Desperate Measures got its start in 2002 as a gathering of friends:  Kara Hilwig, Bob Miner, Charlie Frost, Bill Vernieu, and Joanna Joseph.  They share a common passion for high-energy old-time string band music.

They are inspired by the legacy of old-time traditions and contemporary bands such as the Carter Family, the Deseret String Band, and The Reeltime Travelers.

Desperate Measures combines the music of Appalachia with the unadorned styles of the early American West.

Desperate Measures has opened for John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, and The Reeltime Travelers.  They have competed successfully and performed at such festivals as Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival (Wickenburg, AZ), Huck Finn Jubilee, (Victorville, CA) Pioneer Bluegrass Revue (Pioneer, AZ) , and Old Blue Memorial Day Bluegrass Festival (Grand Junction, CO). They regularly play at folk festivals, weddings, dances, campouts, and the like.

Desperate Measures loves that mountain groove, and it shows.  Seasoned with a  good mix of talent and temperament, they dish up a unique and memorable serving of old-time stringband music.