Tag: Chris Jones and the Night Drivers

You Gotta Hear This: Eddie Barbash, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Saxophone, mountain dulcimer, mandolins, banjos – what else could you need? Our weekly new music roundup is here!

Today, we complete our mini-series with saxophonist Eddie Barbash with a video for “Fort Smith Breakdown,” an old-time fiddle tune performed exquisitely by Barbash on sax in a lovely, natural setting. You can find links to watch all four of Barbash’s live performance videos from his upcoming project Larkspur, below. On the other end of the roots instrument continuum, perhaps the South’s most accomplished and technical mountain dulcimer player Sarah Kate Morgan teams up with fiddler Leo Shannon on a new album, Featherbed, out today. To celebrate, we’re sharing their track “Belle of Lexington,” which they first sourced from a Library of Congress recording made in 1941 before crafting their own arrangement.

Bluegrass stalwarts Chris Jones & the Night Drivers offer a delightful play on words with “Under Over,” a song Jones wrote with broadcaster-songwriter Terry Herd. The uptempo, straight-ahead bluegrass single is available today wherever you stream music. Jones’ labelmate, mandolinist and singer-songwriter Ashby Frank, also launches a new single today. “Mr. Engineer” is a Jimmy Martin and Paul Williams classic that Frank has performed for years, but only just recorded for the first time.

Alt-Americana rockers Keyland release their new EP today, so don’t miss the title track to Stand Up To You below. As you’ll hear, this soulful Oklahoman outfit blend so many roots genres together into a melting pot style all their own. Singer-songwriter Jon Danforth then takes us just across the state line to Arkansas with his new single, “Arkansas Sunrise,” which will be included on his upcoming 2026 album, Natural State. Dripping with childhood memories and nostalgia, it’s an homage to his home state and its moniker, from which he pulled the title of the new LP.

Plus, don’t miss the new music video for a just-released single from singer-songwriter Abby Hamilton “Fried Green Tomatoes” was inspired by a line uttered by Idgie Threadgoode of the novel (and film) Fried Green Tomatoes. The vibey country-folk track explores relationships and friendships – and the parts of ourselves we display or keep hidden away.

There’s plenty to explore and enjoy from all corners of the roots music landscape! You Gotta Hear This…

Eddie Barbash, “Fort Smith Breakdown”

Artist: Eddie Barbash
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Fort Smith Breakdown”
Album: Larkspur
Release Date: November 28, 2025 (The album will be released one song at a time with the last track coming out Nov. 28).

In Their Words: “I learned ‘Fort Smith Breakdown’ from a great Floyd, Virginia, old-time fiddler named Earl White. My favorite old-time guitarist Danny Knicely was playing with him at the time and called it ‘that tune that goes to the 4 all of a sudden.’ This practice of adding or dropping beats in unexpected places is one of my favorite things about the old-time tradition. Four of the nine tunes that I chose for Larkspur are ‘crooked’ like this. We made this recording on a trail through the Larkspur Conservation area’s natural burial ground. After two days on the grounds, I’m completely sold on natural burial. I’d much rather feed the forest and donate my body to the preservation of wild land than to rot alone in a concrete box under a lifeless lawn.” – Eddie Barbash

(Editor’s Note: Watch all the videos in our mini-series with Eddie Barbash here, here, and here.)

Jon Danforth, “Arkansas Sunrise”

Artist: Jon Danforth
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Song: “Arkansas Sunrise”
Album: Natural State
Release Date: October 24, 2025 (single); January 23, 2026 (album)

In Their Words: “‘Arkansas Sunrise’ is about the countless, lazy Saturday mornings I’ve spent in my home state with family and friends. Arkansas is a beautiful state and a wonderful place to be, especially in the fall when the hot temperatures finally drop. There is nothing better than waking up to cool weather, leaves changing, and bacon crackling alongside the people you love. My goal was to capture that warmth and nostalgia in a song that hopefully honors my home state.” – Jon Danforth

Track Credits: 
Jon Danforth – Vocals, acoustic guitar, songwriter
Will Carmack – Bass
Aaron Carpenter – Drums, percussion
Bobby Orozco – Piano
Melissa Cox – Fiddle
Hannah Brooks – Background vocals

Ashby Frank, “Mr. Engineer”

Artist: Ashby Frank
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Mr. Engineer”
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I started performing this Jimmy Martin and Paul Williams classic on stage with Mashville Brigade years ago and recently started adding it to the set list of my Yachtgrass band’s shows. I have wanted to record it since I started singing it live and I am so proud of the finished product. I just love the old-school vibe and super lonesome content of the lyrics and melody, and of course Matt Menefee (banjo) and Jim VanCleve (fiddle) added some wicked and bluesy solos that made the whole track gel. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!” – Ashby Frank

Track Credits:
Ashby Frank – Mandolin, lead vocal, harmony vocal
Seth Taylor – Acoustic guitar
Travis Anderson – Upright bass
Matt Menefee – Banjo
Jim VanCleve – Fiddle
Jaelee Roberts – Harmony vocal

Abby Hamilton, “Fried Green Tomatoes”

Artist: Abby Hamilton
Hometown: Nicholasville, Kentucky
Song: “Fried Green Tomatoes”
Release Date: October 24, 2025

In Their Words: “‘I’m as settled as I’ll ever be’ is the line from Idgie Threadgoode in Fried Green Tomatoes that inspired this song. It’s about the inner dialogue in relationships and friendships as you never show the world what you question from within. The world sees you as secure and confident, which you very well may be in some ways, but inside you feel a sense of doubt that no one else knows. Maybe just the most intimate of friendships or relationships get questioned. That in whatever you’re carrying on about inside or out, it’s still ‘look at those fried green tomatoes’ in the middle of ‘she’s trying to teach me how to cook.’ Chaos and joy and confusion. You can be all out of sorts about whatever’s in your brain and it’s still just ‘fried green tomatoes.’ The right person will make you laugh and ground you, remind you that you’re not so alone.” – Abby Hamilton

Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, “Under Over”

Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Under Over”
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I have no idea where the phrase ‘file it under over’ came from; it was just one of those things that popped into my head one day. Aside from the play on words, I just got to thinking about the idea of filing something away for good, whether it be a bad relationship or an addiction of some kind, and I pictured a file with ‘over’ on the tab. I’ve been friends with songwriter and bluegrass broadcaster Terry Herd for many years and he’s written all sorts of award-winning and hit bluegrass songs with a range of writers. But we had never written one together and it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. We discussed the song concept together when I was at his house in Nashville and we got right to work on it. He was the one who came up with the phrase ‘in a little box of pain,’ which I think is my favorite part of the song. The uptempo, straight-ahead bluegrass feel really fit with the uplifting feeling of filing something negative away and moving on.” – Chris Jones

Track Credits:
Chris Jones – Acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Jon Weisberger – Bass
Mark Stoffel – Mandolin, harmony vocal
Grace van’t Hof – Banjo, harmony vocal
Tony Creasman – Drums
Carley Arrowood – Fiddle

Keyland, “Stand Up To You”

Artist: Keyland
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Song: “Stand Up To You”
Album: Stand Up To You (EP)
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Label: One Riot

In Their Words: “I’m hoping this song feels like you’ve heard it before and you can’t remember where or from whom. I think most of my favorite music has this effect on me – whether it’s from 1965 or 2025. When I listen to music like this, I feel like I’ve known it forever. And not in a redundant, boring sense, but in a way that feels as though that particular song has just always existed in some deeper, elusive but still tangible reality. Like you’ve always known it, but you can’t exactly remember how.

“I’m unsure if we’ve actually accomplished that, but hopefully it is somewhat close. I also love music that makes you feel like you are in the same room as the artist. I think live-tracked recordings have a lot to do with this particular effect, so we leaned into that with this song – as well as a few others on this EP. I was listening to a lot of Ray Charles, Stones, and Faces (and will always be) when I wrote this one, so I’d guess that will come through as well. In the words of Taylor Goldsmith, ‘Anyone that’s making anything new only breaks something else…'” – Kyle Ross

Sarah Kate Morgan & Leo Shannon, “Belle of Lexington”

Artist: Sarah Kate Morgan & Leo Shannon
Hometown: Hindman, Kentucky (Sarah Kate); Whitesburg, Kentucky (Leo)
Song: “Belle of Lexington”
Album: Featherbed
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Label: June Appal Recordings

In Their Words: “This is a very old fiddle tune which I learned as a teenager in my mom’s living room in Seattle, Washington. The source is a recording of fiddler Emmet Lundy made by the Library of Congress in Galax, Virginia, in 1941. (Many thanks to the Slippery Hill archive for facilitating this transmission.) Eighty-four years later, our performance of the tune was recorded live at The Burl in Lexington, Kentucky, by the intrepid Nick Petersen. We dedicate this track to all the beautiful people in all the Lexingtons around the world.” – Leo Shannon

Photo Credit: Eddie Barbash by Jeremy Stanley; Chris Jones & the Night Drivers by Brooke Stevens.

You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Liam St. John with Molly Tuttle, the Faux Paws, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Hop aboard another edition of our weekly roundup of new music and premieres!

This time, we’re grabbing a ride on a Greyhound with blues rocker Liam St. John and Molly Tuttle for a special live performance video of “Greyhound Bus Blues” that’s a truly lovely roots duet. There are a few more stops for this bus, though, so hold on! Next, the Faux Paws take us to New York City and while that city (never) sleeps they cover Jimmy Martin’s “Night,” a new single and video, shot by Dylan Ladds.

Trad bluegrass innovators Chris Jones & the Night Drivers turn a familiar idiom on its head with “Plenty Ventured,” their latest single which drops today. And, Jones’ fellow Canadian Jadea Kelly brings an endlessly smooth and soulful original Americana song that sets a peaceful and calm tone for the weekend, entitled “Friday.” It’s a special track you can find on the deluxe issue of her most recent album, Weather Girl.

Don’t miss up-and-coming bluegrass and folk string band the Wilder Flower from the mountain-y portions of the North and South Carolina line. They close out our round-up this week bringing us back to Molly Tuttle, who with Jon Weisberger wrote “Every Time the Rain Comes Pouring Down.” The Wilder Flower successfully make the song their own.

It’s a perfect musical journey, all right here on BGS. You know what you gotta do? You Gotta Hear This!

The Faux Paws, “Night”

Artist: The Faux Paws
Hometown: Springfield, Vermont
Song: “Night”
Album: No Bad Ideas
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Label: Great Bear Records / Free Dirt

In Their Words: “When Andrew unearthed this great Jimmy Martin tune we all knew the groove hidden within would be well-served by our treatment. It slaps from the first note. We linked up with great filmmaker Dylan Ladds and all decided to head to New York to shoot this video. Jimmy may not have been thinking about ‘night’ in the city that never sleeps, but we love how open the lyrics of this song are and sometimes the loneliest place being surrounded by 23 million people, right?

“We’re really excited to release this along with the single from our upcoming record and tour all spring and summer to some of our favorite towns and festivals!” – Chris Miller, banjo, sax

Video Credits: Dylan Ladds, Filmed at Epiphany Recording Studios, Long Island City, New York.

Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, “Plenty Ventured”

Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Plenty Ventured”
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “This twist on the old proverb ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ popped into my head pretty much out of the blue. The idea of putting too much effort or resources into a lost cause is certainly relatable, whether it’s in love or work or some other part of life. We’ve all been there at some point or another. Once I started working on it, it lent itself to a bluesy feel, and it really clicked for us in the studio. Mark Stoffel came up with the little melodic variation that starts the song.” – Chris Jones

Track Credits:
Chris Jones – Acoustic guitar, lead vocal, harmony vocal
Mark Stoffel – Mandolin
Grace van’t Hof – Banjo, harmony vocal
Marshall Wilborn – Bass
Carly Arrowood – Fiddle 

Jadea Kelly, “Friday”

Artist: Jadea Kelly
Hometown: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Friday”
Album: Weather Girl (deluxe)
Release Date: October 12, 2024 (album); April 11, 2025 (deluxe release)

In Their Words: “This is a very simple, feel-good song about staying in and doing absolutely nothing on a Friday night. Since removing alcohol from my life two-and-a-half years ago and entering my late thirties, the weekend has a different mood and intention. It’s sacred, quiet, and filled with self-care. I also feel that the pandemic forcibly reintroduced us to home time in a new way. And I love it!” – Jadea Kelly

Track Credits:
Jadea Kelly – Vocals, songwriting
Peter Von Althen – Drums
Jim Bryson – Production, instrumentation

Liam St. John, “Greyhound Bus Blues” (featuring Molly Tuttle)

Artist: Liam St. John
Song: “Greyhound Bus Blues” (featuring Molly Tuttle)
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Label: Big Loud Rock

In Their Words: “Life as an artist is beautiful. It is unpredictable, it is incredibly fulfilling, and it is full of highs and lows. But there are moments in your career as an artist that act as pillars of affirmation. Moments that let you know you’re on the right track. For me, there are a few pillars: The first time I played a headline show where the crowd screamed every lyric with me. When I signed to Big Loud records. When I found out Molly Tuttle was going to feature on my song ‘Greyhound Bus Blues.’

“When I got the call that Molly was going to feature on this song, I could hardly believe it. I’m such a fan of her work and I admire her so much as a songwriter, singer, and musician. She elevates ‘Greyhound Bus Blues’ to another level with her world-class flat-picking and GRAMMY-winning bluegrass vocals. Collaborating with Molly, both in the studio and for the live recording, was a master class in combining professionalism and adoration of music.” – Liam St. John

Video Credit: Sean O’Halloran

The Wilder Flower, “Every Time the Rain Comes Pouring Down”

Artist: The Wilder Flower
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina / Pickens, South Carolina
Song: “Every Time the Rain Comes Pouring Down”
Release Date: April 13, 2025

In Their Words: “As a group of developing songwriters, we couldn’t be more proud to release a song written by two distinctive stylists and heroes of ours. It blurs genre and generational lines, with the feel of fiddling ballads and bluegrass rhythm that colors our group. It’s a deeply emotional number that we connected with after the first listen. We’d like to thank Jon Weisberger and Molly Tuttle for the opportunity to take their work & make it our own.” – Danielle Yother

Photo Credit: The Faux Paws by Dylan Ladds; Liam St. John and Molly Tuttle courtesy of the artist.

LISTEN: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, “Groundhog’s Retreat”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Groundhog’s Retreat”
Album: Make Each Second Last
Release Date: October 15, 2021
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Instrumentals I write are often ones that would serve as song melodies, too, if they had words, and that’s the case here. I wrote it on the guitar, but envisioned it as a mandolin tune, so I wanted to bring in Mark Stoffel to join in the composition and take it in that direction.” — Chris Jones

“Chris presented me the idea for an instrumental co-write on ‘Groundhog Day,’ which is an important day in the Stoffel household because we get to watch our all-time favorite movie. Need I say the title? In any case, I loved the melody and the structure of the tune …. and to be honest, I didn’t have to add much to it, just a few minor tweaks. But I do take full credit for the title!” — Mark Stoffel

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

12 Essential Songs by Tom T. & Miss Dixie Hall

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

She was a trick-riding horsewoman born and raised in England; he, an Army veteran born in the foothills of Appalachia. Together, they were one of the most important songwriting duos of bluegrass, country, and American roots music as a whole. This year, they were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame together, following his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. If y’all don’t know the music — and impact — of Tom T. & Miss Dixie Hall, it’s time you do. Here’s a 12-song primer that attempts to scratch the surface of their far-reaching influence.

“Truck Drivin’ Son Of A Gun” — Dave Dudley, co-written by Miss Dixie

Co-written by Miss Dixie Deen (before she became a Hall), this single, released by Dave Dudley in 1965, reached #3 on the US country charts. It earned a BMI award; Dixie and Tom T. met at that awards banquet. The rest is history.

“Fox On The Run” — Tom T. Hall

An absolute classic. Tom T. brought bluegrass to country radio in 1976, when this track reached #9 on the Billboard charts. Just one stellar track on an entire album of top-shelf bluegrass that included appearances by J.D. Crowe, Donna Stoneman, Bill Monroe, Bobby Thompson, and so many more.

“Washed My Face In The Morning Dew” — Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, written by Tom T. Hall

Recorded the year before “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Tom T.’s first top 40 hit is still going strong, relevant as ever 51 years later. “The rich got richer and the poor got poor, and to me it just didn’t seem right.”

Here’s a version by one of country’s favorite duos of all time, Porter and Dolly.

“Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine” — Tom T. Hall

“Old Dogs” was Tom T.’s third #1 hit as an artist. Charlie Sizemore, who followed Keith Whitley as Ralph Stanley’s lead singer, led an all-star cast on an entire album of Tom T.’s songs, including this one, in 2002.


“I Flew Over Our House Last Night” — Tom T. Hall

“So close, yet so far away,” Tom T. laments, whimsically, being 30,000 feet above the one he loves as he flies over home. This one has been covered by everyone from Balsam Range to Joe Henry.

“Leaving Baker County” — Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

There’s a sardonic glee in the chorus, leaving Baker County and the woes described herein. “I never did think much of Baker County, and every mile I’m thinking of it less.”

“A Hero In Harlan” — Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

A somber story of a little brother coming home to Harlan the one way all military families fear — in a flag-draped casket. But Tom T. and Dixie don’t glamorize or sensationalize the story, as songs on this subject matter often do. They (and Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, who first recorded the song) tell it real, raw, and relevantly.

“Lessons In Stone” — Longview, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

A 1990s bluegrass supergroup, Longview’s original members included Dudley Connell, Glen Duncan, James King, Joe Mullins, Don Rigsby, and Marshall Wilborn. Woof. Dudley, Don, and Glen give the buttery three-part on the chorus.

“Our Little World” — Darin and Brooke Aldridge, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

The way Tom T. & Miss Dixie tell it (via Darin and Brooke), you really can have it all, without needing much.

“Pretty Green Hills” — Tom T. Hall, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

These two could write a story song like almost no one else can. The level of detail might seem mundane, but with such deft pens, these two make the little things seem integral — important, minute colors and shades that make the whole picture shine.

“Someone Made the Sandals Jesus Wore” — Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

Paul Williams, a fellow Bluegrass Hall of Famer inducted with Tom T. & Dixie this year, sings this gospel tune with the Victory Trio. It’s a simple, but incredibly poignant message: there really is no contribution, talent, or skill that’s too small or insignificant to positively impact the lives of others.

“Somewhere In Kentucky Tonight” — Tom T. Hall, written by Tom T. & Miss Dixie

When Tom T. recorded this song on Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T., that project was a Christmas gift to his wife. His Christmas card to Dixie promised:

“We’ll record in our studio; you choose the songs and the pickers. You produce and I’ll do songs we have written together. Local and Pal will handle (canine) security. We will call the project TOM T. HALL SINGS MISS DIXIE & TOM T. Merry Christmas! Love, T.”

And if that beautiful sentiment doesn’t capture their love perfectly, the song itself truly does. What a pair. Hall of Famers, indeed.

Photo courtesy of IBMA 
Jon Weisberger and Justin Hiltner contributed to this piece. 

MIXTAPE: Jon Weisberger

Posted on by Editor

If the name Jon Weisberger doesn’t immediately ring a bell, it soon will…. this Renaissance man of the bluegrass world is a well-respected bassist for Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, music writer for Nashville Scene and The Tennessean, and IBMA Vice Chair, amongst other various roles in the industry (another recent addition to his resume is winner of IBMA’s 2012 Songwriter of the Year Award).  And now he can add his role as the latest addition to The Bluegrass Situation team.  Starting this month, Jon will be dispensing his wealth of wisdom in a monthly editorial column, waxing poetic on any variety of topical subject and music history.

We’re thrilled to have Jon on board, and thought we would introduce him to Sitch readers by having him curate our latest MIXTAPE.  And as if we needed any more convincing, our suspicions were confirmed:  the man’s got damn good taste…

Track:   Roll Muddy River
Artist:  Osborne Brothers

‘My friend Amber Digby, a great honky tonk singer whose dad played with the Osborne Brothers back in the 70s, is working on putting together a tribute to Bobby and Sonny, so I’ve been listening to a lot of their stuff lately.  But honestly, I listen to a lot of their stuff pretty regularly.  Bobby makes the most bad-ass singing look effortless.’

 

Track:  The Game That I Can Win
Artist:  Lonesome River Band

‘One of the things I love about bluegrass is the longevity of careers.  You can go see folks who were making music professionally back before JFK was elected President, and a lot of them are still at the top of their games.  Tim Austin, a founding member and leader of the Lonesome River Band until he quit in the mid-90s, put up a bunch of videos of the early 90s edition of the band—Tim, Sammy Shelor, Ronnie Bowman and Dan Tyminski—a while ago; this is a great reminder of how killer—and how influential—these guys were a couple of decades ago and still are today.’

 

Track:  Pea Soup Reel
Artist:  Don Messer

‘I spent a couple of years playing with a fabulous Ottawa Valley fiddler, stepdancer and singer, April Verch, and came away from it a fan of Canadian fiddle styles—and I was already a fan of the glorious quirkiness of musicians from back in the days before people started making up rules.  Here’s a band with twin fiddles and drums, a piano, a 5-string banjo and a soprano sax, playing a good old fiddle tune made for dancing—and sure enough, the dancing is sensational.   I just found this recently and can’t stop watching.’

 

Track:  On My Mind
Artist:  Harley Allen/Mike Lilly Band

‘Harley Allen, who passed away about a year and a half ago, is pretty well known in the country world as a great songwriter, but a lot of bluegrass folks think that he was an even better singer, and I’m one of them.  Mike Lilly plays some powerful banjo on this—the chordal thumb stuff in his break is amazing—and sings some stout lead on the choruses, but Harley’s vocals make you forget about everything else.  He had a style of ornamentation and phrasing that was simultaneously unexpected and exactly right; it never sounded premeditated, and it never sounded wrong.’

 

Track:  He Ain’t Never Done Me Nothin’ But Good
Artist:  The Isaacs

Track:  More Than A Hammer And Nails
Artist:  The Staples Singers

‘Gospel music is one of the great meeting grounds of southern popular music.  I love that, as different as these two sensational performances are, they have just three chords between them—not to mention a feeling of joy that’s unmistakably real and more than a little contagious.’

 

 

You can check out Jon’s editorial column every month exclusively at The Sitch beginning next week.