LONG BIO

The first thing a listener may notice about mandolinist Jesse Appelman’s debut solo album, Where We Go, is its sense of ease. There’s an undercurrent to this music that is carefree, even while there’s a striking polish and devotion to details evident on each and every track. More than any of its other qualities, what stands out about this collection of 11 original tunes and curated songs is that it’s simple music. Subtle. Unassuming. It’s focused on the feelings it can evoke, rather than the product it can or should be.

Even a layperson knows, though, accomplishing this particular string band vibe is a deft, deliberate, and incredibly skillful balancing act. If it were easy to transport the ineffable X factor that we all enjoy at every jam or pick-up gig – whether at a bluegrass festival campground in Grass Valley or a taco spot in the Bay Area – all string band albums would sound this good.

A native of Palo Alto, California who now resides in Oakland, Appelman grew up playing mandolin, spending his whole life picking bluegrass, Brazilian choro, jazz, new acoustic music, and beyond. Within the last few years the 43-year-old father decided to “take the plunge” and commit to a life of music and performing as his full time job. Appelman has toured and appeared with folks like the Sam Grisman Project, Mark Schatz, Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick, Keith Little, Scott Nygaard, and many more. When he decided to take music full time, he began envisioning Where We Go, too – with values at its core that have directly translated to its remarkable immediacy and unpretentious nature. 

“The things that I prioritize in music – that we all prioritized in the studio,” Appelman explains, “are making music that’s egoless; communication; space, tone, and groove. And heart and soul over pyrotechnics.”

Where We Go certainly doesn’t need any pyrotechnics. Though these tunes mark his debut as a composer, Appelman’s original pieces – more than half of the LP’s tracks – are fully realized, mature, and display a confident voice, melodically and stylistically. While he doesn’t strive to write tunes that fall within any particular fiddle tradition, genre, or sub-culture, the textures evident on these instrumentals exist in the nebulous in-between of bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, global folk, and new acoustic. They’re infinitely listenable, lyrical, and interesting without being self-absorbed or showy. 

So much of the magic of the album comes directly from its makers, Appelman’s collaborators. From producer John Mailander to the project’s band, Sami Braman (fiddle), Emily Mann (bass), and Eli West (guitar and octave mandolin), to recurring guests like Allison de Groot (clawhammer banjo) and Mark Raudabaugh (drums), it’s obvious that the mission of making interesting and personable string band music without ego was shared by all – a prerequisite.

Appelman wanted to make his tunes and these songs come to life with folks he knew were good listeners, who he trusted, and who he could count on to join him in making music and art that captures a fleeting moment in time. “The reasons that I play music are the community, the connection, the empathy, and the togetherness,” he continues. “And, how magical it is that these musicians can create something so much greater than the sum of their parts.”

Community is another huge contributor to the finesse of this debut. Appelman’s composition style is archetypically Californian, in its genre agnosticism and its commitment to tradition, both. Out in California, these are not ever considered opposing forces, but parallel pillars on which all great string band music is made. It’s no coincidence Where We Go oozes with the markers of California and the West Coast’s roots music communities. 

First, those communities are all over the album. Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick offer harmonies, Mike Witcher picks Weissenborn slide guitar, AJ Lee joins in on a track, and producer Mailander is Californian, too. Washingtonians Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms sing along, and the core band members are each from the West Coast, as well. It’s starting to make sense how the deft balance of this project’s many facets and influences, nuances and details all came together so seamlessly. 

Second, the entire conception for the album began in Grass Valley at the music camp that runs prior to the annual Father’s Day Festival, at which Appelman is something of a fixture. The summer before tracking the record in March of 2025, Appelman was an instructor at the camp. Set to perform at an evening faculty concert, he partnered up with Eli West for a duet of Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train,” now a stand-out track on Where We Go. The pair rendered the number exquisitely, being in the moment, listening, and dialoguing with their two instruments. It ended up a camp highlight not just for him and West, but for many of their fellow instructors and the campers, too. It’s a sort of keystone for the project, a full circle moment for Appelman.

Even with its many different fonts and flourishes of string band sounds, Appelman isn’t terribly concerned with how Where We Go will be categorized or with which genres it will be sorted. “ I've been playing bluegrass my whole life,” he says. “But more than that, I'm just a string band musician. When I'm in a space to play my own music, like this album, I don't try to think too much about which type of string band music it is. It's just the kind that I hear in my head, which is the product of everything I’ve heard and absorbed.”

The successes of Where We Go stem from all of Jesse Appelman’s many influences and inspirations, from the West Coast and California communities he calls home, from the co-creators he’s found there, and from the prioritization of communication and listening over ego and braggadocio. These are the rich, fertile soils in which he grew his stellar solo debut. Where We Go is a triumph greater than the sum of its parts that needs not strive or place industry ambitions at its core to make it superlative. 

In order to strike that balance, to sound like easy and joyful porch music wafting through the ponderosa pines, it has to be easy and joyful porch music wafting through the ponderosa pines. For Appelman, and for all of his listeners, that’s how all the best music is made. And that is more than enough.

MID LENGTH BIO

Jesse Appelman grew up playing mandolin, spending his whole life picking bluegrass, Brazilian choro, new acoustic, and beyond. He has toured and appeared with folks like the Sam Grisman Project, Mark Schatz, Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick, Keith Little, Scott Nygaard, and more. A native of Palo Alto, California who resides in Oakland, the 43-year-old father recently decided to “take the plunge” and commit to music as his full time job. 

At that time, he began envisioning his debut album, Where We Go, too. The first thing a listener may notice about the project is its sense of ease. It’s unassuming, focused on the feelings it can evoke, rather than the product it can or should be. While the music is carefree, it displays a striking polish and a devotion to detail on each and every track.

“The things that I prioritize,” Appelman explains, “are making music that’s egoless; communication; and heart and soul over pyrotechnics.”

Where We Go certainly doesn’t need pyrotechnics. Though these tunes mark his debut as a composer, Appelman’s original instrumentals – more than half of the LP’s tracks – are fully realized and display a confident voice. They exist in the nebulous in-between of bluegrass, old-time, global folk, and new acoustic. And so much of the record’s magic comes directly from its makers. From producer John Mailander to the project’s band – Sami Braman (fiddle), Emily Mann (bass), and Eli West (guitar and octave mandolin) – to recurring guests and featured artists, it’s obvious that the mission of making community-minded music without ego was shared by all. Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick offer harmonies, Mike Witcher picks slide guitar, AJ Lee guests, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms sing along, Mark Raudabaugh drums, and Allison de Groot picks clawhammer, too.

Where We Go is successful, ultimately, because of all that it draws upon: Appelman’s many influences and inspirations, the West Coast and California communities he calls home, the co-creators he’s found there, and communication and listening over braggadocio. These are the fertile soils in which he grew a stellar solo debut.

SHORT BIO

Jesse Appelman grew up playing mandolin, picking bluegrass, Brazilian choro, new acoustic, and more throughout his life. He has toured and appeared with Sam Grisman Project, Mark Schatz, Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick, Keith Little, Scott Nygaard, and more. A native of Palo Alto, California who resides in Oakland, the 43-year-old father recently decided to commit to music as his full time job. His debut album, Where We Go, [will be released/was released on RELEASE DATE.] An excellent collection of 11 original tunes and curated songs, the project – which was produced by John Mailander – is built on the magic of California and West Coast string band scenes, with performances and appearances by Sami Braman, Emily Mann, Eli West, Allison de Groot, Mike Witcher, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms, and many more. The LP draws from bluegrass, old-time, jazz, and global folk, and is unconcerned with genre designations, focused instead on the feelings the music can evoke. “I don't try to think too much about which type of string band music it is,” Appelman explains. “It's just the kind that I hear in my head, which is the product of everything I’ve heard and absorbed.”