Who are the Fish Heads?

The original Fish Heads are Mike Monson and Kim Curtis-Monson, a married musical duo that have been together for almost 20 years. In 2000, they were joined by another married couple, Mark “Pete” Nelson and Karyn MacLean. Together this foursome plays many bluegrass instruments including guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass, fiddle, banjo and dobro. Included in the bluegrass music they perform, this group likes to add a twist here and there to their repertoire with the African djembe drum and other percussive additives. Their vocals leave most of the main duties up to Kim and Mike, but Mark and Karyn also take the lead as well as harmonies.

They regard their music as bluegrass, but they are definitely not mainstream bluegrass. You will find old rock standards from the Bee Gees to Steve Miller, and folk music from Dylan, to Fred Eaglesmith and Richard Thompson. They have been influenced by bluegrass, rock, folk, blues and Texas swing. These folks are not only fun to listen to, but they provide fun banter on a stage. Watching how much they enjoy performing together is part of the whole Fish Heads experience.

Why Fish Heads.....the name? Well, that is simple. They all have a long history with fishing in their lives. Mike and Kim grew up fishing with their folks from a very young age. Some say, they learned to fish before they could walk. They own a 24 foot Lake Superior fishing boat and travel during the summer fishing and playing music at places like Isle Royale and the Apostle Islands. They also spend time on the northern Minnesota rivers with the early steel head and fall salmon runs. Karyn grew up in Alaska and worked in a fish cannery and also enjoys a fish on her line. Husband Mark does winter camping ice fishing and travels most years on a 10 day trip that includes fishing in remote areas like the Northwest Territories. So there you have it, they just plain like to fish... .therefore, why not The Fish Heads?