Palmer musicians return to the Alaska State Fair

PALMER — The teenage, redheaded musicians of Palmer from seasons past are coming back for the 2014 Alaska State Fair as the 20-somethings who made it big in the all-star country music city of Nashville, Tennessee.

When they first left Alaska to follow their musical dreams, Redhead Express was nine-members strong with mom, dad and the three brothers of the Walker family playing alongside the four girls.

But as parents Brett and Apryll predicted, they’re now on the business end of things, and the Walker sisters are the shining stars on stage.

Kendra, LaRae, Alisa and Meghan form the current Redhead Express, which performs Aug. 25 to Aug. 30 at the Alaska State Fair. They released their first, six-song EP earlier this year and hope to have their first full-length album for sale this winter.

“It’s been the experience of a lifetime,” said the second-oldest sister and banjo player, LaRae, of their musical journey. “When we first started, the only people who wanted to listen to us were people in nursing homes. We were so bad!”

LaRae’s older sister and the band’s lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Kendra, also mentioned their humble beginnings.

“When we started playing at the Anchorage Folk Festival, we just knew a few chords, not a whole lot,” she said.

From clogging on the Fair’s Blue Bonnet Stage in handmade shirts and cowboy hats, to performing in the Anderson Bluegrass Festival and the Arctic Roadrunner Bluegrass jam sessions, the girls gradually grew their musical portfolio and soon began to realize something:

They didn’t want to do anything else.

“Honestly none of us really expected this to happen,” Kendra said. “I always wanted to sing and everybody was interested in music but I don’t think anyone imagined we’d come together as a band.”

Kendra said she was on track to go to college in Idaho after graduating from Palmer High School, and had even put a down payment on a room when the family posed another “wild idea.” Not wanting to be left out, Kendra said she joined her sisters, brothers and parents on a one-year-long cross-country trip to study bluegrass music at its roots in Virginia and the Carolinas.

The family tried Nashville for a few months after that, but the band just wasn’t ready, according to a 2010 Frontiersman article written by Vicki Naegele. Branson, Missouri suited the redheads a bit better, however, and after honing their skills there and in the Country Music Project in Colorado, the girls were ready for the big leagues, Kendra said.

Now, Nashville is home away from home for the Walker family.

“It was hardest in the beginning, trying to figure out the dynamics of who fit which role,” Kendra said. “There are a lot of strong personalities, but I think the longer we’ve been together the more naturally we’ve fallen into our positions.”

Younger sisters Alisa and Meghan play the fiddle and upright bass, respectively, and join Kendra and LaRae as singers in the band as well. Meghan, the youngest sister, is now 18 years old.

Although touring and making music has been difficult for the girls at times, it seems that having their priorities in order has helped Redhead Express stay together and thrive. On the band’s webpage, the girls proclaim their motivating values loud and clear: “Remember Your Roots: God, Family, Country, Music.”

With regard to religion, the Walker family hasn’t had any difficulty feeling connected in Nashville, as their home church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a national organization. With regard to family…

Well, they’re hard to neglect.

“The advantage of having a family band is that, with so many bands, it’s hard to keep them together, but we’re kind of stuck with each other,” Kendra said, laughing.

LaRae added her two cents on the subject in a slightly different tone.

“I love being with my family,” she said. “There’s nothing better.”

As the older sisters Kendra and LaRae have gotten married and had children, the touring group is even bigger than before, and still happy.

“Everyday there’s something new and exciting, and I love the goals that we’re working toward and accomplishing,” LaRae said.

Redhead Express recently signed with Paul Worley, the producer of another free 2014 Fair act, Riders in the Sky, as well as country greats Lady Antebellum, the Dixie Chicks and The Band Perry.

At the upcoming Alaska State Fair shows, attendees can expect covers of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” in addition to performances of original songs by Redhead Express.

To read more about Redhead Express — including tour dates through March 2015 — visit redheadexpress.com.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.