Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work to Release Full Live Concert CD & DVD 12/10

 

A Sound Lab Studios Production, Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work, LIVE to Release as a Full Live Concert CD & DVD on Tuesday, Dec 10th

Based in Asheville, NC, Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work have been mainstays in the SouthEastern roots music scene for several years, and now the band is back again with the release of Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work, LIVE. In collaboration with Sound Lab Studios, the band recorded two nights at The Lexington Ave Brewery in Asheville in full Dolby digital surround sound in high definition on multiple cameras. Distilled now into both CD and DVD formats Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work, LIVE shows the band in their most raw, intense, and revelatory release to date and releases nationally on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.

Watch Pierce Edens Perform “Money” LIVE by Sound Lab Studios →

Singing, performing, and recording for several years, the songs of Pierce Edens resonate from a calling sparked within him to share a story. It’s a story inspired by old-time tunes, a rock and roll fever, and the downright rural, gritty mountain life of his upbringing. It doesn’t seem to matter whether he is singing a haunting, foothill-influenced ballad with a modern Americana twist, or writing a 21st century stomp-and-clap that calls back to the Appalachian churches, it all gets entangled in his unique storytelling.

“There are few who can touch Edens as a singer or as a songwriter,“ says Bold Life’s Robin Tolleson. “He’s blessed with a soulful, resonant growl that seems to mix Johnny Cash, Eddie Vedder and Citizen Cope.” It’s an eclectic mélange of sounds exemplifying the fact that this man can’t be contained by any one genre; he’s an American musical anomaly.

“Pierce Edens heard old-timey mountain music until his teens; that’s when he was steeped in punk and grunge. Both inform his music. His shadowy baritone has a dark, jazzy canter reminiscent of Tom Waits, while the percolating strings below it veer from bluegrass to closing-time cabaret,” says Indy Week. “The punk manifests in the rebellious free-spirited nature of ‘Montana’ as Edens demands, ‘Don’t speak, don’t think, just take my hand and come with. We can work out the details later, if we work them out at all.’”

Along with Pierce Edens’ lead vocals and acoustic guitar, The Dirty Work includes Matt Smith (pedal steel and electric guitar), Jesse James Hongisto (upright bass), Dane Rand (drums and percussion), and Jim Aaron (Harmonica). Special guest musicians on the DVD include Jacob Rodriguez (saxophone) and Justin Ray (trumpet).

Sound Lab Studios is an Asheville-based media production company that is a partnership between More Chi Films and Golden Manatee Productions. The footage was directed and edited by Peter Lutz; produced by Adam Johnson & Peter Lutz, with audio recording & mixing by Adam Johnson and front of house sound by Sean Mack. Greg Herman for the album artwork and digital motion design. For more information about Sound Lab, please visit http://www.soundlabstudios.com.

More information about Pierce Edens and his tour dates can be found at www.pierceedens.com.

CD & DVD* Track listing:
Jailhouse
Pretty
Montana
Good Man
Creeping Vines
Trouble
Money
Mischief
Can’t Sleep
Baby Doll
Ghost on the Radio
Black Shiny Shoes
Let it rain

*DVD also includes special features and additional solo performances of the songs “Queen of Hearts” and “Train Tracks”.

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Town Mountain’s ‘I’m on Fire’ Featured on The Bluegrass Situation, Runnin’ From The Lawdog

Town Mountain is Robert Greer on vocals & guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Phil Barker on mandolin & vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, & Jake Hopping on upright bass. Photo by Jason Beverly.

Town Mountain’s ‘I’m on Fire’ Featured on The Bluegrass Situation,
Runnin’ From The Lawdog

Hard Drivin’ Carolina String Band, Town Mountain, is touring with their fourth album, Leave the Bottle [Pinecastle 2012]. Want to know what it is like to be on the road with Town Mountain? Arthur Hancock writes about his experience traveling with the band on The Bluegrass Situation. He says, “What I’ve come to learn by spending time with the band is that they share a deep reverence for the players and singers that are the foundation of bluegrass music. Although sometimes late at night driving back from a gig ‘Purple Rain’ might come on the iPod, most of the time you’d be more likely to hear The Gillis Brothers, early Stanleys, or a live recording of Town Mountain that they are poring over in pursuit of their craft.”

The Bluegrass Situation also premiered the band’s official backstage video of their version of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” in the same post. Read the article and see the video here → http://bit.ly/132c2bS

This video is the first installment of the new “Town Mountain Covers Series” hosted by The Bluegrass Situation. They’ll do two or three more cover songs of their choice and then let the audience chime in with suggestions on what cover song they would like to hear Town Mountain do. Stay tuned to The Bluegrass Situation for more details as the festival season unfolds!

“I’m On Fire,” is a song that has been in Town Mountain’s repertoire for years and was recorded on their 2008 album Heroes & Heretics; the band has continued to play and develop their version at live shows. After a nice mention about their version of the “I’m On Fire” in Pop Matters [2012] and a shout out from Dale Earnhardt Jr to check out the song when he took over the National Guard’s twitter account in November of 2012, it has resurfaced into the public eye. A YouTube video with the track, which simply shows Heroes & Heretics’s album cover, has garnered 100,000+ views. We are happy to present an official backstage video of the band performing the song.

“They pick and sing with a passion you don’t find much these days, it’s refreshing and real good.  Put the cd in the truck, hit the parkway or some other good riding road, roll the windows down, and play it loud. PS. Watch out for the lawdog,” says John Roten of WPEK/WMXF.

All of the members of Town Mountain are songwriters and bring original tunes to the band’s sound. One notable song,  “Lawdog,” is a song from the road that opens a cappella and is sung and written by Barker in the manner of Jimmy Martin; it is relatable to anyone that inevitably gets pulled over while trying to make good time traveling. Juli Thanks writes, “Phil Barker’s ‘Lawdog’ sounds like an unearthed classic, and the group’s tight harmonies alone make this record a treat for any bluegrass fan.” She listed Leave the Bottle on the Top 20 Bluegrass Albums of 2012 by Engine 145 and said, “This is one up and coming band you’ll want to keep an eye on in 2013 and beyond.”

WATCH Town Mountain perform “Lawdog” live on WAMU–>

Town Mountain is chasin’ the horizon this summer and heading to a town near you from the east to the west, from the deep south to close to the Canadian border.

For more information about Town Mountain and their current tour dates, please visit TownMountain.net and facebook.com/TownMountain.

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David Holt and the Lightning Bolts Perform at Isis Music Hall on Sat, June 22nd

David Holt and the Lightning Bolts
Isis Music Hall and Restaurant
Saturday, June 22
828-575-2737
743 Haywood Rd. Asheville, NC 28806
Tickets:http://isisasheville.com/events/david-holt-and-the-lightning-bolts/
$18 advance / $20 at the door; 5pm doors; 9pm show

This is a seated concert with dinner reservations.  Reservations can be made by calling Isis at 828-575-2737.  There are a limited number of reservations at tables of 4 or 8. There is also theater-style and limited balcony seating seating available on a first come first serve basis.

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David Holt and the Lightning Bolts delivers old-time music with a new time jolt. With over ten different instruments including: banjo, fiddle, bottleneck blues guitar, mouth bow and even paper bag the Lightning Bolts present an entertaining and dynamic show filled with humor, stories and music.

Four-time Grammy winner David Holt has assembled a group of stellar musicians and entertainers: Laura Boosinger, Josh Goforth, David Cohen and Jeff Hersk who bring to life the joy and spirit of mountain music. Every concert sizzles with music learned directly from musical greats like Doc Watson, Tommy Jarrell, Grandpa Jones, Roy Acuff and the oldest person in the world, 123-year- old Susie Brunson. Using large black and white photographs taken by David of his mentors the audience hears the true life stories behind the songs and tunes. www.davidholt.com 

David Holt:
For over thirty years, David Holt has been living in the Blue Ridge Mountains collecting and performing the songs and stories of the old-time mountaineers. He has learned this treasure trove of music directly from musical greats like Fred Cockerham, Byard Ray, Grandpa Jones, Roy Acuff and the oldest person in the world, 123-year-old Susie Brunson. David is a four-time Grammy Award winner. Winning two Grammys with Doc Watson for their 3 CD set “Legacy.”

He is known for his folk music and storytelling recordings, his numerous programs on PBS including Folkways and Great Scenic Railway Journeys, Riverwalk Jazz on public radio, and for his popular concerts performed throughout the country. He was founder and director of the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College from 1975-1981. He is a three-time winner of Frets magazine readers’ poll for “best old-time banjoist.” Southern Living magazine recently featured David as a “Southerner Making a Difference.”

Laura Boosinger:
Laura came to the Swannanoa Valley in 1976 as a student in the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College. She was one of David Holt’s most outstanding students and upon graduation became a full time performer of mountain music. Says Boosinger, “I became acquainted with a variety of families for whom traditional music was a natural part of their lives. My relationships with Quay and Sue Smathers, and the Luke Smathers String Band of Haywood County, became lasting friendships that I count as some of my most valuable.” Laura took David’s place as Luke’s banjo player in 1984 and played in his band for the next 13 years. Her recording “Down the Road” celebrates the music of the region’s great musicians. Today, Laura Boosinger gives back the music she has gathered to the many young people she works with in schools throughout the South. She is director of the Madison County Arts Council, Madison Country, NC. http://www.lauraboosinger.com

Josh Goforth:
Josh was raised around traditional music in rural Madison County, NC. He has become one of rising stars of acoustic music and a Grammy Nominee. David met Josh when he was a fourteen-year-old student in Madison County. Josh is a descendent of many of the same people David learned from when he first came to NC in 1969.

After high school he went to East Tennessee State University to study music education, and to be a part of ETSU’s famous Bluegrass and Country Music Program. In 2000, he played fiddle for the movie “Songcatcher,” both onscreen and on the soundtrack. He has toured extensively with a variety of ensembles, including the ETSU bluegrass band, with David Holt and Laura Boosinger, and with several bluegrass bands including Appalachian Trail, Carolina Road, Open Road, and The Josh Goforth Band. He has performed all over the United States as well as Europe and Asia. In 2000,2003, and 2005, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at Fiddler’s Grove making him the youngest ever 3 time winner. This secured him the title “Master Fiddler.”

Jeff Hersk:
The upright bass became Jeff’s obsession about 10 years ago, after much less satisfying careers in auto body repair, rural homesteading, and computer programming. He played guitar for many years, performing in rock bands in Canada and California in the ’70s, but now finds that he was meant to be a bassist. Jeff replaced Zeb Holt (David’s son) when Zeb moved to NYC to work for NBC.

Byron Hedgepeth:
Byron Hedgepeth,is among the most versatile percussionists in the southeast, performing and recording regularly with a wide variety of artists across genres from jazz to classical to old-time music.

Watch David Holt Perform:
“Sittin’ on Top of the World”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQG09VWR7e8

“Johnson Boys”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9fSaNRigYU

http://www.davidholt.com

 

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John Cloyd Miller (Red June) Wins MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest: “Cloud of Dust” Places #1 in Bluegrass

John Cloyd Miller (Red June) Wins 2013
MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

“Cloud of Dust” Places #1 in Bluegrass Category

John Cloyd Miller won first place in the 21st annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest in the bluegrass category at MerleFest 2013. Miller is a vocalist, guitarist and mandolin player for the Asheville-based band, Red June, a nationally touring acoustic Americana trio that includes his wife, fiddler and vocalist Natalya Weinstein, and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Will Straughan. The winning song, “Cloud of Dust,” appears on Red June’s 2012 sophomore release, Beauty Will Come.

“‘Cloud of Dust’ highlights the frustrations and resolve of a young man during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.” John says, “This song tells the story of what happens when we abuse our land.” Red June kicked off 2013 with the release of a music video for the song which features powerful archival footage from the Dust Bowl.

John Cloyd Miller. Photo by Terry Manier.

Acclaimed NC traditional musician, Riley Baugus, says, “John’s music reminds me of being in the Blue Ridge Mountains, high on a hill all alone and hearing the sound of the mountains coming from all around and filling your soul with the feeling that everything is just right in that place. His voice is strong and pure and harkens back to a time when there was no need for electronic enhancement and tuning adjustments. In short, John is the real thing and is just incredible.”

The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest offers songwriters the opportunity to have their original songs heard by a panel of professional songwriters and others from the Nashville music industry. The 2013 winners were chosen from more than 700 entries. Winners in the Bluegrass category included 1st Place – John Cloyd Miller’s “Cloud of Dust” (Asheville, NC); 2nd Place – Todd Grebe’s “Master of My Destiny”  (Nashville, Tenn.); and 3rd Place – Aaron Burdett’s “Magpie (Saluda, NC). Previous winners of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest include Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, Michael Reno Harrell, Adrienne Young, Martha Scanlan, David Via and Johnny Williams.

“The talent this year was amazing!” says Laurie Brintle-Jarvis, coordinator of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. “They gave an inspirational performance on the Cabin Stage on Friday evening, sharing their talents and enthusiasm with the crowd.” For more details about the contest, visit www.MerleFest.org/ChrisAustinSongwritingContest.

In 2012, Red June made their MerleFest debut, performing at the 25th anniversary festival. Later that year they released their second full-length album, Beauty Will Come, and performed at numerous shows and festivals across the country including Music City Roots, Suwannee Springfest, Beartrap Summer Festival, and Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival. The band was selected for an official showcase at The Station Inn in Nashville at the Americana Music Association conference, and was featured in the October 2012 issue of Southern Living magazine with Douglas Rogers writing, “Bands like Old Crow Medicine Show, The Avett Brothers, and Red June have recently put the sounds of Appalachia back on the map.”

Red June at MerleFest by Will Sparklin

A native of Hickory, NC, Miller’s musical background includes deep roots in bluegrass. A self-taught musician, he grew up listening to his grandfather, legendary bluegrass fiddler and NC Folk Heritage Award winner, Jim Shumate. After graduating from Appalachian State University, Miller moved to Utah and joined the bluegrass band Lo-Fi Breakdown. Eventually the band relocated to Asheville, NC, and continued to perform until early 2009. Around that same time, Miller, Weinstein, and Straughan formed Red June (named after an heirloom apple variety), a group that emphasizes songwriting while combining elements of bluegrass, old-time, country and American roots music.

“Beauty Will Come by Red June just may be the most stunningly gorgeous country album in years. Everything about it: from the exquisite three-part harmonies and acoustic loveliness of the mandolin, fiddle, guitar and upright bass…This is the epitome of Americana…” says Mike Greenblatt with Rant’n’Roll Aquarian Weekly.

For more information, visit www.redjunemusic.com or www.johncloydmiller.com.

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Dana and Susan Robinson join with Free Planet Radio this week for Asheville-area shows with NEW Album “American Hornpipe”

Dana and Susan Robinson are two guitar-playing, banjo-frailing, fiddle-sawing, and harmony-singing interpreters of the American experience. Their unique blend of contemporary songwriting and traditional Appalachian music bring to their performances a deep understanding of America’s musical heritage.

Celebrating the release of their new album, American Hornpipe, Dana and Susan Robinson will perform with world music trio Free Planet Radio (River Guerguerian, Eliot Wadopian, Chris Rosser) at select shows for their album release.  American Hornpipe is a melting pot of Appalachian, British, and African influences, full of earthy grooves, elegant melodies, stories of heroes, ne’er do-wells, and cautionary tales.

Catch them for one of their CD release shows in the Asheville area: 10/24 at Duckpond Pottery, 10/26 at White Horse Black Mountain, 10/27 at Madison County Arts Center

The title itself summons up the essence of this collection: “American Hornpipe”, a simple English dance tune, brought across the oceans like so many other articles of folklore, now fleshed out upon the rich tapestry of contemporary American culture.

The genius of a Dana and Susan Robinson performance lies in their ability to capture the imagination of their audience, evoking a transformative experience that touches on the deepest humanity. They can make the audience howl with laughter or hush with poignant reflection as they take them on a journey across America and convey the mystery and wonder of the places they visit.

From performing at Carnegie Hall to their music being featured in Ken Burn’s PBS documentaries Dana and Susan Robinson have been playing their trademark brand of “new-time, old-time music” for nearly twenty years.

What the Press is Saying About “American Hornpipe”

“It’s grooves like these that instantly put a smile on my face!” – Martin Anderson WNCW Spindale, NC

“American Hornpipe is awash in pleasures: Susan’s singing an unaccompanied ‘Fair & Tender Ladies,’ Dana’s New England-inflected fiddle and mandolin, Eliot Wadopian’s tone-perfect acoustic bass, River Guerguerian’s iron-clad grasp of how to use percussion to accentuate folk music. And the songs, not least of them Florida cowboy poet Hank Mattson’s (with Dana’s tune) ‘When This Old Hat Was New,’ not to mention the opener ‘Who Killed Cock Robin?’ with Susan’s hardboiled-detective vocal and the unsettling ghost-of-Fairport-Convention arrangement.” —Rambles

“The couple’s captivating version of the well-known ‘Who Killed Cock Robin’ sets the stage beautifully for the other songs to follow on the album. Among them is Dana’s original, ‘The Invitation,’ that invites listeners to ‘get unplugged and get recharged.’” —The Laurel of Asheville

“Rooted in time-honored old-time music, the Robinsons have branched out a bit, putting a slightly contemporary spin on many of the tunes on ‘American Hornpipe’. Some of the album is comprised of traditional old-time songs re-imagined into something fresh; music that is comfortable yet unexplored, like discovering a new trail in a forest you’ve traversed many times before. The original songs on the album feature a variety of songwriters, and throughout ‘American Hornpipe’, the world-music sounds of River Guerguerian’s Free Planet Radio join the Robinson’s string band sensibilities…This is a fun, heartfelt and unique piece of work.” — Brent Fleury, Bold Life

“Love the rhythmic drive, and your fresh take on old chestnuts.” – Keith Weston WUNC Chapel Hill, NC

Acoustic Music Scene listed American Hornpipe in one of the top new albums of Sept 2012!

“mesmerising throughout” —GetReadyToRock.com

www.robinsongs.com/american-hornpipe.html

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Dana and Susan Robinson Release New Album “American Hornpipe” and Perform Select Shows in WNC

Dana and Susan Robinson Release New Album “American Hornpipe”
Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic, Americana, Old Time Mountain Music

“It’s grooves like these that instantly put a smile on my face!” –Martin Anderson WNCW Spindale, NC

“Love the rhythmic drive, and your fresh take on old chestnuts.” –Keith Weston WUNC Chapel Hill, NC

www.robinsongs.com

­­­(Asheville, NC)– Announcing the release of Dana and Susan Robinson’s new CD, American Hornpipe.  American Hornpipe is Dana and Susan’s fourth album since their 2004 debut Native Soil and exemplifies their trademark brand of “new-time, old-time music.” American Hornpipe is a melting pot of Appalachian, British, and African influences, full of earthy grooves, elegant melodies, stories of heroes, ne’er do-wells, and cautionary tales. Dana and Susan back up their songwriting and string band sound on American Hornpipe with the edge, groove, and sophistication of Asheville, North Carolina’s world music super-group, Free Planet Radio (River Guerguerian – percussion, Eliot Wadopian – bass, Chris Rosser – harmonium, recording, and mixing).

Dana and Susan’s chilling and arresting take on the traditional song “Who Killed Cock Robin” is an audacious start to the album. This is followed by Dana’s original, “The Invitation,” which invites the listener to “get unplugged and get recharged.” Their cover of Lui Collins’s “Farmer’s Market A-Z” is a joyful celebration of local food, and in “When This Old Hat Was New,” Dana collaborates with Floridian poet, Hank Mattson, to tell the true tale of Jake Summerlin, King of the Cracker Cowboys. Returning to the traditional, Dana and Sue let it rip with the oldtime tune “Roscoe,” and restore the blues to “Raleigh and Spencer.” Throughout this album weaves a thread of close harmonies, brilliant songwriting, and the intimate instrumentals that Dana and Susan Robinson are so well known for.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dana relocated to New England where he discovered both a thriving songwriters scene and the deep well of traditional mountain music. In the early 1980s, Dana settled in northern Vermont and built a house “off the grid” on 30 acres. In 1994 he launched into full-time touring and recorded four CDs before meeting up with Sue. Sue grew up in New England where she studied piano and Scottish fiddle. Dana and Sue met at a house concert in California in 2002, where Sue was living at the time. Upon moving to North Carolina, Sue launched into studying with many of the great old-time musicians in the Asheville area. Dana and Sue maintain a busy concert schedule performing throughout the United States, Great Britain, and Canada.

Dana and Susan will be performing select shows surrounding the release:

Dana and Susan Duo Show @ Purple Onion on Thurs, October 18, 2012
7pm, by donation, all ages, (828) 749-1179
16 E Main St. Saluda, NC 28773
www.purpleonionsaluda.com

NEW DATE: Dana and Susan Duo Show @ Duck Pond Pottery on Thu, October 25, 2012
7.30pm, $10, all ages, 828.883.4536
1840 Greenville Hwy. Brevard, NC 28712
www.facebook.com/TheDuckpondPottery

Dana & Susan Robinson with Free Planet Radio
Fri, October 26, 2012 @ White Horse Black Mountain
Free Planet Radio will also be performing their original music in this co-bill
7pm, $15 all ages, (828) 669-0816
105C Montreat Rd. Black Mountain, NC 28711
www.whitehorseblackmountain.com

Dana and Susan Robinson with Free Planet Radio
Sat, October 27, 2012 @ Madison County Arts Center
Free Planet Radio will also be performing their original music in this co-bill
7pm, $15 all ages, 828-649-1301
90 South Main St. Marshall, NC 28753
www.madisoncountyarts.com

www.robinsongs.com

You can also find Dana and Susan on
FaceBook, ReverbNation and YouTube

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Town Mountain Releases “Leave the Bottle” Sept 4th through Pinecastle Records ~ Hard-Drivin’ Appalachian Bluegrass from the Carolinas

Town Mountain Releases “Leave the Bottle”
Sept 4th through Pinecastle Records
~ Hard-Drivin’ Appalachian Bluegrass from the Carolinas ~

“Centered around strong, soulful vocals, and poised to stay put. Town Mountain are true to bluegrass in all the right ways and this new project keeps them firmly connected to the traditions of the genre, while also allowing them to reach out into the broad horizon of string band music. Leave the Bottle comes highly recommended.” –Woody Platt of the Steep Canyon Rangers

“Town Mountain is not reinventing the wheel, but taking the wheel in their hands & driving the music down both familiar roads & out to new territory.” –Mike Bub

“There’s a new mountain in town – Town Mountain – and they get down with heart, grit, soul, and drive! They’ll get you moving!” –Jim Lauderdale

Pre-Order Leave the Bottle
www.TownMountain.net

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Asheville, NC’s Bluegrass Band Town Mountain is excited to release their 4th album, Leave the Bottle, September 4, 2012. Town Mountain is Phil Barker on mandolin & vocals, Robert Greer on lead vocals & guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, and newest member Jon Stickley rounds them out with his steady bass and rock-solid guitar & vocals. They share the kind of easy-going friendly bond that relays itself through their music. One listen to their instantly memorable songs, and it’s plain to see why Grammy-winner Mike Bub would align with the group to produce Leave the Bottle as well as 2011’s Steady Operator, both through Pinecastle Records. Banjo player extraordinaire and longtime member of the Sam Bush Band, Scott Vestal, also joined the team by engineering the new album, which was recorded at Digital Underground Studio in Nashville, TN.

Town Mountain’s years of touring have created a mature well-traveled sound, a telepathic pickin’ style filled with mesmerizing interplay, and intoxicating rhythms that energize every tune. You hear it in Greer’s straightforward and genuine delivery of vocals that bear the burden of life, love, and loss in every lyric. “His voice has that hint of an edge to it that lends intensity and vitality to what he’s singing,” writes Bluegrass Unlimited. On Leave the Bottle, the band presents 11 original band-member written tunes and one cover (“Loaded” by The Wood Brothers.)

They head straight for your heart on hard-driving songs like “Run Junior Run” and “Don’t Go Home Tonight” (one of two tracks co-written with the Steep Canyon Rangers bassist Charles Humphrey III) as easily as they do on diverse numbers like “Greenbud on the Flower” (a song about cabin fever) and “Leave the Bottle”, which was written by Langlais about being away from the ones you love for long periods of time while on the road. The free-spirited nature of the band’s members running on the proverbial “treadmill of life” is what inspired Greer to write “Up the Ladder”. Another song from the road, “Lawdog”, sung and written by Barker in the manner of Jimmy Martin, is relatable to to anyone that inevitably gets pulled over while trying to make good time traveling. “Four Miles”, written by Britt, is the only instrumental track. What bluegrass album would be complete without its share of love and cheatin’ songs? Town Mountain holds this tradition, while adding funny twists to the story with Langlais’ double murder ballad “Away From Home”.

Thanks to their relatable, unforgettable lyrics along with their arresting stage presence and swagger, Town Mountain manages to rise above the seemingly bottomless canyon of bluegrass bands touring today and, inevitably, they will be traveling close to you sometime soon!

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The Duhks play Pisgah Brewing on Friday, October 7th– Dehlia Low opens!

THE DUHKS:
The most vital acoustic music being made today acknowledges its predecessors and lives in the here and now. The Duhks, a band of five skilled, high-energy, tattooed musicians from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has been riveting audiences and winning staunch fans around the world with just that kind of music. The Boston Globe says about them, “Canada’s premier neo-tradsters romp from world-beat to blues, urban-pop to old-timey, with wild-eyed invention, haunting traditionalism, and spine-rattling groove. Who says the Frozen North can’t sizzle, eh?”  www.duhks.com

Since the release of their self-titled album in 2005, the consequent re-release of its Canadian debut (Your Daughters and Your Sons) to their most recent release (Fast Paced World), the band has won admirers as diverse as David Crosby, Dolly Parton and Doc Watson. This isn’t surprising, given the band’s blend of soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old-time country string-band music, zydeco and Irish dance music, folk rock and the attraction of these interwoven acoustic styles. The Duhks’ unique sound has also earned the band a Grammy nomination, one Juno Award, two additional Juno nominations, two Folk Alliance awards and an Americana Music Association nomination for Best Emerging Artists.

DEHLIA LOW:
Dehlia Low’s vocal harmony and instrumentation reflect a deep connection to traditional music with modern arrangements and relevant, smart songwriting. The band combines their gripping, rustic-flavored vocal style with instrumental prowess. Performing original songs that feel at once both old and new, the band is rooted in bluegrass while pushing their sound into Americana, Roots Country, and Folk, true to their southern Appalachian roots.  www.dehlialow.com

SPACE CAPONE:
Space Capone highly danceable, ’70s-style grooves and thrift store retro style! www.spacecapone.com

Show details at a glance

The Duhks w/ Dehlia Low
Pisgah Brewing Inside Taproom
Friday, October 7th

Fri., 10/7/11 — The Duhks w/Dehlia Low and Late Night w/Space Capone
Inside Taproom
Door 6:30 PM/Show Time 7:30 PM
Tickets: $15
Ticket Purchase – https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/198082

828-669-0190
150 Eastside Drive
Black Mountain, NC 28711
http://www.pisgahbrewing.com

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Larry Keel and Natural Bridge play the Capital Ale House in Richmond on Friday, April 13rd!

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge head back though Richmond, VA to play the Capital Ale House on Friday April 22nd, 2011.

Style Weekly did a nice preview stating, “Sporting the wildest mutton chop sideburns since Ambrose Burnside, flat picker Larry Keel plays bluegrass Americana that exhibits the kind of technical mastery of acoustic guitar only time can provide. Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the veteran player and songwriter — alongside his band, Natural Bridge — has remained a much-respected fixture of the Appalachian musical tradition. With the kind of gruff vocal delivery that could take Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder by surprise…”

Listen in to a wonderful interview podcast with Larry and Jenny Keel on Eternal JamNation here: http://eternaljamnationradio.com/shows/LarryandJennyKeel.mp3

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