The Rustical Quality String Band was born in 1978 in State College, Pennsylvania. Tim, Karen, and Celia were recent graduates of the State College-based bluegrass band Whetstone Run. Mike, who came to Penn State for graduate school, was a veteran of the old-time and folk music scenes in New York and Philadelphia, while Mick, a new faculty member at Penn State, had honed his washboard skills growing up in New Orleans. For 45 years, the Rustical Quality String Band has imprinted its own style of driving rhythms and fun-loving interpretations to the traditional and original music, bringing it to audiences in bars and roadhouses; at weddings and old-time square dances, and even for a gathering of nudists. The band has moved through its life cycle together with marriages, children, and—now—grandchildren. Four of the five members still live in Pennsylvania—Karen in State College; Mick in Lewisburg, Tim in Ephrata, and Mike in Wayne, while Celia moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 2014 to take advantage of the rich music scene there. (Kim Craven plays bass with the band when Celia is unable to get back north for a gig.) In recent years, the band has been joined—when his schedule allows—by Tim and Kim Craven’s son, Oliver Bates Craven. Oliver is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who has brought new energy and musical excitement to the band. Under Oliver’s direction, the band recorded its third album, “Back Cottage,” in the summer of 2022, and is looking forward to 45 years more of making great music together!