The Western Stars – thewesternstars.band

★ The Band

About The Western Stars

The Western Stars are a high-energy western swing band bringing timeless music to modern audiences. Blending tight harmonies, hot fiddle, jazzy solos, and swinging rhythms, they draw inspiration from the golden age of Texas swing while adding their own fresh, lively edge.

Their concerts channel the spirit of old-school dance halls — where the music swings hard and nobody leaves early. Warning: side effects may include spontaneous two-stepping along with mild to moderate hootin' and hollerin'.

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Meet the Band

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Hilary Johnson

Vocals

Born in Seattle, grew up singing in The Seattle Girls' Choir and playing baritone sax in jazz band. Jazz singer in New Orleans, now a medical speech-language pathologist in SLC. Cowgirl/cowthem. Loves trash and aspires to do or be Hudson Williams.

Greg Midgley

Piano

Active in the SLC music scene since 1998. Plays in Triggers and Slips, NSPS, and The Rubes. His solo electronic project Timechimp has two full-length albums. Host of "The Bomb Shelter" podcast — an exploration of bath-bomb culture and easy-listening vinyl.

James Martak

Guitar / Arranger

Primary arranger for the Western Stars. Also leads The Hot House West Swing Orchestra and Balajo (musette, swing, tango). His western swing obsession started with a Light Crust Doughboys record from a dollar bin — 20 years later, here we are.

Sam Osimitz

Fiddle & Pedal Steel

Sam plays violin (if you're a fiddle player) or fiddle (if you're a violinist) with local roots/swing band Pompe 'n Honey, and over the last 14 years has played and continues to play with many shifting musical organisms in Salt Lake, most notably in the Mama Midnight and Trash Moon dimensions. He loves western and gypsy swing, acting like Elmer Fudd, and wind (as in the force of nature).

Wally Barnum

Bass

Has played bass for numerous local and regional artists. Social feed consists of bass guitar and french bulldog videos, though rarely in combination. The Western Stars is his first professional foray with the doghouse bass — but not the first time he's been in the doghouse.