Tom Feller has shared an update on his upcoming project with musical partner Chris Hill. The two are recording a debut album that blend their joint passions for bluegrass and traditional country music, emphasizing close harmony and strong lead vocals.
In January, Feller shared a bit of audio from their stellar cover of Buck Owens’ Together Again, and just recently he sent a snippet from another track they have completed, along with a wonderful story about meeting up with a pair of songwriting heavyweights.
“We cut a Tom T. and Dixie Hall song on January 28th, one we found in a songbook we had received from them. After finishing the initial mix, I sent a copy to one of their assistants.
Chris received a call the next day asking if we would be willing to travel down to their home in Franklin, TN to meet with them. We decided that ‘when a Hall of Famer calls, you’d better answer.’
We traveled down to the Hall residence on March 3rd and had a nice visit. Tom T. said to Dixie, after hearing our cut, ‘This is why we write songs.’
They seemed delighted by our rendition of their Big Blue Roses. Tom T. continued by saying that he heard a ‘magic’ in our vocals that he doesn’t hear very often. Dixie asked ‘How can we help?’ We explained that we were in need of about 3 more songs to finish our first CD. She offered to search their database for a good fit and if they couldn’t find one, they’d just write one.
We had a great visit and both feel truly honored that our music had an impact on these 2 industry veterans.”
Big Blue Roses: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/big_blue_roses.mp3]
Feller and Hill expect to have this project finished in time for a June release, at which point they will begin booking dates with their band, The Bluegrass Buckaroos. The band name may be borrowed, but fans of the classic Buck Owens/Don Rich duets understand that they use the moniker as a tribute.
“We will be returning to the studio on April 22nd to finish tracking our last 3 songs. We have the search narrowed down to about 4, but are still looking for the perfect ‘barn burner’ to fit our style. We are excited to also be featuring songs from Mark Brinkman, Tom Holt (former Boys From Indiana member), and introducing my mother, Judy Feller (sister of noted bluegrass songwriter, Aubrey Holt).
We are feeling more and more confident that this first project will give us the leverage we need for a successful debut. We have talked to a few labels, but have not settled anything yet.”
Looks like these boys have done their homework.
