When Bob Esbenshade wanted to form an acoustic group, he had some difficulty finding a band with staying power. So, when he finally did get an act together, he named it for his experiences. "This is actually about the third or fourth rendition of an acoustic gig I've had going," he explains. "I started off with some other people. That fell apart. We got back together. We fell apart again. So, I came up with the name Lingering Doubts, because I had doubts as to whether this was ever going to really stay together!"

Well, Bob, you can put those doubts aside. Esbenshade, who performs on guitar and vocals, has been sharing the stage with Barbara Musselman on vocals and George Seeds on mandolin and vocals for almost two years now. The Lancaster-based group performs mostly cover material, from artists including Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan and the Beatles. "We basically just pick what we consider to be good music, good songs," Esbenshade says. "We cover songs, but we don't do a cover version of songs. We strip the song down to its essence, which is the melody and the words...Even though it's a three-piece band, we try to orchestrate things as much as possible. It's not two guys up there banging away on guitar and mandolin. We really try to work parts together so that we have a smaller orchestral sound as much as possible."

The trio is also beginning to work in original material, which Esbenshade writes, and hope to complete a CD in the future. The band plays out only a few times a month, organizing their schedule around Esbenshade's full-time gig as owner of Jethro's Restaurant in downtown Lancaster.He says one aspect that makes his trio unique is the skill of their lead vocalist. "Barbara is just an incredible vocalist. She's top notch. That adds something really special to the show." Audiences agree. "We're getting really positive feedback," he notes. "We're playing music that everybody relates to, music that everybody can tune into."