Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters are the progressive filk-rock band of Elizabeth Greenberg (violin and vocals), Justin Hartley (drums), Beth Kinderman (vocals and guitar), and Dave Stagner (guitar). (A fifth member, Dennis Maddix, cannot attend FKO but contributes bass guitar work to studio recordings and occasional local live shows.) With a home base mainly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, together they have released seven albums of Beth’s original compositions and the occasional found filk cover song. Beth’s songs draw their themes and imagery from SF and fantasy literature, genre TV and film, video games, anime, mythology, philosophy, pagan spirituality, the trials and tribulations of her RPG characters, and her own life. No matter the topic, she aims to write thought-provoking music that connects emotionally with any audience while also containing enough clever references to delight those listeners who happen to be as geeky about a song’s source material as she is. Her wonderful bandmates bring their own unique talents and musical influences to the songs’ arrangements, creating a complex and intricate blend of vocal harmonies, violin leads, loud guitars, and percussion “dingers and whatzits.” They are thrilled to attend FKO for their very first performance outside the United States!
“If Lilith Fair booked a prog band, it would sound like Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters.” – Eric Distad