The TennesseeBluegrass Band has a new single out today, the second from their debut release with Billy Blue Records.
For a band with so many young artists, this group has a great deal of experience for a relatively new act. They were formed from the ashes of what was set to have been a new iteration of Carolina Blue following the departure of cofounder, Timmy Jones, but foundered over an issue over the use of the name.
That led fiddler Aynsley Porchak and banjo player Lincoln Hensley, slated for the reformed group, to create a new band of their own, based on the sounds of bluegrass from the 1960s and ’70s. Working with veteran mandolinist Tim Laughlin, also meant to be part of Carolina Blue, they put together an outfit that was quickly signed to Billy Blue, and set to work on a recording.
An early sidestep threatened TBB when the guitarist and bassist in the original lineup departed – Gracie Meador got pregnant, and John Meador left for Authentic Unlimited – but Aynsley, Tim, and Lincoln quickly reshuffled and found more than capable replacements in Tyler Griffith on bass and Lincoln Mash on guitar.
That debut album, The Future of the Past, has been well-received from the start, with a great many people seeing the promise of this talented group.
Today’s single is one called Far From You, which Hensley says they turned around a bit to put their stamp on it.
“Far From You is a song we got from Bob Spicher, brother of the legendary Buddy Spicher. Jim & Jesse had a record on it years ago, but it was much slower. We doubled the time on it and changed the harmonization a little to make it our own. It’s one of my favorite songs to play on the set because of the harmony, the high energy, and the backup interplay with Aynsley.”
Porchak agrees, saying that it exemplifies what they have set out to do.
“To follow up on what Lincoln said, I feel like this song is actually a good example of what The Tennessee Bluegrass Band does – we love to pay respects to the historical greats in our music, but we also try to put our own twist on songs and ‘play to our strengths,’ so to speak, making them our own. Producer Jerry Salley loved the energy and firepower of Far From You from the first time we showed it to him, and we sure hope all of our friends and neighbors out in radioland will too!”
Have a listen…
Far From You, and the complete Future of the Past project, are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Audio CDs can be ordered directly from the artists.
Radio programmers will find all the tracks at AirPlay Direct.
