IBMA Nominated! After Months On The Bluegrass Charts, Balsam Range Flies High With Mountain Voodoo

Balsam Range. Photo by David Simchock

Balsam Range Casts Acoustic Spells with Mountain Voodoo,
Their Most Recent Release on Mountain Home Music Company

Flying High After Months On The Bluegrass Charts,
Balsam Range Nominated for Eight IBMA Awards!

Balsam Range is overjoyed with the news of today’s IBMA Awards Nominations in the following eight categories: Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, Song of the Year: “Blue Collar Dreams”, Album of the Year: Mountain Voodoo, Gospel Recorded Event of the Year: “Wish You Were Here”, Male Vocalist of the Year: Buddy Melton, and Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett!

Balsam Range, along with Sierra Hull and Justin Moses, performed live earlier today for the awards announcement with SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction host Kyle Cantrell. You can rewatch it over on IBMA’s facebook page from their Facebook Live stream.

The band is flying high with their sixth studio album, Mountain Voodoo, which came out on Mountain Home Music Company [11/11/17]. With Mountain Voodoo they offer something that is continuing to mesmerize fans of bluegrass and beyond with elements of jazz, country, gospel, swing, and old-time music that are all infused into the fresh sound of this unique Southern band. It’s five distinct personalities creating one remarkable musical experience.

The 13-tracks are like the book of life “Chapter Six” for Balsam Range and are filled with songs of journey, home, sense of place, hardcore drive, and longing. There are fiery instrumental parts alternating with heavy, deep ballads overlaid by the vocal harmonies the group has become known for.

Their song “Blue Collar Dreams” has stayed at #1 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s Radio chart for June, July, and August. The same song also spent three consecutive months at number one on the Bluegrass Today charts earlier this year! Two other songs from the album have also landed at #1 on Bluegrass Today’s chart including “Something ‘Bout That Suitcase” and “El Dorado Blue.”

Balsam Range is Buddy Melton (Fiddle, Lead and Tenor Vocals), Darren Nicholson (Mandolin, Octave Mandolin, Lead Vocals, Baritone and Low Tenor Vocals), Dr. Marc Pruett (Banjo), Tim Surrett (Bass, Dobro, Baritone and Lead Vocals), and Caleb Smith (Guitar, Lead & Baritone Vocals). The five original members, who are celebrating their 10th year together this March, are all acoustic musicians and singers from North Carolina. They thoughtfully and respectfully adopted the name of a majestic range of mountains that surrounds part of their home county of Haywood, NC where the Smokies meet the Blue Ridge, the Balsam Range.

Balsam Range is humbled and honored to receive nominations for this years IBMA Awards in the following categories:

Entertainer of the Year
Vocal Group of the Year
Instrumental Group of the Year
Song of the Year: “Blue Collar Dreams”
Album of the Year: Mountain Voodoo
Gospel Recorded Event of the Year: “Wish You Were Here”
Male Vocalist of the Year: Buddy Melton
Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett

Get Mountain Voodoo at iTunes, Amazon, and more → https://clg.lnk.to/3OSAZ

Watch the studio version of “Blue Collar Dreams”

Critical Acclaim for Balsam Range and Mountain Voodoo:

“These guys just keep getting better. How good is this one? There’s a potential song of the year here… the laurels go to Aaron Bibelhauser’s ‘Blue Collar Dreams’, an anthem for working stiffs everywhere that’s been dominating the charts. The song has quite a pedigree.”
—Bluegrass Today, David Morris’ Top Albums of the 2016

“No matter what your taste in bluegrass might be, every listener can find something here to like. Take a listen to ‘Blue Collar Dreams’ or ‘Eldorado Blue’ with Buddy Melton and see if you agree.”
—IBMA

“Mountain Voodoo parts the curtains between heaven and earth as it speaks to those that have passed in ‘Wish You Were Here’, and sees leaving making an exit with ‘Something ‘Bout That Suitcase’ as Balsam Range walk a ‘straight and narrow line’ with empty pockets in ‘Blue Collar Dreams.’”
—The Alternate Root, Danny McCloskey

“So consistently impressive that we no longer expect their albums to be ‘better than their last,’ in less than a decade Balsam Range has hit the plateau of excellence few groups achieve. Like The Del McCoury Band, Blue Highway, and Alison Krauss & Union Station before them, a new release from Balsam Range is measured against their individual legacy. Mountain Voodoo lacks nothing.”
—Country Standard Time, Donald Teplyske’s Favorite Bluegrass Albums of 2016

“Stepping over boundaries seems to be a part of Balsam Range’s DNA.”
—News & Record/ Greensboro.com, Grant Britt

“They kick the album off with a bang. Pure (what they at one time called) Newgrass, the kind of stuff on which Tony Rice and Ricky Skaggs based their reputations. Acoustic guitar (mostly picked), bass, mandolin, fiddle and banjo, and voices. The voices are crucial. You can jig and reel and you can breakdown without vocals but you cannot have the best of what bluegrass offers without voices. Think Seldom Scene and Doyle Lawson. Think harmonies sung by angels. Think harmonies stacked to the ceiling. There isn’t anything like it, or as some of my friends would say, ‘There ain’t nothin’ lak it.’”
—No Depression, Frank Gutch Jr.

“They’re groovy. Balsam Range reminds us that bluegrass can be dancing music, hip-swinging music, backbeat music, as rhythmically hypnotic as all the plugged-in genres that formed in its wake. ‘It’s hillbilly soul!’ says mandolin player Darren Nicholson.’”
—The Bluegrass Situation, Joseph Terrell

“Some of the best vocal harmonies I can recall in quite some time… Bluegrass aficionado or not, you absolutely need to hear Balsam Range.”
—Elmore Magazine, Jim Hynes

For more information, tour dates, and more, please visit www.balsamrange.com. Stay up to date with current news on www.facebook.com/balsamrange, www.twitter.com/BalsamRange, and www.instagram.com/balsamrange.

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The Contribution Releases Song to Benefit BCEF (Breast Cancer Emergency Fund in SF Bay Area) – Audio Stream

The Contribution’s Newest Single, “This Too Shall Pass” – Out 7/21
To Benefit BCEF (Breast Cancer Emergency Fund in SF Bay area)

Now Available on iTunes, Amazon, and Cdbaby

Since February, The Contribution have been living up to their name and giving back with each song. They have been releasing one single a month, as sort of a mid-month pick-me-up since February 2017 and have partnered with a variety of nonprofits to which 100% of the profits from each single (sold as a digital download) will go to a charity (hand-picked by members of the band) in perpetuity.

The Contribution is the brainchild of Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth (violin, guitar, vocals) together with Phil Ferlino (keyboards, vocals) and Jeff Miller (guitar, vocals) of New Monsoon. Keith Moseley (String Cheese Incident), has been the bass player from the band’s inception along with vocalist Sheryl Renee (The Black Swan Singers). The drum chair has been occupied by Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident), Matt Butler (Everyone Orchestra), and currently Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic). Both Matt Butler and Duane Trucks appear on the band’s new record, Wilderness And Space. The full ten song album will be released on vinyl this Fall on LoHi Records and reveals the group’s love of 60s pop and soul coupled with their ability to flat-out shred.

They release their newest single “This Too Shall Pass” on Friday, July 21 and it will benefit BCEF, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund  in SF Bay area.

Co-founding member of The Contribution and resident of the Bay Area, Jeff Miller, says, “BCEF is a nonprofit that has special significance to me as my mother, Joann D. Miller, passed away in 2012 from breast cancer. My family and I found out when it was already stage 4, so we could do nothing but support her in her last months of life on this plane.”

Many people with breast cancer have inadequate or no health insurance. Most will be unable to work throughout their treatment, adding a huge financial toll to an already difficult struggle. BCEF’s fast and early intervention prevents financial deterioration and provides a sense of security during a devastating illness. BCEF helps people in need continue life-extending medical treatments, avoid utility shut-off, prevent eviction, and maintain stable housing while they battle breast cancer. BCEF is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and does not receive City, State or Federal funds. 100% of their funding is from private foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Miller continues, “The song ‘This Too Shall Pass’ was written as a reference to the cathartic idea that even in our darkest days, with a loved one passing, there is hope. In writing and recording this song, I forever have a way to remember my mom and bring her into being whenever the song is played… a true blessing.”

 

 

Tim Carbone tells Shows I Go To about how the nonprofits were selected, “I put it to the band at large and asked them, ‘What do you feel strongly about?’” Tim says, “I wrote the words to ‘This Too Shall Pass’ for our guitar player Jeff after his mother passed away from breast cancer.” He says they did some searching and found BCEF, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund in SF Bay area, to pair up with that song.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network is located nearby where Carbone is from and they do wonderful work in protecting the waterways, including the drinking water of nearly 17 Million people, throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York.

Carbone continues, “Matt Butler said we should go for the Rex Foundation. Keith wanted Conscious Alliance, who I have also worked with before. Phil suggested Rock the Earth. I thought we would go with HeadCount because I am politically motivated. They don’t choose sides, they just encourage people to register to vote. When you don’t vote, bad things happen. I think we found that out.”

LoHi Records labelmate, Jim Brooks, suggested Piedmont Land Conservatory as he has held events to raise money for them in the past to preserve natural and scenic lands, farms, and open spaces in Piedmont North Carolina. All songs were written and produced by Tim Carbone, Phil Ferlino, and Jeff Miller.

“This Too Shall Pass” features Carbone on electric guitar, background vocals and percussion, Miller on electric guitars and background vocal, Ferlino on Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond organ and background vocals with Sheryl Renee on lead vocals, Keith Moseley on bass, and Duane Trucks on drums. The song was recorded at Silo Sound Studio in Denver, CO and Engineered by Todd Divel. Additional recording by Don Sternaker at Mix-o-Lydian Studios in Delaware Water Gap, PA.

Carbone says, “We feel blessed to be able to make this music and have it help people in need… and we would like to empower those who share our passion and provide a resource for them to take action with us.”

All Released Singles Available Here → www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TheContribution

For more information, please visit www.TheContribution.net, www.facebook.com/TheContribution, www.twitter.com/thecontribution, and www.instagram.com/thecontribution.

 

 

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