The most unbelievable journeys often start in the most unexpected of places.

Long before glowing acclaim from NPR and Billboard, packed shows, unforgettable festival appearances, millions of streams, and collaborations with everyone from BTS to Contemporary Youth Orchestra, the journey of The Accidentals commenced in a public high school classroom in Traverse City, MI. As the story goes, concertmaster violinist, Savannah Buist, and cellist, Katie Larson, raised their hands at the request for volunteers to play a music boosters concert and wound up being musical soulmates.

“We live and breathe music,” adds Katie. “Music helped me survive those awkward middle school years when I wasn’t sure where to identify myself. It’s helped us figure out who we are, given us confidence, allowed us to travel the world, and completely opened up our minds.”

The Accidentals now host and lead workshops across the country hoping to inspire other young musicians.

They opened a nonprofit in 2020 called Play It Forward Again and Again, to help provide access toinstruments, lessons, and mentors, for all aspiring musicians.

Core Famgrove members, Dan and Jan Kautman, remember when The Accidentals’ Tangled Red and Blue album first released in 2012, “the songs were catchy and incredibly deep for such young writers.” Having built a devout fan base right out of the gate, Sav and Katie transferred to Interlochen Arts Academy for the remainder of high school and completed a successful crowdfunding campaign to release Bittersweet only a year later. Shortly after, they met Michael Dause at Blissfest and welcomed him behind the kit as their full time percussionist, cementing the lineup.

The Accidentals have gone on to release multiple albums, including Parking Lot, Odyssey, and Vessel. The Accidentals started touring immediately out of high school, playing 200+ shows a year at such festivals as Electric Forest, Rocky Mountain Folk Fest, Summerfest, and SXSW. They have played on stages with the likes of Brandi Carlile, The Wailers, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Andrew Bird, Martin Sexton, Ruster Root, The Decemberists, and more. The Trio has collaborated with artists such as Kaki King, Jenny Conlee of The Decemberists, Lily & Madeleine, and Keller Williams.