"My dad has been playing music for as long as I can remember", Shawn said while plucking away at his mandolin.  "Everything from CCR and John Denver to old bluegrass tunes and sing along camp tunes" he continued.  Then some friends of ours (now known as Hoggeye Navvy) introduced us to Celtic music.  We got to spend time sitting around with people like The Battlefield Band, Patrick Street, Tannahill Weavers and others....so dad started researching our Celtic roots.  "I would say that is when he was bit by the "Celtic bug", he remembers.  "It was during that time that dad gave me my first guitar.  It was his old Ovation, you know - the ones with those round backs on them.  It sat in the case for two years before I started to learn to play it.  Not because I was taking lessons or anything practical like that, but because I was too busy chasing girls! ", he said. 

In 1989 Father Son and Friends formed as an "official" band.  "We have been fortunate enough to play in several countries and have had quite a few adventures" Shawn said.  He added....."and what do I have to show for it.....closet that has more skirts in it than it does pants!"

When he is not on the road, Shawn works for NBC and CW affiliate in Ohio.  He also has a recording studio and does voice work on the side when the tour schedule allows.  in 2004, Shawn married Tracie, his childhood sweetheart.   They gave birth to their first child, and newest member of the band, Alexander Joseph McConnell Hall on September 29, 2011.  Shawn said he can't wait to rename the band "Father Son and Holy Crap!".      

Joni was born and raised in a small river town in South East Minnesota and came from a musical family. Her Father was a clarinet player during the Big Band era and High School band director before becoming one of the founders of the largest music publishing companies in the world-Hal Leonard Publishing. “I was started on the organ and guitar very young with my two older sisters. I played a 4 string guitar, my middle sister a 6 string, and my oldest sister a 12 string. We all played on TV as advertisements for Hal Leonard and I remember that my legs were so short that Dad had to have a raised pedal box made for me to reach the organ pedels.”, she remembers. At age 5, she started the violin and in 1977, she graduated from the Northwestern University School of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in Applied Music. “I never really wanted to teach”, she explained, “I just love to play”. Through her career, she played with many Midwest symphonies including the Madison (Wisconsin) Symphony, Rochester (Minnesota) Symphony, and was Concertmistress of the Winona (Minnesota) Symphony and co-Concertmistress of the La Crosse (Wisconsin) Symphony, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Symphony and was adjunct faculty at Viterbo University (Wisconsin) as a member of the Viterbo Faculty String Quartet. She also sang with the Madison (Wisconsin) Savoyards, University of Madison Choral Union along with solo work. “ Being a professional musician all of my life, has given me years of fun experiences both as a soloist and ensemble player as well. I think the highlight of them all though, was when the Moody Blues came to town and needed musicians. I was fortunate enough to be one of them. After playing a concert with them, I knew I loved being on stage !! It was like no other experience for me at that time.”

In 1998, she was exposed to Celtic fiddling and left her classical upbringing behind and dove headlong into the study of the different styles of fiddling. “Once I got over having a piece of music in front of me, there was no looking back.” she explained. All that ear training in college finally paid off!!!”

In 2006, she filled on fiddle during a concert by Father Son and Friends when they came to LaCrosse to perform. “Shawn, well tell you the story better than anyone, but in a nutshell, we all hit it off and had a blast playing-at least I did!” she laughed. “The rest, you could say, is history.”

When she’s not performing with Joey and Shawn, she plays with 2 other local bands at home along with a few opera’s and musicals from time to time. She still lives in Southeast Minnesota on a small hobby farm with her husband Jon, and an array of farm animals.