The Fall Risk is an American

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band founded by Furthur vocalist

Jeff Pehrson Jeff Pehrson (born Jeffery Vernon Pehrson on February 21, 1967 in San Francisco, California) is an American singer-songwriter who performed backing vocals for Furthur, a band that included two former members of the Grateful Dead. Pehrson also c ...

in 2009.

History

Box Set (1991-2006)

, currently a backup vocalist for Furthur, began playing guitar and writing original songs in 1985 while matriculating at San Francisco State University. In 1987, along with keyboardist/vocalist friend Matt Twain, the Twain & Pehrson Duo began playing regular gigs at San Francisco's The Owl and the Monkey Cafe. In 1991, singer-songwriter Jim Brunberg joined the duo, forming the folk rock band, Box Set, that began performing locally, and after establishing a growing loyal fan base, regionally. Twain, who was unable to travel due to his day job, left the band, leaving the Box Set Duo, which still continues to perform on occasion in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. The increasingly popular duo, whose expressive songwriting and resonant harmonies have prompted comparisons to

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

, decided to broaden their sound by adding drummer Matt Abbott and bass player Chad Heise in 1993 and keyboardist/harmonicist/accordionist Sam Johnston in 1994. Box Set toured continuously until 2004, when their touring pace slowed, in part due to Brunberg's relocating to Portland and matriculating in law school, and performed its last show in 2006. During its career, Box Set released a total of 12 recordings, was recognized by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' on their "Honor Roll of Unsigned Talent" in 1994, was named "Group of the Year" by the

National Academy of Songwriters National Academy of Songwriters was a music industry association that provided a support network for songwriters, and awarded honors in various categories. Originally founded by Helen King as Songwriters Resources and Services, she saw a need to pr ...

in 1995, and won two

Bay Area Music Awards ''BAM'' (short for ''Bay Area Music'') was a free bi-weekly music magazine founded and published by Dennis Erokan in the San Francisco Bay Area from January 1976 until June 1999. History ''Bay Area Music'' magazine was first published in Janua ...

("Bammies") for "Best Club Band" and "Outstanding Americana/Roots Band" in 1997.

The Fall Risk (2009-present)

While working in a merger and acquisitions firm in San Francisco, Pehrson became inspired to start another band. In February 2009, he recruited former Box Set members Matt Twain (keyboards, vocals) and Mark Abbott (drums) as well as former college friends Eddie Berljafa (bass) and Jeff Ballard (harmonica, percussion) to form The Fall Risk, which debuted on June 20, 2009 at the San Gregorio General Store. Following the band's debut, Berljafa left to pursue playing blues in San Jose, and was replaced by Dave Moffat. In early 2010, while developing his band, Pehrson became one of two backup vocalists for Furthur, a jam band formed in 2009 by former

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

members,

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

and

Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...

, with whom he still performs. Shortly thereafter in 2010, The Fall Risk added former Box Set member Sam Johnston (organ, accordion, pedal steel) and Rich Goldstein (rhythm/lead/slide guitar) (who performs with drummer Mark Abbott in his band Little Muddy) and added "Fiddle" Dave Muhlethaler (fiddle, mandolin) and Phil Savell (lead guitar) in 2011; Eddie Berljafa returned to the band, replacing Dave Moffat at that time, as well. Muhlethaler left the band in 2012, followed by Ballard and Berljafa in 2013, at which time Mike Sugar (bass) began. Although the band has performed primarily in the Bay Area, they embarked on a Mid-Atlantic mini-tour in early August, 2013, coinciding with the release of their debut CD.

Musical style

The Fall Risk performs original songs written by Jeff Pehrson, both during his time with Box Set and with The Fall Risk, as well as occasional covers of bands such as Grateful Dead,

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

. Their songs, which embody a combination of evocative, poetic lyrics and infectious, uplifting melodies, are performed in an Americana/roots/

style.

Personnel

;Current members *

—rhythm guitar, vocals (2009–present) *Matt Twain—keyboard, vocals (2009–present) *Mark Abbott—drums (2009–present) *Sammy Johnston—organ, accordion, pedal steel, harmonica (2010–present) *Mike Sugar—bass (2013–present) *Rich Goldstein—slide/rhythm/lead guitar (2010–present) *Phil Savell—lead guitar (2011–present) ;Former members *Dave Moffat—bass (2009-2011) *"Fiddle" Dave Muhlthaler—fiddle, mandolin, guitar (2011-2012) * Jeff Ballard—harmonica, percussion (2009-2013) *Eddie Berljafa—bass (2009, 2011-2013) ;Timeline ImageSize = width:500 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:130 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:15/02/2009 till:31/10/2013 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:guitar-vocals value:red legend:Guitar/Vocals id:keys value:green legend:Keyboard/Vocals id:drums value:brightblue legend:Drums id:bass value:orange legend:Bass id:harp value:yellow legend:Harmonica/Percussion id:organ value:brightgreen legend:Organ/Pedal_Steel/Accordion id:guitars value:purple legend:Rhythm/Lead/Slide_Guitar id:fiddle value:magenta legend:Fiddle/Mandolin id:guitarlead value:lightpurple legend:Lead_Guitar Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:2 columnwidth:175 ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:2010 PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Jeff Pehrson from:15/02/2009 till:31/10/2013 color:guitar-vocals bar:Matt Twain from:15/02/2009 till:31/10/2013 color:keys bar:Mark Abbott from:15/02/2009 till:31/10/2013 color:drums bar:Eddie Berljafa from:15/02/2009 till:20/06/2009 color:bass bar:Dave Moffat from:02/07/2009 till:24/04/2011 color:bass bar:Eddie Berljafa from:25/04/2011 till:25/01/2013 color:bass bar:Mike Sugar from:26/01/2013 till:31/10/2013 color:bass bar:Jeff Ballard from:09/06/2009 till:25/01/2013 color:harp bar:Sammy Johnston from:24/07/2010 till:31/10/2013 color:organ bar:Rich Goldstein from:23/10/2010 till:31/10/2013 color:guitars bar:Dave Muhlethaler from:22/04/2011 till:16/03/2012 color:fiddle bar:Phil Savell from:05/08/2011 till:31/10/2013 color:guitarlead

Discography

* The Fall Risk, Volume No. 1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fall Risk Musical groups from San Francisco Folk rock groups from California Musical groups established in 2009 Jam bands 2009 establishments in California