Serene Green: The Name Says It All

Like many bands, Serene Green began with childhood friends sharing a love of music. "My friend Quentin (Fisher) played guitar from an early age and listened to a wide range of music," says Michael Johnson, "and although he's a few years younger than me, Quentin became a mentor when I first picked up a guitar in the sixth grade."

Michael explains that he and Quentin connected through music early on. "Quentin and I developed an affinity for acoustic music, in particular, and began taking our instruments -- typically a guitar and mandolin -- to a nearby park where we'd play for hours," says Michael. Eventually, Michael and Quentin built up a repertoire of folk songs and began playing their first gigs at local coffee shops and bars.

"After a few years of playing local shows, we began to receive offers to open for bigger touring bands," says Michael. "We first met banjo player Steve Leonard when supporting his bluegrass band, Still Hand String Band, at a venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." Michael and Quentin, now operating under the name Serene Green, struck up a friendship with Steve and would invite him to play banjo with them whenever he was available.

"We really fell in love with the driving rhythm, soaring harmonies, and tight instrumentation of bluegrass music," says Michael. "It was infectious." 

Steve also connected Quentin and Michael to Shane McGeehan, a young bluegrass whiz who played the upright bass, had a great singing voice, and showed exceptional songwriting capabilities. "Shane grew up attending bluegrass festivals with his parents, providing him a wealth of experience in bluegrass rhythm and tone, harmony singing, and the specific roles of each instrument. After just one session with Shane, we knew he'd be the perfect addition to our pursuit of becoming a bluegrass band."

When the time came for Steve to leave Still Hand String Band, he was invited to join Serene Green full-time in early 2017. "With the four-piece band now secured, we began putting our first tours together, playing at music festivals, venues, and bars throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest regions of the United States," says Michael. 

Collectively, Serene Green has always looked up to The Del McCoury Band as a prime example of vocal and instrumental prowess, captivating original songs, and most importantly -- having its distinguishable sound as a band. "We attended, and later performed, at DelFest- a music festival in Cumberland, Maryland, hosted by The Del McCoury Band, where we gained a bit of a reputation for the all-night bluegrass jams at our campsite."

At their first DelFest, Serene Green was introduced to Katelynn Casper, a young, budding fiddle player from Maryland. "Katelynn would always join our jam circle at DelFest and, over the years, became an exceptional talent on the fiddle," says Michael. Katelynn has won multiple bluegrass fiddle contests, becoming the Maryland State Fiddle Champion in 2019. She has earned a presidential scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

When the members of Serene Green decided they wanted to add a fiddle player to the mix, Katelynn was the first person the band considered. "We invited her to play just two shows with us on a trial basis in 2021, but before those shows were over, we knew we had found what we were looking for," says Michael. "Those two shows led to Katelynn becoming a full-time member of Serene Green."

When Shane decided to leave Serene Green in late 2023, the band turned to Sam Zolla, a Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist and singer who had spent much of his life traveling to bluegrass festivals and playing in his family bluegrass band, The Zolla Boys. 

"Initially, Sam was brought on board to fill the role of bass player, but the new personnel change presented an exciting opportunity to switch instruments -- putting me on bass and Sam on guitar," says Michael. "We're all enjoying this new configuration of the band."

"As of late, we're still working hard to create our own sound and identity as a band -- a seemingly endless pursuit, but one that makes being a band so special to us and to our listeners," says Michael. 

Over the years, Serene Green has toured in three countries, produced three studio albums, and shared stages with countless national and international touring and award-winning groups. Serene Green continues to play festivals and venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States and is currently working on producing its fourth studio album.