Seth Mulder

...was born far from the bluegrass in the northern state of North Dakota , where “there is no bluegrass unless we pick it ourselves!”. At age 6 he began his music career with violin lessons under the tutelage of Mary King. He was officially launched! Soon he added vocal and piano lessons. At ten years his passion for music was further ignited when he was exposed to Bluegrass music. Being a fiddler, it was natural for him to play the mandolin. Unable to find a teacher, he simply taught himself. Before long he also added guitar and banjo. His main influences while developing his vocals was Del McCoury and Hank Williams. Ronnie McCoury and Chris Steelie both inspired him on Mandolin. He attended jam sessions far and wide to encourage himself as an artist. Cross Ranch Bluegrass Festival, directed by John Andrus, was one of the first festivals where he was able to see real Bluegrass bands in action. These influences gave Seth the vision for his future in Traditional Music.

At about 12 years of age he started performing at nursing homes, community, and civic events such as Sunflower Days in Enderlin, ND with just his fiddle and voice. At 14, Seth recorded a bluegrass gospel CD called “Prairie Grass”. Wanting to form a string band, he coerced his good-natured grandfather into the spotlight by teaching him to accompany him on the bass. They billed themselves as Seth Mulder and The Goose River Boys. By age 15, he started writing bluegrass songs. Tired of constantly traveling because there were no local jams session in Grand Forks, he held his own, “The Grand Forks Jam” on the University of North Dakota campus each month from age 15 until he started college.

After a few jams, he began meeting new musicians and added a few more band members to the Goose River Boys and they performed all over the Midwest including the bluegrass festivals in Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He recorded his second album that featured all original songs titled “Hitchhiker” in 2007. Following in 2008 he recorded a third bluegrass CD entitled “Curlicue”. This CD contained all original tunes by Seth. He did all the instrumentation and vocals on both CDs. In 2007, his band had the privilege to play for the after hours showcases at IBMA convention.

Prior to his transfer to the Kentucky School of Bluegrass in Hyden, KY he attended Mayville College in ND to get a few general education classes under his belt. Currently, he is studying mandolin from the legend Bobby Osborne and learning guitar techniques from Curtis Burch, a founding member of New Grass Revival. Seth also plays in the school's ensemble.

In the summer of 2010 he performed with Little Roy Lewis and Lizzy Long, with one of the highlights being the Annual Brumley All Night Singing in Missouri.