The Band

Meet the members of Die Immergrün Musikanten

Tom Markow (Accordian, Button Box & Vocals)

Growing up in a German household, music was always present and plentiful. At the age of 8, Tom took his first accordion lesson. Fortunately his teacher, Mary König, recognized that the tedium of learning the basics of music and the function of the instrument itself, wasn't enough. Meticulously, she hand-scored some traditional German music. (He still has them!) Little did both of them know that it would blossom into a lifelong passion. After much encouragement from his long-time friend and musical partner, Reese Bookmiller, along with Nancy Pearce, 'Das Immergrün Trio' was born. To this day the passion is still strong and grows with each performance.

A M "Reese" Bookmiller (Bass Guitar, Trumpet, Alphorn & Vocals)

At the age of 9, Reese pursued his musical career learning to play the trumpet. Under the tutelage of renowned Dr. Edwin "Eddie" Shiner of Duquesne University, his love of the instrument blossomed. While in the service, he was stationed in Germany for three years, putting his free time to good use playing with several German brass bands. After returning to the US, he played with several bands and learned to play the bass. In 1984, Reese, his brother Alan and Helmar Müller founded the Original Alpenländers. As a result, yet another instrument came into play. He and Helmar learned to play the Alphorn. It's rare to find such diverse talents and Die Immergrün Musikanten are glad to have him.

Tom “Woody” Pfenninger (Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar & Vocals)

Woody met Tom several years ago and they soon discovered their mutual passion for all kinds of music. They also found that they shared a German / Swiss heritage. Woody was introduced, by Tom and Reese, to the lilting, beautiful, traditional European melodies. With 40 + years experience playing guitar and bass, Woody humbly accepted Tom's offer to play guitar with the band. The Immergrün Musikanten's music and the camaraderie among Tom, Reese and Woody have since become a source of both pleasure and inspiration in Woody's life.

Rod Kerlin (Drums & Percussion)

Rod has played drums most of his life. At age 15, he started playing with several country bands - most notably, Lancaster’s own Younger Brothers. He met Woody when both played in Southern Star. Most recently, Rod has been playing blues music with Kenny Jones, Tom Larsen and Randy Yetter. After a brief “retirement”, Rod got a call to play with Immergrün and is now enjoying a new phase in his career