Town Mountain Lines in the Levee Tour with Slippery Creek
intricate influences — this bastion of alt-country rebellion and honky-tonk attitude
pushed through the hardscrabble Southern Appalachian lens of its origin.
“For us, it’s all about the interaction between the audience and the band — doing
whatever we can onstage to facilitate that two-way street of energy and emotion,” says
mandolinist Phil Barker. “Whether it’s a danceable groove or a particular lyric in a song,
we’re projecting what we’re going through in our daily lives, and we feel that other
people can attest to that, as well — it’s all about making that connection.”
Amid a renewed sense of self is the group’s latest album, Lines in the Levee, a collage of sound and scope running the gamut of the musical spectrum in the same template of
freedom and focus found in the round-robin fashion of the musical institution that is
The Band — a solidarity also found in the incendiary live shows Town Mountain is now
revered for from coast-to-coast, this devil-may-care gang of strings and swagger.
“This is the sound we’ve been working towards since the inception of the band,” says
guitarist Robert Greer. “We realized we needed to do what’s best for us. We’re being true
to ourselves. It isn’t a departure, it’s an evolution — the gate is wide open right now.”
“We’ve always had such a reverence and respect for those first and second-generation
bluegrass bands, and it was that sound that initially inspired all of us to get together,”
Barker adds. “And that will always be part of our sound. But, we also need to grow as
artists, and as individuals — for us, that means bringing in a wider palette of sonic
influences.”
Formed by Greer and banjoist Jesse Langlais over 15 years ago on a ridge high above the Asheville skyline, the sturdy foundation of Town Mountain came into play with the
addition of Barker not long into the band’s tenure. From there, the group pulled in
fiddle virtuoso Bobby Britt and bassist Zach Smith. And though the road has been long,
it’s also been bountiful.
Lines in the Levee also marks the band’s debut album release for famed Nashville label,
New West Records. Well-known and championed as a fiercely independent act, the
members of Town Mountain felt an immediate kinship with the record label — this
genuine bond of creative fulfillment and sustained artistic growth to ensure the long
game for the ensemble.
Recorded at Ronnie’s Place (part of the Sound Stage Studios) on Music Row in the heart of Nashville, Lines in the Levee is a bona fide workshop in the seamless blend of
Americana, country, bluegrass and folk roots — this crossroads of deep influences and
cultivated visions each member of Town Mountain brings to the table.
Town Mountain
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Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, Town Mountain is the sum of all its vast and |
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Slippery Creek
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Good ole downhome bluegrass from the Cincinnati area. |