Kester Erickson (vocals, fiddle)
Kester was born and raised on a farm near Beresford, South Dakota. She began classical violin lessons at the age of five, and continued to play in classical orchestras through her graduation from Beresford High in 1995.

Changing from the classical violin to the country fiddle, Kester played for several years with a Celtic band called Triad based in Rapid City, South Dakota (and later in Blue Hill, Maine). They recorded a CD called Migrations that was released in 1996. Kester then played fiddle for the Black Hills bluegrass band 6 Mile Road before joining Tucker Smith & Friends and then Steam Powered Airplane in the summer of 2000.

Kester was named the 2000 Four Corners State Fiddle Champion at the 21st annual Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival and Fiddle Championship in Wickenburg, Arizona.

Kester's three favorite albums are:
The Mountain by Steve Earl
Pearls in the Snow by Kinky Friedman
I've Got The Old Feeling by Alison Krauss

When asked about role models, Kester replied: "Alison Krauss, of course!",