Amber Collins, lead singer with No Speed Limit, is profiled in a nice interview today on Clik Track, the Washington Post pop music blog. The piece comes as Collins and her boys are in the midst of the Music From The Crooked Road tour, which also features performances by Sammy Shelor, Wayne Henderson and other prominent musicians from southwest Virginia.
Much of the interview concerns what Post blogger Chris Richards sees as a cultural disconnect with young people playing bluegrass music.
What drew you to bluegrass as a teen instead of pop, rock or even country music?
Well, we’re in a rural area. Everyone is into some kind of acoustic music. And of course we all grew up trying to play and sing. And of course we want to do something that’s kind of true to what you grew up Something that’s true and genuine. There are certain personalities that fit the music. Ours do.
Were your parents into bluegrass?
Mine weren’t. I actually didn’t get into bluegrass until i was 14. And the only reason I did was because of a boy. [laughs]
Have you noticed a generation gap in your fanbase? Do you guys have fans your age?
We do! It’s kind of spread out, though… The younger crowd is typically not from our area. We catch people up here and we’ve got some people in Philadelphia. The guys that are our age are usually not from Southwest Virginia.
Read the full article/interview at blog.washingtonpost.com.
Amber’s new CD, On The Corner, is expected to be released soon. She is also prominently featured as a harmony vocalist on Johnny Williams’ fabulous album, Last Day Of Galax.
