Town Mountain

is a bluegrass band based in Asheville, North Carolina. This young quintet is just what bluegrass and roots country need to bridge the gap between them and push forward. What really defines Town Mountain's sound is their repertoire of original music that seamlessly fuses the two styles of music that have influenced them most. The influence of the first generation bluegrass masters such as Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin and the Stanley Brothers, as well as that of early country legends like George Jones and Merle Haggard, are apparent in the band's sound.
Town Mountain has enthralled audiences from Georgia to Maine, and from Black Mountain, North Carolina to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thank you for taking the time to listen to us and look at our material. We look forward to playing your venue or event!

Buddy Greene and Jeff Taylor

Buddy Greene brings a wide variety of traditional American influences to his music, from country and bluegrass to folk, gospel and traditional blues. In addition to his solid reputation as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Buddy has established himself as one
of Nashville 's finest harmonica stylists, having played on the recordings of artists and friends like Jerry Reed, Charlie Peacock, Riders in the Sky, Bela Fleck, and many others.

For his 2002 release, “RUFUS”, Buddy invited an all-star cast of payers and singers - Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Ron Block, Chuck Leavell, Kenny Malone, Byron House, and Ashley Cleveland, among others, to join him for an in-studio pickin' party. Bluegrass , blues, old-time gospel, even The Beatles, all got into the mix. Says Buddy, "On “RUFUS” I just wanted to have fun with some really talented friends, play a bunch of old and new songs I never get tired of playing, and remember why I ever wanted to be a musician in the first place." “RUFUS” was chosen as one of the Top 10 Bluegrass recordings of 2002 by the Chicago Tribune. traditional hymns masterfully performed on harmonica.

Bluegrass Alliance

The band name Bluegrass Alliance has been well known for 30 years. During that time, the band included people like Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Dan Crary, Courtney Johnson, Curtis Burch, Danny Jones, and Garland Shuping. The Alliance developed quite a large following through the years and recorded nine albums. They worked from the East Coast to the Rockies at every major festival, at colleges, clubs, and state fairs, and they performed at the Grand Ole Opry more than ten times.

Their music has always been a radical departure from the norm in bluegrass. In the decade of the '70s their innovative musical arrangements, choice of material, and contemporary appearance challenged the old established traditions. The original incarnations lasted until 1978, and in 1998 a new Alliance was formed. As has always been the case, each member brings his or her own unique style and sound to the group. It's the same group, just different members. In fact, this may be the most solid and versatile Bluegrass Alliance yet. In honor of their reunion, they've appropriately titled their new project "Re - Alliance." Located in Georgia, the new Bluegrass Alliance has been developing a new following in the southeast. They've been working steadily at a variety of venues including clubs, concerts, outdoor parks, and festivals.

Current members include band leader and banjoist Barry Palmer, guitarist and front man Johnny Martin, Tom Hicks on mandolin, Chuck Nation of fiddle, and La Rita Buchanan on bass. "Re-Alliance" offers updated recordings of several past Alliance triumphs and balances them with tunes that are new to the group.

Sun, Dec
16th

Mandolin Workshop With

Don Stiernberg

Don Stiernberg will be hosting a mandolin workshop
from 2PM thru 4 PM. Anyone with an interest in the Mandolin can't afford to miss this opportunity to attend a workshop by one of the greatest teachers of modern
times.

Stiernberg has been a fixture on the Chicago music scene for two decades, mostly as a sideman and studio musician and in bluegrass settings with bands such as Special Consensus. Though his teacher and mentor was the great jazz picker and comedian Jethro Burns, Stiernberg is no Burns clone. Certainly Stiernberg internalized Burns' techniques and vocabulary, and even if the majority of his repertoire is drawn from the same classic Tin Pan Alley standards that Burns employed, Stiernberg's improvising is a never-ending stream of riveting ideas that are distinctively his own.

Unlike many players who make swing and mainstream jazz their home base, Stiernberg eschews the tendency to lay just behind the beat, preferring instead to ride the front edge of the rhythmic wave set in motion by his exquisite group. Every phrase was imbued with melody, never relying on novelty or flash. And when Stiernberg was playing a ballad, the occasional moments of melancholy could not obscure the sense of joy at the core of his playing.

Chicago meets Low Country Jazz

Tony Williamson, Don Stiernberg , Jeff Autry, Ben Tucker

A once in a lifetime chance to see and hear two world class mandolin masters Tony Williamson and Don Stiernberg , along with the blazing guitar wizard Jeff Autry and the ever popular and dynamic bassist "world famous Ben Tucker - and evening that you won't forget.

Tony Williamson and Jeff Autry

Tony was born in rural Randolph County, North Carolina, to a family of farmers, woodworkers and self-taught musicians who settled that area in the late 1700s. His grandfather made his own instruments (his personal banjo is in the North Carolina Museum of History) and inspired his grandchildren to play music.

From his home in Siler City, North Carolina, Tony runs Mandolin Central, dealing in vintage instruments as well as those made by some of the top contemporary luthiers.

Not content to limit his field of musical expertise to Bluegrass, Tony has performed with symphony orchestras and has presented programs at the conventions of the Classical Mandolin Society of America. He has released at least five really fine CDs, both as a soloist and with his brother Gary as a duo, and is an in-demand studio musician for albums produced by many others.

Jeff Autry

Making his name off the Bluegrass '96, '97, and '98 series (as well as '99), Jeff Autry has ventured out from the band and stepped up to front his own band. With his hot guitar always the lead, with the vocals coming a close second, Jeff Autry belts out the words both vocally and instrumentally.

"Julie" is a bluegrass spectacular, containing the bounce and edge of a well-developed pop song, and the tingle of a great bluegrass number, this one will make you sing along in glee while you're dancing up a storm to the bluegrass rumble contained note to note.

And although the outstanding track ("Julie") comes early on, and Jeff never really rekindles the kind of excitement you get from this number on his others, he still manages to keep you entertained from the instrumentals of "Wild Julio" and "Europa" to songs like "Avalon" and "Please Search our Heart."

Dailey & Vincent

The most eagerly-anticipated bluegrass debut in recent memory, Dailey & Vincent introduces a powerful new ensemble steeped in bluegrass and country music traditions, but blessed with the drive, talent, and charisma to assert those timeless values proudly onto today's stage. Co-leaders Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent have already had a profound impact on much of the best modern bluegrass via their contributions to such estimable performers as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. Stepping out on their own for the first time, Dailey & Vincent make breathtaking music that seamlessly connects country music's roots in brother duet singing to its future in exhilarating, full-throttle bluegrass - without ever sacrificing heart, sincerity, and soul.

"Even before one note of their stunning record had been heard, the pair earned a standing ovation at the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association convention and were booked for more than 100 shows. Now that the album is here, the advance accolades are completely understandable. This is music that can stand side by side with any of the most revered bluegrass discs ever made." - from the liner notes by Robert K. Oermann

Missy Raines

Workshop

Limited to 20 individuals.

Don't miss the chance to study with one of the best !

Missy Raines & the new hip

Joining Missy are young lions Michael Witcher, Megan McCormick and Ethan Ballinger and seasoned pro David Heyer. These players have the chops to travel the challenging territory Missy maps out like it’s a walk in the park.

Missy Raines and the New Hip have been in the studio recording their first CD. Look for the album release early next year.

What's the source of the New Hip sound? According to Missy:

"...I once had a dream about the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, Pop master Joe Jackson and Jazz giant Ray Brown. They were like...friends. They got together and jammed and it was a whole new kind of music, it was very cool...

And then I woke up and knew what I had to do...."

GrassTowne

Grasstowne is a new band comprised of three very well respected veterans in bluegrass and acoustic music. Phil Leadbetter and Steve Gulley have known each other since the mid-1970s when they performed in local bands in the Knoxville, TN area while in their teens. It was during this time through their friendship their paths crossed with mandolin ace Alan Bibey.

Well, here we are 30 years later and we find all three men as partners in the hot new band Grasstowne!

Add to the mix two young and very talented players; Jason Davis on banjo, Lee Sawyer on upright bass, and we have the hottest new band on tour today!!

Fri, April 4th

Doyle Lawson and

QuickSilver

Doyle Lawson was born April 20, 1944, in Fordtown, Tenn., near the city of Kingsport. His father sang in a gospel quartet, and he was attracted to both gospel and bluegrass music as a child. By the time he reached his teens, he could play mandolin, banjo and guitar, but captivated by Bill Monroe's playing, he specialized in the former. He began his professional career in 1963, playing banjo with Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys. In 1966, he began an association with J.D. Crowe, first playing guitar but soon moving to mandolin. He joined the Country Gentlemen in 1971 and remained a member until 1979. During this time, he toured in Japan and Europe, recorded 10 albums with the group and also recorded a solo mandolin instrumental album.

In 2004 Lawson and Quicksilver celebrated 25 years together, and in 2005 they released You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper for Rounder Records. While membership within Quicksilver has changed frequently, the group maintains the same high artistic standards as the first unit formed in 1979. "I've had people come up to me and ask, 'What would you like for people to say about you after it's all over?'," he told Wooly. "And I tell 'em, 'I hope people would say I was a great leader.' I'd rather have been a great leader than a big star."

The John Jorgenson Quintet

features guitarist John Jorgenson, a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters, and six-year member of Elton John's band. Artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt to Earl Scruggs have sought out Jorgenson's guitar work. Recently, John Jorgenson was chosen to portray Django Reinhardt in the feature film Head in the Clouds.

At a John Jorgenson Quintet performance, audiences are amazed by John's dazzling guitar work as well as his mastery as a clarinet player and vocalist. Whether playing his own accessible compositions or classic standards, John and his band make music that is equally romantic and ecstatic, played with virtuosity and soul.

John Jorgenson is known as one of the pioneers of the American gypsy jazz movement. He has performed as a solo artist as well as collaborated with other musicians all over the world. His articles and lessons on gypsy jazz have appeared in prominent guitar magazines and he has given master classes around the country, and he has performed with some of the most respected European proponents of this style, Bireli Lagrene and Romane. His playing has been included on a CD with Babik Reinhardt and Jimmy Rosenberg, and on another featuring Angelo Debarre and Moreno. In 1988 Curb Records released Jorgenson's After You've Gone CD, a collection of Reinhardt- and Goodman-styled 30's swing, featuring guest artists Darol Anger and David Grisman.

Hailing from the variegated ranks of the contemporary West Coast acoustic music scene, each of these 'birds has certainly earned his wings: the list of projects they have contributed to over the years is nothing less than a short list of acoustic power houses. Like any good flock, though, only when they move together as a group do they reach their full splendor.

Fri, May 23RD