When Mountain Faith was named the IBMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year for 2016 last Thursday night, we were among the many folks nodding and thinking, “it’s about time the organization recognized these groundbreaking young artists.”
As is so often the case, accolades like this are a bit late in arriving, with the band having now emerged right on up and out of the bluegrass world, performing for audiences all over the country that are not accustomed to the sound, creating new bluegrass fans along the way. They left the IBMA festivities in Raleigh and traveled to Atlanta where they played outside the stadium before the final Atlanta Braves game in Turner Field before they move to a new facility next year.
Mountain Faith entertained a diverse and appreciative crowd with their now-trademark style of grassified rock and pop covers, mixed with their own original songs. You can hear some of their set in this video the band posted on Facebook.
On Friday, Mountain Fever Records took advantage of the extra visibility provided by the IBMA Award to release the band’s new single, Freedom, Family and Faith, written by mandolinist Cory Piatt and fiddler/vocalist Summer McMahan. It’s a song full of gratitude and patriotic fervor, expressing thanks for the men and women who make their careers preserving the safety and liberty of others. Cory and Summer were inspired to write it after spending several days overseas entertaining US troops in the Middle East, getting to meet many outstanding and dedicated people in the process.
The single is available now for sale in iTunes, and to radio programmers via Airplay Direct.
