputation for delivering great renditions of these
bands’ classic songs, writing truly creative set lists and whipping audiences into frenzy with their
scorching improvisational live jams. Highlights so far have included high profile appearances at 4 Peaks
Music Festival, Juan de Fuca Festival, US Fest, Bend Summerfest, Bend Fall Fest, Bend Roots Revival,
McMenamins’ St Patrick’s Day Celebration and multiple performances at indoor music venues in Oregon
w/ national acts such as Pink Talking Fish, MarchFourth and more. See www.WatkinsGlenBand.com for
upcoming tour dates and regularly updated audio and video content.
Watkins Glen personnel:
Gabe Johnson (Elektrapod, El Dante, Soulwork, Jive Talkin’ Robots) – Guitars, Keys, Vox
Evan Read-Mullins (Elektrapod, Dennis McGregor Band) – Keys, Vox
Kaleb Kelleher (Jive Coulis, The Mostest, Brent Alan & HFF) – Drums
Benji Nagel (Honey Don’t, Tumbleweed Peepshow) – Dobro, Lap Steel, Guitars, Vox
Kyle Swantek (Truck Stop Gravy, Wildwood Ave, Rising Tide) – Bass, Vox
Jarrod Donatelli (Elektrapod, The Mostest, El Dante) – Percussion, Vox
Benji Nagel is an alumni of Sisters Folk Festival’s Americana Project.
Alumni of the Americana Project, the educational outreach program of Sisters Folk Festival, will perform
at the Fir Street Park stage. The Americana Project has been in the Sisters Schools since 2000, and
thousands of students have learned to play guitar, write songs, perform and record as well as be great
community ambassadors for music and community engagement.
Former and current Sisters students will not only perform, they provide sound engineering, venue
management and share pertinent information about the Americana Project with patrons. SFF Americana
Project alumni, many of which are professional musicians, will perform alongside Festival artists Saturday
of the Festival. This is a testament to the quality of programming SFF delivers in the Sisters schools and
it’s deep, enduring commitment to music and arts education as a non-profit organization. Read more
about the Americana Project.