When you call yourself Newtime Stringband (as opposed to old time), one supposes you will be getting something out of the ordinary. And that is exactly what Chris Mullins delivers with his album, Lion’s Den.
Mullins is a composer, producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who hails from Kentucky, where he immersed himself in bluegrass and old time music, now living in northern California where he writes and records new music that blends his Appalachian roots with more contemporary sounds.
Ready to share his efforts with the world, Mullins is offering a track today to readers of Bluegrass Today, the title track from the album, which he explains for the uninitiated.
“The Lion’s Den album is my first grasp at what the Newtime sound is going to be. I got into old-time and bluegrass as a late teenager, but I draw on many different genres. I studied classical music (theory and composition) in New Zealand, have taught instruments and audio engineering for a while now, but I enjoy writing originals.
The title track combines African/Indian drumming with clawhammer banjo and dobro. The lyrics are about learning to deal with nightmares, or night terrors, and is a musical journey into the subconscious. It’s kind of a spiritual song… writing music is therapy for me.”
See what you think of the Newtime sound…
You can sample all of the music from Lion’s Den online, where you can purchase or stream the music as well.
