Western North Carolina has long been a hotbed for acoustic string music, often of a more modern or progressive strain, to go along with the politics of the region. But there is one bluegrass group from that part of Carolina, The Asheville Mountain Boys, that sticks hard by the traditional sounds of the genre.
They prove it on their latest single, Rollin’ On, which traces back to Bill Monroe’s pre-bluegrass days.
Banjo man John Duncan describes it thusly.
“Rollin’ On is a song we heard from the Monroe Brothers, who recorded it in Charlotte, NC in 1938. Featuring the rich baritone of our mandolin player, Zeb Gambill, we frequently use this song as the set closer.
We are lucky to travel the country together and this song embodies our traveling spirit!”
Along with Duncan and Gambill, the Boys include Marshall Brown on guitar and Jacob Brewer on bass. They jointly identify their passion for the music by declaring…
“We don’t just want to play bluegrass. We want to live it!”
Lord, yes. That’s the spirit.
Have a listen to Rollin’ On.
Rollin’ On is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers are invited to contact Shift Music Services for an airplay copy.
