Newest Luddite recruit and bass player, Randi Pantera actually remembers 10 years ago hearing "Determined Luddites" as a band name and her curiousity being immediately piqued. They've just GOT to be acoustic! Eschewing all things electric, Randi bought her stand up bass in 2003. He was delivered May 29 2003 and christened, "El Toro", after Randi heard another name for an acoustic bass is, "the bull fiddle". Being the tallest girl and having the biggest instrument carries with it special privileges and the two of them started attending bluegrass jam sessions to learn to play. Randi has always liked Irish, Eastern European and American traditional acoustic music. Randi and El Toro were enjoying a peaceful and mostly unsyncopated 1-5 bluegrass existence until February of 2004, when Randi attended a Mardi Gras party and was recognized by a fellow bass player from the bluegrass jams. She asked if Randi could fill in playing bass for her in this Cajun group. And so began a whirlwind band tour that landed Randi and El Toro in a Cajun group, an Irish group, an eclectic 6-piece twin fiddle/vocal group, and a 3-piece good old guitar-guys group. And all this before becoming a Luddite pledge in April of 2004. Hey, do the math!!! And yes, Randi does have a DAY job! Sometimes opportunity knocks and sometimes…well, it just barges down the door. Randi pretty much has the perfect bass player personality (NOT an oxymoron, guys-quit snickering). Reserved, committed to just being THERE and doggedly DETERMINED, so Randi and El Toro became Determined Luddites and started gigging with the group 10 days after meeting this group of rare strangers in one of their living rooms while trying not to let them know she was grappling to figure out where the heck WAS that B note on this thing. A typical Determined Luddites Gig = 3 hours of fast picking (the BEST!), many original tunes and tricky and interesting arrangements of traditional melodies. So the month of April was filled with rehearsals and practice for 3 group's material for performances in the Tucson Folk Festival and Luddite gigs every Thursday at Zachary's pizza. Bass College fast track! After the folk festival, Randi started concentrating on learning some of the jazz standards that her fellow Luddites recharge with their unique and spicy string treatments. Bass College continues with these guys and my graduate committee couldn't be a better, more talented and more encouraging group of fellows. Hear ye! Hear ye! Gather your hammers and unite with us as Determined Luddites!