CrossCurrent started in July 2010 when Gunnar Papst was asked to play for a barn dance down in Chewelah. The party got cancelled when the barn got filled with hay, so the organizer offered to have him play at her church instead. Gunnar invited his sister Venke, and six friends to play with him, and they performed for the first time to an enthusiastic audience of 100+ people. Since then, the band has performed at Rendezvous, CiderFest, Pioneer Days and the Ferry County Fair in Republic, the Front Porch Farm Tour, Kettle Falls Festival of Neighbors, and the Creek Collective music festival in Castlegar, BC, as well as weddings and reunions. The make-up of the band has ebbed and flowed around the brother/sister duo as the core, with other members coming and going and coming back again. They now include…
Gunnar Papst – (age 21, Colville) fiddle/violin, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars. His violin teacher was Mo Oliver, a name well-known to many musicians in Stevens County
Venke Papst – (23, Colville) keyboard and vocals
Gunnar Nelson – (22, Kettle Falls) acoustic guitar, fiddle, vocals (yes, there really are two Gunnars! They considered calling the band “Gunnars and Roses”, but alas, there’s only one “rose”) This Gunnar is also an award-winning member of the Haran Irish Dancers, having competed in world competition in Montreal, 2015, and in Glasgow, 2016.
Jesse Roberson – (28, Rice) our drummer, stolen from Johnny and the Moondogs!
Steve Papst – (ageless, Colville) aka Dad, electric bass
CrossCurrent’s music can be described as neo-Celtic, traditional Irish, country, and rock. Their playlist includes tunes by Natalie MacMaster, Leahy, Tiller’s Folly, Rich Mullins, and Josh Turner, all of whom can be found on YouTube or Spotify. Our fans will recognize many of these, and, there will be some surprises!
