Biography

Aaron “Frosty” Foster, a twenty-four-year-old senior studying Bluegrass at East Tennessee State University, is currently set to release his first album, Opening Doors.

Foster has always been interested in bluegrass music. While spending much of his youth traveling to and from bluegrass festivals in New England, Foster was only ten years old when he asked for a guitar for Christmas. His grandparents, George and Etta Crawford, helped make sure his wish came true by asking their friend Eric Gibson (currently of bluegrass super group, The Gibson Brothers) to help. A trip to Gibson’s former place of work, Dicks Country Store and Music Oasis in Churubusco, New York, ended with the purchase of an Alvarez guitar.

Like many bluegrassers, Foster’s first music lessons were from his father, William Foster, and he was soon participating in the traditional music scene in New England. After graduating high school in 2010, he found his way to ETSU to study Business Management. After enrolling in a few courses offered by Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies (which were intended to be electives), Foster started becoming increasingly involved in the music scene in East Tennessee. That ultimately led to a change in major, leading him to pursue Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music.

Originally from Wells Bridge, New York, Foster expects to graduate in Spring 2018. He was appointed to the guitar spot in the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band in 2016, and will remain throughout his senior year. He performed on their latest single “Did You Hear Me Say Goodbye,” which reached number 12 on the Bluegrass Today National Airplay Chart and is currently earning a living by teaching music lessons and performing with his band Dreamcatcher. He expects to remain in East Tennessee following graduation in order to maintain a career in bluegrass music.

Many of Foster’s closest friends and mentors appeared on the record: Eric and Leigh Gibson, Aynsley Porchak, Jaime Carter, as well as past instructors Brandon Green and Adam Steffey. Foster had this to say about the release: “I had a really great time making this record and the support everyone has given the first single “Reaping the Blues” has made me even more excited to release the next, “Looking for a Smile in a Heartache”.”

According to Foster, “Looking for a Heartache,” was recorded with Eric and Leigh Gibson for multiple reasons: “It’s been my favorite Gibson Brothers song since before I was even able to play guitar. It also reminds me of when my grandparents would haul me around to music festivals with them.”

The album, Opening Doors, is currently available through several popular online retailers, including iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay and CDBaby. It is also available through Airplay Direct for download by radio broadcasters.