Junior Sisk’s crackerjack banjo picker, Jason Davis, is back with his second solo project at the ripe old age of 25. Like his 2008 effort, Steppin’ Out, he has enlisted an array of young hotshots like himself, together with a number of bluegrass veterans, to cut this new album.
The rhythm section includes Keith McKinnon on guitar, Kevin McKinnon on mandolin, Kameron Keller on bass, and both Justen Haynes and Ron Stewart on fiddle. Sharing vocal duties are Greg Luck, Junior Sisk, Jason and Justin Tomlin, Dwight McCall, Daniel Salyer and Eli Johnston.
There’s no title or release date yet, but Mountain Fever Records has released a single to radio. It’s the Stanley Brothers classic, Bootleg John, sung by Blue Highway’s Shawn Lane with Steve Gulley on tenor.
Jason said he didn’t have any special impetus for this album. It just felt like the right time.
“I basically went in with the idea of cutting the kind of bluegrass album and feel that I enjoy playing. It’s been 6 years or so since I cut my last record. It just felt like the time to do another one. I was lucky to get some great new songs from great writers like Daniel Salyer and Kyle Burnette. There’s also a lot of really obscure stuff on here that people probably haven’t heard in a long time.”
He tells us that work in the studio is nearly complete, and that once he gets over a nasty cold, he’ll pop back in and nail it shut. We can surely expect more details soon.
Davis is among the most exciting young banjo players on the scene today, and well deserving of your attention. Keep an ear out for this record.
