PureVolume

Members: Artie Hemphill, Dave Thurman, Ryan Flores, Mike Fjerstad

If you like the good ol' lazy, twangy Country music your Grandpappy used to listen to…if you like going to see a band where the comatose players look like they'd rather be having eye surgery than be on stage…if you enjoy the feeling of disappointment and like the sensation of blood dripping from your ears while listening to a hack garage band who, quite frankly, should have stayed in the garage…then you'd better stop reading and run screaming from this page. Because Artie Hemphill and The Iron Horse Band is your worst nightmare, and they're barreling toward you at full speed!!

For the rest of you…hold on to your hats and hang on tight, cuz you're in for the ride of your life!

Who is the Iron Horse Band? I'm glad you asked. This is a high energy quartet of amazingly talented musicians who perform with two goals in mind; play awesome music & have a great time doing it! One thing's for sure, these guys give the word "over-achiever" a brand new meaning!

"But Mamma, Country Music scares me somethin' fierce!" What? You don't know if you like Country music? That's only because you've never heard it done the way these boys do it! Once you get an ear full of Artie Hemphill & The Iron Horse Band you'll be a fan for life. But hey, if this group can't hook your trout, you might as well go back to listening to your old 8-track tapes of Barely Man-at-all.

However, once you've been converted and become a "true believer", there are only two simple band rules that you're required to follow:
1) If you don't have a smile on your face, you need to go home and take your medication.
2) Anything is legal as long as you keep one foot on the floor.

Are you ready to get to know these guys? Let's go!

Artie Hemphill:
Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitar:
Artie Hemphill comes to Utah Valley straight from the one and only "Music City" - Nashville, Tennessee. Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Artie's sultry baritone voice has been heard in just about every venue imaginable. As Artie took to the road in pursuit of his musical dreams, he was first drawn to Utah by his lifelong best friend, Dave Thurman. Playing together in the band "High Country" they spent countless hours tearin' up the Utah landscape, showing them what real Country music sounded like. But Artie's sights had always been squarely fixed on Tennessee. Hitting the open road again, Artie's passions took him to Nashville where he spent 10 years writing, singing, and recording Country music. Since bringing his growing family back to settle in Utah, he has once again teamed up with his good buddy, Dave, to form The Iron Horse Band. And you should hear this guy sing! Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered something new and funky because the description sounded enticing, and then when you got it, it was absolutely the best thing you ever put in your mouth? Yeah…like that! As the "Front Man" of the band, Artie drives home the rock-solid lead vocals with power and energy as well as rounding out the musical mix playing acoustic rhythm guitar. When you see him perform and hear him belt out that sweet Country music, you'll have no doubt that Artie is "the real deal".

Dave Thurman:
Bass Guitar/Back Ground Vocals:
Dave ("The Bass Man") Thurman is no stranger to the music industry. Since learning his first few chords on the guitar from Artie way back in 1986, Dave has infused music into his life as a driving force, and he's driven it hard! After cutting his teeth playing acoustic guitar in California garage bands and music competitions, he found his calling playing "Da Bass" when he and Artie joined up again in Utah with the band "High Country". He spent many nights & weekends playing all over Utah until a call came in from his good friend Kevin Sharp, who had just been signed by a major Nashville label. Before he knew it Dave and High Country were touring the US as the road band for a #1-charting Country Artist. Dave started out playing bass but his freakishly impressive PR skills were soon put to use as he took over the role of Kevin's tour manager. He and Kevin spent the next three years touring together with the likes of Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and many, many others. Though off the road now, Dave still wields his trusty bass and he and Artie are back at it again! These days he gets his musical fix by turning up his rig and pumping out earth-shaking tones for The Iron Horse Band. (Just don't talk to the bass player).

Mike Fjerstad:
Lead Guitar/Back Ground Vocals:
Mike began playing guitar at age 8, and man does it show! All you have to do is be standing too close to him while he's busting out one of his searing hot licks and you'll be getting skin grafts for the next 6 months. However, far from being the stereotypical long-haired head banger, this boy dun got hisself an ejucashun! Having graduated from BYU in 2007 with a degree in Media Music, Mike is an active music educator with over 7 years teaching experience. He has worked as a guitar instructor for The School of Music at BYU, taught group guitar classes to high school students at Maeser Preparatory Academy in Lindon, and also served as a guitar instructor and producer at The Music School in American Fork until its unfortunate demise this year. Mike is also a very accomplished performer in his own right. In addition to belting out sizzling lead vocals for his Rock band "To The Death", his other TTD roles include guitar player, songwriter and the producer of the band's album, which has received radio play on X96 and KOHS 91.7. In addition to playing live with various local bands and artists, Mike has also lent his talents to many recording projects as a session player. Some of these projects include; music for short films, educational and religious videos, as well as demos and albums for aspiring singers, songwriters, and performers. Sure, it's a bit of an inconvenience for the other band members to have to wear flame-retardant clothes on stage, but man is it worth it! He's a smokin' player, he's young, he's hip, and best of all, ladies…he's SINGLE!!

Ryan Flores:
Drums:
Ryan Flores is a man of many talents. Though trained to play the piano, organ, clarinet and alto saxophone, Ryan found his true love, the drums, when he was just a wee lad listening to the Beatles. Since then, he's been mercilessly pounding the skins to every genre of music across the spectrum. While earning his BA in Music at BYU, Ryan has been layin' down the rhythm for a number of local artists whose specialties range in everything from Pop to Jazz. And if that ain't enough, his extensive percussive background includes such musical styles as Classical, Caribbean Pan and Traditional March. Now, as a fixture in The Iron Horse Band, Ryan has the distinctive honor of adding the most sacred of all musical genres to his repertoire…Country Music! "Is there anything this boy can't play?" you ask. There may be, but so far…we haven't heard it. It has also been rumored that Ryan enjoys using his "vocalizer" to belt out a few tunes of his own. Some say, if you catch an Iron Horse show on a full moon in the fifth week of the month, you might get the rare opportunity to witness Ryan adding his bewitching harmonies to the vocal mix…Of course, that's only if you believe all that hocus pocus!

So, the next time you feel your music becoming a bit anemic, all you need to do is go see Dr. Iron Horse. Just one hefty shot of their miraculous musical tonic will invigorate your tired mind and cure all of your Country Music Woes. After all, 5 out of 5 fans recommend going to check out Artie Hemphill & The Iron Horse Band…and you should always listen to your doctor - (No prescription required).