What do you get when you mix traditional bluegrass with “real country?” I don’t know either, but it probably sounds a lot like Feller and Hill.
Both Tom Feller and Chris Hill will be familiar faces to bluegrass audiences, Tom from his time with Larry Stephenson, Rhonda Vincent and 3 Fox Drive, and Chris from working with Wildwood Valley Boys, Gerald Evans, James King, and Karl Shifflett. Both are serious professionals, talented pickers and first-rate singers, determined to launch their new career as a duo in 2012.
Tom shared a few words about what they have in store, along with a sample track of their music. No surprise how they came up with the band name.
“The fans can expect to see a very entertaining stage show that features vintage harmonies and traditional arrangements….kinda that era when bluegrass and early country sounded very similar. Country stars like Ray Price and Buck Owens had harmony arrangements in their songs, which sounded very bluegrass to us. Chris and I are peas in a pod when it comes to that type of music.
I was surprised that the more we played together, the more we found we love so many of the same artists.”
Together Again: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/together_again.mp3]
The new duo aren’t prepared to announce the members of their band just yet, but are accepting dates starting in June of 2012. Feller says that it will be a whiz-bang show.
“I’m normally the quiet one off stage and Chris is always very outspoken and sometimes zany. On stage I come out of my shell and join in with Chris’ antics. We believe the audience deserves to be entertained, rather than just watching statues going through the motions to create music. The music has to be good, but there’s so much more that goes along with that.
We are very excited to get out and play some shows and see how audiences react to our style and presentation of a classic sound that represents an era when bluegrass and country were one big family.”
A 4 song demo recording is available now to bluegrass radio via Airplay Direct, which can be purchased on Facebook.
