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Ok! Here's our little tale: A long long time ago, way back in 2005 to be exact, a Professor Emeritus and his Goya guitar, the singing daughter of a "gypsy" wanderer and a blues harp playing blueberry farmer crossed paths and came to find a common thread in music....So they tossed their collective stories and daily journeys into a shared & beloved carpet bag of favorite tunes and thought hey, why not go out and play 'em? Playing acoustic & electric shows in and around the Shenandoah Valley was more fun than they ever expected and they're still at it. The band now includes a whole pack of players and their current shows may also feature bass, lead guitar, percussion, keyboards and more.

Kathleen Kraft: Kathleen grew up as a traveler, moving with her nomadic family across the continental US, Alaska and Europe. Under the large musical influence of her singer father, Kat heard a wealth of music as a young girl, listening & singing with dad to campfire songs, church hymns, folk and blues as well as jazz standards, swing, big band, Broadway and 70's soul. Over the years, Kat has stepped on stage at numerous area cafes, clubs, events and festivals. Past performance credits include lead vocals on R&B, funk and soul for Everyday People, as well as featured vocalist for jazz groups Wes Allen & Tom Harbeck, Marlon Foster & Friends, Mills Family Band and others. Since 2005, Kat has performed jazz, blues, swing, folk, country, rock and more as lead vocalist with her band, kat & the traveler/s. Kat also enjoys her work as an advocate for the local arts & music scene, volunteering as a primary organizer of Harrisonburg's Fridays On The Square Summer Concert & Film Festival for over 20 years.  

Tom Pack:  A West Virginia native, Tom first picked up the harmonica as an undergraduate at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Over the years, he sang and played rock and blues harp with a wide variety of friends, including Bob Bersson, and developed the highly musical, melodic style of playing that is now appreciated on a professional level with kat & the traveler/s.  Favorite singers and bands include The Allman Brothers, Janice Joplin, Eric Clapton and many other blues rock groups from the 60's and 70's. Tom is often followed to gigs by a "pack" of six beautiful women! Tom apologizes to his fans that the band had to write this bio.  He might write his own soon. Check back for more exciting revelations about Tom to come!

Doug Hedstrom:  Doug picked up the guitar at age 13, when his little brother started taking lessons from an old jazz guy; "My brother would come home and I'd get him to show me what he'd learned." Doug is an inveterate tinkerer and has built many hotrod and custom vehicles, so it's only natural that he also builds his own amplifiers and guitars. Twenty-five years ago, Doug moved to Virginia, and started the band, Bluzonia, which has been his longtime musical project. From Ernest Tubb to Thelonius Monk, his main influences are Jazz, Swing, Bebop, and old Country. In 2011, he began playing guitar  with kat & the traveler/s performing jazz, blues, swing & more as a duo, trio, and with the full band....Doug says, "Who could resist the chance to play with such fun and talented musicians?" thanks, Doug!   

Jim Eckard: Jim started drumming in 1965 and shortly after picked up guitar and bass. His early influences were The Beatles, Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Over the years he has played in various bands doing rock, blues, soul, funk, country, jazz and show tunes.  He has performed pit drumming in the orchestra for two musicals as well as studio work. Besides playing with kat and the traveler/s, he currently plays drums and bass in his church’s praise band and has also performed as the percussionist with Just Jazzin', a 20 piece Big Band. kat & the traveler/s loves it when he brings his groovy vintage Gretsch drum set along!

Kelley Chapman: bass. His bio is coming!



more of our family of players:
Gerard Halloy: Born in the south of Belgium, Gerard picked up on his mother's musical talent as young boy. He was registered at age five at the Royal Academy of Music and Arts. As a young man in 1967, he encountered the fledgling band “The Shakes” while DJing at a local club. The group was missing a bassist and Gerard offered to take the spot. The three band members first only smiled...but allowed him to tryout. Gerard played the bass for two years with The Shakes, then served briefly as a sound tech, then played the Hammond B3 on their first record, on drums on the next record, and remained a band member until 1972. Late in 1972, he formed his own band playing lead guitar. He then toured with a few Top Ten artists on the Hammond B3. The band is indeed happy that Gerry eventually came to the USA!

Bob Bersson:  Guitarist Bob Bersson’s musical background and interests range widely, from blues, jazz, and rock to folk, reggae, and singer-songwriter music.  After undergraduate school, he completed an intensive jazz summer program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and studied jazz guitar with noted teacher/guitarist Ted Makler in New York City.  In the mid-1990s, he played in the Blues Laboratory band and studied blues and rock guitar with musician/instructor Eric Hedrick.  Between 2006 and 2009 while living abroad for parts of each year, he performed at cafes and clubs in Cairo, Egypt and Florence, Italy.  As a solo singer-guitarist, he performed blues and jazz weekly at Bridgewater’s North River Grill and has played guitar and sang with kat & the traveler/s and also with Trio Jazz. Bob has a substantial guitar/music teaching practice, working with both individuals and groups in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area.

Jim Cochrane:  Guitarist Jim Cochrane originally hails from Uniondale, NY and has lived in the Shenandoah Valley since 1993.  His musical influences include Dr. John, James Brown, Lyle Lovett and anything from New Orleans.  When not sitting in on guitar with kat & the traveler/s, Jim can be found leading the local band Everyday People, playing R & B, Funk, Soul & Rock.