Carol Of The Bells from Mountain Faith

Mountain Faith shooting video at the Western Carolina University Center for Applied Technology (December 2015)Mountain Faith has joined the ranks of bluegrass artists releasing Christmas music this year. They’ve created a holiday video, in conjunction with Western Carolina University, of Carol Of The Bells, one of the more challenging pieces of Yuletide music to perform.

WCU has produced a Christmas video for the past five years, combining the talents of the faculty and students in their Center for Applied Technology and the Film and Television Production Program. This year they wanted to do something special, and reached out to alumni, Summer McMahan and Luke Dotson from Mountain Faith, to see if they might be interested in being the surprise video guests this year.

Summer tells us that they said yes right away, in thanks for all the support the band received from WCU when they were appearing on America’s Got Talent this summer.

So they worked up an arrangement and headed to the WCU campus in Cullowee, NC for the video shoot.

 

Long time Mountain Faith fans will notice a new face in the video. The band has recently added David Meyer, who is helping out with rhythm guitar, twin fiddle, vocal harmony – and even a little keyboard.

Otherwise, Summer McMahan is on fiddle and lead vocal, Luke Dotson on guitar, Cory Piatt on mandolin, Brayden McMahan on banjo, and Sam McMahan on bass.

WCU wanted to recognize a number of students who worked the shoot:

  • Keith Kuntsmann – best boy, jib arm and camera operator
  • J.J. Wallace – grip and dolly grip
  • Sarina Montgomery, Elizabeth Chappell, Jesse Allard and Jason Miller – pre-production lighting
  • Henry Leavitt and Matt Bickford – recording engineers

Faculty who helped produce the video include:

  • Joseph Hader – director, cinematographer, editor and colorist
  • Andrew Mannion – set designer
  • Jason Ledford – second director of photography, jib operator, camera operator and gaffer
  • Eric Smith – camera operator
  • Mark Haskett – still photography, production assistant
  • Dustin Whitehead – pre-production assistant
  • Denise Drury Homewood – post-production assistant

Well done, team!

Share this:

About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.