About
Built around honest songwriting, live musicianship, and the belief that a good song should still mean something.
The North Country Shoeshiners are an Americana and roots collective built around honest songwriting, live musicianship, and the belief that a good song should still mean something.
At the center of the project is the partnership between Kristofer Lee Bentley, a founding member of the Kentucky duo Sundy Best, and Robbie Carrier, the band's founder and musical director. Kristofer carries most of the lead vocals and acoustic guitar work; Robbie shapes the sound from cajón, saxophone, harmonica, harmony, and guitar. Alongside them, Todd Truax holds down lead guitar and vocals as a permanent member of the performing lineup. Around this core trio rotates a trusted group of North Country musicians and special guests, allowing every performance to fit the room, the audience, and the occasion.
The two met in Lexington, Kentucky in 2016. Robbie had only ever played music inside church walls, and without Kristofer's insistence that he play at all — and his patience in helping Robbie come out of that shell — the Shoeshiners would not exist. What started between two players has grown into a collective that brings together two distinct landscapes and musical traditions: the Appalachian sound that shaped their roots and the rugged character of life in Northern New York. In a lot of ways, they ended up having church outside the four walls.
Their performances move easily between original songs, country and folk standards, bluegrass textures, Southern-rock influences, and the kind of deep-cut favorites musicians play because they genuinely love them. Some nights are stripped down to voices and acoustic instruments. Others grow into a full roots ensemble with harmonies, rhythm, and guest players.
The North Country Shoeshiners are not built around polish for polish's sake. They are built around stories, songs, musicianship, and the connection that happens when a room begins listening together.
Rooted in Appalachia. Made in the North Country.
The Members
Lead Vocals · Acoustic Guitar · Songwriter
A founding member of the acclaimed Kentucky duo Sundy Best, Kristofer brings a lifetime of touring, storytelling, and hard-earned stagecraft to the Shoeshiners. On any given night, his voice is the one carrying the room.
Founding Member · Musical Director · Multi-Instrumentalist
Appalachian-born and North Country-based, Robbie founded the Shoeshiners and shapes the band's sound from behind the cajón — moving between percussion, saxophone, harmonica, harmony vocals, and acoustic guitar. He and Kristofer met in Lexington, Kentucky in 2016; without that friendship, this project would not exist.
Lead Guitar · Vocals · Founding North Country Member
Todd Truax brings decades of North Country musicianship, stage experience, and unmistakable lead guitar work to The North Country Shoeshiners. Equally comfortable delivering soaring guitar leads, tasteful rhythm work, and harmony vocals, Todd helps bridge the band's Appalachian roots with the rich musical traditions of Northern New York. Whether performing alongside Kristofer Lee Bentley as part of the full Shoeshiners lineup or joining Robbie Carrier in the duo configuration, Todd's versatility allows the collective to scale naturally while maintaining the sound and spirit that define the project. His focus has never been flashy musicianship for its own sake — it has always been serving the song.
The lineup shifts by design — trusted North Country musicians and special guests join the core trio to fit each room and each night.
How the Collective Works
The North Country Shoeshiners are intentionally flexible. Some evenings feature Kristofer Lee Bentley, Robbie Carrier, and Todd Truax together as the core trio. Other performances may feature Kristofer and Robbie, Robbie and Todd, or additional trusted musicians from across the North Country.
Every lineup is assembled around the same goal:
Serve the song.
Serve the room.
Leave people with something worth remembering.
No matter the configuration, audiences can expect authentic Americana, roots music, honest songwriting, and musicians who genuinely enjoy playing together.
