Tag: Mountain Home Music Company

WATCH: Unspoken Tradition, “Cold Mountain Town”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Unspoken Tradition
Hometown: Western North Carolina
Song: “Cold Mountain Town”
Album: Myths We Tell Our Young
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “For the album Myths We Tell Our Young, we explore themes of mountain culture and how it is evolving. There is no better example than Asheville, North Carolina. I’ve lived and played music in this city for over 25 years and watched it change and grow while still holding strong to its rich Appalachian music culture. This song is dedicated to artists that continue to struggle and survive in this ‘Cold Mountain Town.'” — Ty Gilpin, Unspoken Tradition songwriter, mandolin player, and vocalist

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: The Grascals Are “Callin’ Your Name”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

If you haven’t gotten your fix of straight up bluegrass today, stop what you’re doing and check out new music from bluegrass pillars The Grascals. In late August the band released their most recent album, Straighten the Curves, on Mountain Home Music Company.

No stranger to the bluegrass limelight, the Grascals have now released eleven full-length albums, building a reputation of excellence on their tight vocal sound and traditional writing style. Accompanying the album is the music video for “Callin’ Your Name,” a catchy number led by newcomer-to-the-band Chris Davis, who proves himself as a strong vocalist and stout lead guitar player, injecting some fine flatpicking into the Grascals’ refreshed but classic sound. 

Photo credit: Kim Lancaster Brantley

WATCH: Sideline, “Return to Windy Mountain”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Sideline
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Song: “Return to Windy Mountain”
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘Return To Windy Mountain’ has a story that any full-time entertainer can relate to. Based on the life of [Kentucky Music and West Virginia Music] Hall-of-Famer Melvin Goins, it talks of a musician that got sucked into the lifestyle at an early age. He left home and everything he’d known to follow his dream. He travels the world, propelled by his love for music, but finds that his mind keeps drifting back to his homeland and all that he loved and left. Knowing that he is destined to spend the rest of his life on the road, he still makes his goal to finally return home for his final rest.

“While we love what we do, we all sacrifice so much for this life and we couldn’t do it without the support of our families. This song definitely hits home, and I feel like it comes out in the music and the arrangement.” — Skip Cherryholmes, Sideline

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Sideline

WATCH: Jon Stickley Trio, “Animate Object”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jon Stickley Trio
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “Animate Object”
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘Animate Object’ is the trio’s current theme song. At heart, it’s a little flatpicking tune to have fun with, but we’ve rhythmically turned it on its head like we like to do. This video was shot in three different locations with deep significance to us. The World Famous Station Inn represents our love and respect for our bluegrass roots. Spirit of the Suwannee is where our band was born, and where we thankfully return every year to connect with that spirit and experience rebirth under the live oaks. And finally, the [Caverns and] Bluegrass Underground symbolize the deep, introspective dive we’ve taken into ourselves in search of the meaning of our music and where it is coming from. This track is the next step in a never-ending evolutionary journey that is the Jon Stickley Trio.” — Jon Stickley

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: The Gina Furtado Project, “The First Pebble”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Gina Furtado Project
Hometown: Front Royal, Virginia
Song: “The First Pebble”
Album: I Hope You Have a Good Life
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I Hope You Have a Good Life is full of experiences of my own life that, together, amount to my pursuit of and theories on how to achieve happiness. Isn’t that the end goal for us all? The songs are my attempt at packaging these theories within common, everyday experiences of tribulation and victory. ‘The First Pebble’ is about the stunning joy of reaching rock bottom only to discover one’s own resilience and strength. It has been so empowering to slowly begin to realize that the ‘worst case scenarios’ are always incredible resources for growth. I hope ‘The First Pebble’ will remind someone of that when they need it!” — Gina Furtado

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: John Bowman, “Silverthorn Mountain”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: John Bowman
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee
Song: “Silverthorn Mountain”
Album: The Hole
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Last summer, some friends and I were rehearsing for a show at the Wilson County Fair. He said, ‘Let’s do “Silverthorn Mountain.”‘ I knew Merle Haggard had written it and it was a good song. I told my buddy that I was thinking about recording it, and I’m glad I did. I love this simple song about a man who has a checkered past and the piece of land that brings him so much joy and peace. The song also shows Haggard’s love of country and the fact that he received a second chance at life. This is the first ‘bluegrass’ song I’ve cut since the last CD I made with the Boxcars.” — John Bowman

Photo courtesy of Mountain Home Music Company

LISTEN: Fireside Collective, “She Was an Angel”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Fireside Collective
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “She Was an Angel”
Release Date: September 6, 2019 (single)
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘She Was an Angel’ is a song about losing someone you love and seeing them fall into a bad crowd. On the surface, it deals with the emotional repercussions of watching someone sliding down a troubled path. It also explores the feelings of being rejected and left behind, while also hoping for some intervention or circumstance where the one who’s leaving realizes they are on a dark path and turns it around. The music begins as a contemporary bluegrass song which takes a sudden journey into unknown territory during the bridge. The bridge is supposed to serve as the symbolic struggle of the lost lover, and eventually culminates in the realization that it’s time to move on.” — Jesse Iaquinto, vocalist and mandolinist

Photo credit: Heather Hambor

WATCH: Jeremy Garrett, “I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jeremy Garrett
Hometown: Loveland, Colorado
Song: “I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down”
Album: Circles
Label: Organic Records

In Their Words: “‘I Can’t Lay Your Lovin’ Down’ was a song that I co-wrote with Jon Weisberger and Josh Shilling. I just loved the vibe of the tune and how it fit with my style, so I decided to record it on my upcoming solo release, Circles. I blend guitar, mandolin and fiddle with a looper to create this arrangement for the song. Conner Pannell shot the video for me and I love how he captured this song. All of it was shot in the studio, partly while tracking and in-between takes.” — Jeremy Garrett

Photo credit: J.Mimna Photography

STREAM: Lonesome River Band, ‘Outside Looking In’

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Lonesome River Band
Hometown: Floyd, Virginia
Album: Outside Looking In
Release Date: May 24, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “We are so excited about this new release! It is a diverse mixture of great songs that we tried to deliver in our traditional, yet edgy approach. We feel there is something here for every listener — without changing our ‘Lonesome River Band approach.’ We hope everyone will enjoy this project as much as we enjoyed recording it.” — Lonesome River Band vocalist/guitarist Brandon Rickman

Photo credit: Anthony Ladd

LISTEN: The Cleverlys, “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Cleverlys
Hometown: Cane Spur, Arkansas
Song: “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”
Album: Blue
Release Date: March 22, 2019
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “On the surface, ‘Blue’ is about a guy that lives in a blue world and everything around him is blue. But the educated mind that can mentally peel back the layers of status quo existence can find the hidden meaning behind the song. And that is to stay hydrated.” –Digger Cleverly

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither