North Carolina’s Asheville Mountain Boys have a big month planned. They have a new single to share, Flood of 1916, and are gearing up for a barnstorming 12-show tour of Japan.
First, the music. Flood of 1916 tells of a tragedy similar to the one that wreaked such havoc on Asheville, and the Appalachian region in general, during September 2024. But Zeb Gambil, who plays mandolin and sings this one with the Boys, says that they set out to share this story prior to the most recent flooding.
“Flood of 1916 is a bluegrass song about the hurricane of 1916, which left a lasting mark on western North Carolina. We wrote and recorded it to tell the story of the people who lived through it, and preserve a piece of the region’s history. The song was completed just before Hurricane Helene struck in 2024, a stark reminder that history can repeat itself. We put it on hold in the aftermath, but we’re now ready to release this original song and share the story of a similar catastrophe from over a century ago.”
The recording also features Gambil’s bandmates John Duncan on banjo and fiddle, Jacob Brewer on bass, and Marshal Brown on guitar, who also adds a harmony vocal.
Check it out.
The Flood of 1916 is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.
The Asheville Mountain Boys’ tour of Japan begins November 21 with a show at the fabled Rocky Top Bar in the Chou City region of Tokyo. It is bookended by a final show there as well on December 7, with visits in between to Osaka, Kyoto, Sendai, Sapporo, and several other spots over three weeks time.
Banjoist Duncan shared that the history of US bands playing in Japan has affected them all deeply.
“The Ralph Stanley recordings from the ’70s, and then J.D. Crowe’s famous 1975 tour over there, that stuff is legendary. In the band, we’ve all listened to it for forever—the bootlegs from back then and the official albums that exist, too.”
Now they are set to join the many bluegrass artists sharing traditional bluegrass with Japanese fans.
Full details on their tour dates can be found online.
