Maybe they should be called The Family Tradition.
Sherman and Bonnie Shaffer of rural Brainerd, along with their daughter, Lacie, and son, Bill, will perform together at this weekend's Lakes Area Bluegrass Festival in Pine River.
Sherman, Lacie and Bill used to belong to The Lonesome Tradition with Tim and Cindy Roggenkamp of Nisswa. The families decided to take a break and go their own ways about six months ago.
At the festival, the Roggenkamps will perform with a revamped Lonesome Tradition, while the whole Shaffer family will perform together under the name Lost 40.
Sherman said that while trying to come up with a name, he was watching TV and saw there is a lost 40 acres of trees near Bemidji that was never cut by loggers.
"It just sounded good," he said of the name, adding his family agreed.
Though Sherman is busy as a mechanic at Madden's Resort in East Gull Lake, Bonnie at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, Lacie at BISYS in Brainerd-Baxter and Bill as a painter at Madden's, the family hopes to play bluegrass music together as often as possible.
They currently play the first and third Thursdays of the month at a bluegrass jam session at Coco Moon in downtown Brainerd.
"We're going to play every chance we can," Sherman said.
Sherman sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar. He also builds bluegrass instruments as a hobby. His completed instruments include guitars, banjos, mandolins, dobros, restoration of old fiddles and a Bill Shaffer Signature Model guitar.
"I was always taught, if you can't make it, you don't need it," he said with a laugh.
Bonnie sings lead and harmony vocals, plays rhythm guitar, banjo and bass.
Lacie, 29, sings lead and harmony vocals and plays mandolin, fiddle and bass. She has been playing music since before age 3. Starting out on guitar and electric bass, she has since transferred her focus to the mandolin and fiddle.
Bill, 22, sings lead and harmony vocals, and plays lead guitar and banjo. While guitar and banjo might be his No. 1 bluegrass instruments, he plays just about anything, including acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, bass, dobro, mandolin and even pedal steel.
Lacie and Bill grew up in an environment where mom and dad were always singing.
"I was never bored when I was little," Lacie said. "I was always trying to figure out some way to play some instrument laying around the house."
Bill recently recorded his own CD, "Leaving Me Colder," in the family's recording studio in the basement. He wrote all the songs, plays all the instruments and does all the singing.
Lacie designed the CD cover.
The family is looking forward to this weekend's festival in Pine River, where they'll perform at 11 a.m. Friday. Then they play at the Leader pig races Saturday, before returning to Pine River for bluegrass jamming.
"That's the funnest thing there is, is jammin'," Sherman said.
He said bluegrass festivals are family-oriented, where people feel at home at every campsite. Lacie agreed, saying it's important for parents to involve their children in these events. Don't leave the kids at home, she said.
"So many people, they don't know what bluegrass is," Sherman said. "When they hear it, there's a saying, 'hooked on bluegrass,' and I'm telling you, it's the truth. It's really addicting.
"I never would have guessed in all my life I'd be playing bluegrass," he said. "You do not fake bluegrass music. You are just out there with you and the guitar. None of the instruments are plugged in. It's just raw talent to do bluegrass."
If you can make this weekend's festival, "you'll never miss the next one," Sherman said.
