The Pleasant Family Old Time String Band: Comments

"They are very engaging with a lot of audience involvement. There is always a crowd when they perform here."

“My wife and I love your string band music!!!! I'm listening to it right now as I type! Your version and melody of "Whiskey Before Breakfast" is the best I've ever heard.”

"The fans of the Pleasant Family at the Seminole Community Library are clamoring for a return engagement to our Sunday Musicale series! They're pounding on my office door daily (well, every other day) saying we must bring back that Old Time String Band, the one where the mandolin player cracks those jokes. So, I'm asking you: Please come back!"

“Just got back from the honeymoon and am back at work...tough adjustment. But I've been talking to everyone about the wedding and there has been endless praise for the band! Y'all were awesome and set the perfect tone for the evening.”

"We ALL fell in love with Lauren. Her pure joy and exuberance and that mile wide smile captured every one of us!"

“When you practice at home, you can retain the warmth of being part of a group by playing along with CDs. I am occasionally asked to recommend a practice CD for beginners, and although there are lots of good CDs available, recommending one is difficult. Tastes and skill levels vary, and there are so many good players who have recordings available that recommending one would inadvertently slight other excellent recordings. However, because I have been asked, I am going to go out on a limb and recommend a group from the Seminole, Florida, area called The Pleasant Family Old-Time String Band. They have a basic, straight-forward style that is easy to follow and play along with, and most of their instrumentals are right off our tune list and in the keys we use. Some of the tunes are entry-level and others are more technically difficult to play, but their no-frills style consistently keeps the melodies prominent and approachable.”

"Lauren, your fiddle playing has gotten soooo much better in the two years since I last heard you play. You were good before but much better now. Before, you were fast, energetic, and full of passion, but your notes between the beats were sloppy. Now, YOU HAVE NAILED IT. When you were playing I was amazed at how much energy you could put into a tune and still make it accurate, with every detail in its proper place. I am very impressed."

"The comedic and interactive style of their folk performances made the band popular headliners at Cracker Country at the Florida State Fair for the past four years. Followers snap up their CDs of fiddle-playing, banjo-picking, old-time music."