On May 15th, the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra will be joined by the one and only Futureman from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at the Grey Eagle. Tickets can be purchased from ticket outlets and online at www.thegreyeagle.com!

Asheville’s Town Mountain visits Randy Wood
Bill DeYoung | Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 12:30 am

The bluegrass band Town Mountain formed in Asheville, N.C., in 2003.
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Lest you think that bluegrass players have to look, act or behave a specific way to be “genuine,” direct your attention to the band Town Mountain, the pride of Asheville, N.C., and Saturday’s featured performer in the “Pickin’ Parlor” at Randy Wood Guitars.

These are young, college-age guys who dress in T-shirts, jeans and baseball caps – in fact, you might initially mistake them for Hootie & the Blowfish.

But this is bluegrass, played – masterfully – on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo and standup bass. Town Mountain’s music has a sort of beerhall-cowboy country edge, which makes it a tad less polite than standard-issue bluegrass – woodenly executed at festivals by clean-cut fellows wearing shirts, ties and Stetsons – but much more exciting.

Granted, Town Mountain isn’t the only group of very young players exploring Appalachian traditions. But the band’s music – their most recent album is called “Heroes and Heretics” – is lyrically rich, and musically adrenalized.

Guitarist, singer and “de facto bandleader” Robert Greer graduated from Wofford College with a B.A. in government; his “Ruination Line” is a blistering state of the union address disguised as catchy mountain music.

Town Mountain’s strongest link to bluegrass’ illustrious past might be their performance style: They use a single microphone, balancing their three-part vocal harmonies around it. Each player takes his solo by literally “stepping up” to the mic.

And that is delightfully old-school.

Heroes and Heretics sits at #22 on the Roots Music Report Bluegrass Charts. Thanks for the continued support for this great album!

At Pisgah Brewery in Black Mountain. The band is proud to release their new album “Juice” by celebrating with their friends! Field day events start at 3Pm. Bring your our grilling food, and the show will start at 6PM.

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