[rating=4.00]
Town Mountain is an electrifying young bluegrass band from Asheville, North Carolina that burst into the limelight after winning the Colorado Rockygrass Festival’s coveted band competition in 2005. Since then, they have toured the nation extensively honing their bluegrass sound while earning new legions of fans with their high energy live shows. With their newest release, Heroes and Heretics, Town Mountain blends their fresh, but old as the hills, bluegrass sound with original honky-tonk songwriting. This alone brings them to the forefront as one of the top young bluegrass bands today. The strength of the band lies in its primarily original material composed by the trio of vocalist/ guitarist, Robert Greer; banjo player, Jesse Langlais; and mandolin player, Phil Barker.
On tracks like Leavin Montana and Ruination Line hard driving banjo mixed with Greer’s whiskey soaked vocals give them a traditional but fresh sound. My favorite track of the album is Black Eyed Susan which bassist, Barrett Smith, lends his vocals over a high lonesome fiddle with an irresistible hook. It makes this one of the best original bluegrass songs of the year for me. Phil Barker’s instrumental, Picket Ricket displays lightning fast fret work by Barker and his bandmates proving that the band can pick as well as write great songs. Throw in a few untraditional covers with a bluegrass twist by Bruce Springsteen (I’m on Fire) and Townes Van Zant (Snowing on Raton), and you have a refreshing new spin on music that makes this album a must have for music fans. With original songwriting and an innovative new bluegrass sound, Town Mountain has all the right ingredients to become the newest young bluegrass band sensation.
For more info see: www.townmountain.net/
