Our band has evolved over the years. Thank you so much for visiting!
Sloughgrass Band - 2025 Bio
Rooted in the heart of northern Minnesota, Sloughgrass has been bringing their heartfelt blend of Americana, bluegrass, country, gospel, and original songwriting to audiences since 2002. Over the years, they’ve grown into a group known for their genuine sound, rich harmonies, and welcoming stage presence.
Today, Sloughgrass features the talents of Judith Nelson (vocals, rhythm guitar, fiddle), Soren Olesen (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Christine Hultman (banjo, vocals), Joe Olson (doghouse bass) and Julie Olson (viola). Hailing from the tight-knit communities of Birchdale and Minnesota Hill, their music carries the spirit of the Northwoods with every performance.
The band's shows are a lively mix of Judith’s original songs—making up about half of every set—and fresh takes on traditional bluegrass, country, Americana, and gospel favorites. Friendly banter, storytelling, and a few good jokes are always part of the experience, creating a warm, down-home atmosphere wherever they play.
Former Sloughgrass family band members Gary Hultman and Holger Olesen continue to make waves nationally, touring and recording with acclaimed groups Blue Highway and The Little Roy and Lizzy Show, respectively. Meanwhile, Sloughgrass keeps the home fires burning, often joined onstage by family and friends who add to the band’s ever-evolving sound.
Sloughgrass continues to perform across Minnesota and neighboring states, sharing the music and community spirit that have been their hallmark for over two decades.
Follow their latest adventures on their Facebook musician page.
Join us on Facebook if you would like to see what we are up to.
FOLLOW THIS LINK to see our now pretty old PBS TV special from Prairie Public TV produced by Barbara Gravel at the Fargo PBS studio, SLOUGHGRASS ON PBS .
Here is an old quote...
"Move over Von Trapp's, here comes the Sloughgrass Family Band. Originating in Birchdale, MN, these eight family members can get the crowd off their seats with the band's rich blend of bluegrass, gospel, country, folk and Scandinavian music. The Sloughgrass Family Band not only has ventured through the Minnesota landscape, but has also performed overseas in Denmark." ---Kylee Seifert, High Plains Reader spring 2012High Plains Reader
Check out our Sloughgrass schedule and come on out and join us at one of our shows.
Update on Holger www.holgerolesen.com . Holger currently plays bass with The Little Roy and Lizzy Show . In 2013, He was lucky to be chosen by Rob Ickes to receive a scholarship to attend Reso-Summit in Nashville in November. Holger also played with the award winning bluegrass band Porcupine Creek (check out their two TV specials) and collaborated in a duo called Hooker & Holger. Holger finished college at East Tennessee State University in the spring of 2021 with Degrees in both Engineering Technology and in Bluegrass, Country and Old Time Music, and his MS in Engineering in 2023. He is now teaching at East Tenneessee State University in the Bluegrass and engineering departments and continues to also tour full time. Check out some of the ETSU school bands that Holger played with on Youtube . The Little Roy and Lizzy Show released a CD “Welcome to the Show” in 2022 and another "Live From The Shed" in 2023 and “All For The Love of Sunshine” in 2024.
Update on Gary. He graduated from East Tennessee State University in May of 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Bluegrass, Country and Old-time music. While there Gary had the opportunity to tour Japan with the ETSU Bluegrass Pride band, and to play with bluegrass greats such as Doyle Lawson, Ricky Skaggs, and Adam Steffey. Through his association with Adam Steffey, he became a member of the band The Boxcars which included Adam, Ron Stewart, Keith Garret and Harold Nixon. They recorded one CD during his tenure with them. After the Boxcars came the Highland Travellers and a CD with them as well. In 2019 he joined the iconic bluegrass band Blue Highway and is still touring with them. They have released two recordings since he joined the band and just recently did a live recording at ETSU to be released in late 2025 or early 2026. In 2021, Gary was a part of a CD release by Phil Leadbetter and recorded the song “Back to You”, which reached #17 on the bluegrass top 40 charts. Gary has also done some studio recording with artists such as Terry Baucom and Shannon Slaughter. Read more about Gary's career in Bluegrass Today. Gary makes his home in Galax, VA , and is teaching chorus for Grayson County Schools in Independence, Virginia.
Check out this video by Jim Stoppel on YouTube from when we performed at the Cabin Fever Festival in Duluth, MN on March 26th a few years ago. We were the first video he ever published Sloughgrass band.
A special thank you to Joe Soucheray and the gang on the Garage Logic show for hosting us in 2009 and again at the 2010 & 2012 State Fairs.
"The family band has long played a prominent role in the origins and development of bluegrass music, and that tradition continues to this day. We see family bands perform in every state at every festival. One of the finest and most entertaining family bands can be found right here in Minnesota--Sloughgrass. Their variety, musicianship and infectious enthusiasm always leaves the audience smiling and wanting more, and that, after all, is what's it's all about. Go and see them if you get a chance!" --- Art Blackburn, Monroe Crossing
Sloughgrass will provide background music during the opening of a new exhibit.
The Language of Fire: From Precision to Unpredictability showcases the work of ceramic artist Robin Foster (Red Lake Falls, Minn.), a recognized artist whose practice explores the varied, material language of clay shaped through a spectrum of firing processes. Moving between carefully controlled kiln-fired works and pieces marked by the more unpredictable effects of pit firing and Raku, Foster reveals a rich constellation of surface, color, and texture—at times deliberate, at times yielded to chance. Often working with locally sourced clay drawn from northern Minnesota, his work remains quietly grounded in the landscape from which it emerges. Each piece holds a moment of transformation, where material, heat, and circumstance converge, inviting close looking and a sensory engagement with the balance between intention and outcome.
It's Friday night Fish Fry on the deck at River Bend Resort! Join us for some food, music and visiting at a beautiful location. Sloughgrass will play throughout the summer May 22nd, June 19, July 24, Sept. 4
