Andy Letcher writes the songs, fronts the band and provides rhythm on mandolin and stomp. He also plays pipes and is a leading figure in the English bagpiping revival. He cut his teeth in bands like Celtarabia, Paescod and Space Goats. He taught alongside Chris Wood at the English Acoustic Collective Summer School in 2008, guested with Bellowhead at the BBC Proms in the Park in 2009, and has recorded sessions with Kerfuffle, performing with them at Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2010. He plays with Jane and Jim in a trio for Breton dance, Wod. An avid blogger he writes a column for Spiral Earth.
Classically trained but steeped in folk music, Jane Griffiths is a gifted fiddle player. She has played and recorded with Sharron Kraus, Abbie Lathe, Jon Fletcher, Matt Sage and Lisa Fitzgibbon, with whom she toured Australia supporting Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Her light touch and effortless ability to move between styles have made her an in-demand session musician, most recently recording for Maddy Prior, Moon'shee and Simon Emerson (Imagined Village). She plays with Jim and Andy in Wod, a trio for Breton dancing, and in a duo with Colin, specialising in 'fast tunes played slow'.
Jim Penny joined Telling the Bees in 2011. A pioneer of the Anglo-Concertina, he is renowned for his unique, funky approach to the instrument, exploring its improvisatory potential and treating it more like a Hammond Organ than the scratchy folk instrument of yore. He was a founder member of the much missed Red Dog Green Dog, with whom he toured and busked extensively across Britain and Europe, playing for French and Breton dancing. He currently plays with Andy and Jane in Wod.
A cellist and singer-songwriter in his own right, Barney Morse Brown joined Telling the Bees in 2011. When not playing solo or with his band Duotone (most recently at the Green Man festival), he tours and records with Simon Emerson's folk supergroup, The Imagined Village. He worked with Chris Wood on the latter's Handmade Life album and tour. His versatility, precision and sense of funk have made him an in-demand session musician, most recently recording with Jackie Oates. He played with the late and much missed Kate Garrett, with whom he founded Garrett-Brown music.