It’s a long way from Harlan County, Kentucky to the bright lights and big city ways of Los Angeles, CA. But bluegrass boys Shotgun Holler made the trip out to Culver City and the Sony TV Studios for an appearance last week on The Josh Wolf Show, CMT’s new addition to the late night talk show format.
Wolf was selected for a late night hosting slot by CMT, based on his popularity on E’s Chelsea Handler Show, and his appearance as a late night host during the 2014 Shark Week on Discovery where he hosted Shark After Dark. His show debuted in June, airing Thursdays through Sundays at 11:00 p.m.
Shotgun Holler was invited on for the host’s special musical segment, Guilty Pleasure Songs, and they performed a grassified version of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball.
Previous guests on Wolf’s show have included Jewel performing a song from the Backstreet Boys, and Clint Black singing one of Katy Perry’s. The cross-genre paradox seems to be his thing.
And no… Wrecking Ball is not included on the band’s new Lonesome Day Record’s release, Loaded. The studio audience sure enjoyed it, though.
Lonesome Day Records has released a radio single from their first project with Shotgun Holler, appropriately titled, Loaded, due to hit in late June
The song concerns a topic that every bluegrass lover can appreciate, the festival or concert parking lot, where friends are made and lost, and music goes on without regard to what may be happening on stage.
Out In The Parking Lot was written by Guy Clark and Darrell Scott, and included on Clark’s 1997 live album, Keepers. Shotgun Holler gives it the full-on bluegrass treatment here.
Shotgun Holler is Matt Jones on guitar and lead vocals, Shawn Brock on mandolin, Nathan Treadway on banjo, Evan McGregor on fiddle, and Rod Lunger on bass.
Lonesome Day’s Randall Deaton is very high on this new band, whose debut album will release on his new Dry Lightning imprint.
“There is something special about these guys. They have a distinct edge, and like to bring in material that sounds like bluegrass, but with subject matter from well outside.”
Radio programmers can download the single, and other tracks from Loaded, now at Airplay Direct.
Talk about moving fast! Kentucky mandolinist Shawn Brock was inspired in February to start a new bluegrass band. Now in August he’s got the band, Shotgun Holler, and a record label contract with Lonesome Day Records.
Of course it helps that he’s known Lonesome Day’s Randall Deaton since before the label was founded, and that he’s recorded in Deaton’s Boonesville, KY studio a few times already. But it was their material, and their willingness to take chances with song choices and subject matter that caught the label’s attention.
“We don’t really fit the typical bluegrass mold of today, says Brock. “Instrumentally we are pretty recognizable as bluegrass. We’re using the traditional bluegrass instruments – banjo, guitar, upright bass, mandolin, and fiddle. Where we tend to cross into other areas is the material that we choose, which can be very non-traditional. Lyrically, all of the songs aren’t necessarily wholesome.”
But they aren’t necessarily dishonorable, either. These guys just aren’t afraid to tackle stories from the seamier sides of life.
Here’s a video compilation of several of their songs from a recent live show.
Brock says that he felt compelled to start the group after an especially irritating listening session.
“I was listening to a bluegrass radio station and it was kind of like a volcano was building up inside of me. It seemed like people were cutting this watered down sterile material, singing about the same subject matter and no one was trying to sound different. I listened to five songs and couldn’t tell one artist from another.
I have been playing bluegrass for 23 years, and in the ’90s I knew every artist who came on just by their sound. Blue Highway has a great distinctive sound, which is vastly different from the classic sound of the Bluegrass Album Band. Both are favorites of Shotgun Holler members, but each unit had their own thing going.
I called friend and former band member from the group Blue and Lonesome, Matt Jones, and I said, ‘I’m sick of hearing singers and pickers imitate each other and cover songs that were just recorded 3 years ago. Let’s put a band together and do what we’ve always tried to do, be different.’ His words to me were, ‘Man, I’ve just been waiting on you.’ “
Sounds like the marker has been laid down.
Matt and Shawn added Gil Benson on fiddle, Rod Lunger on bass, and Donnie Stevens on banjo, with Jones handling guitar and lead vocals. They are headed to the studio later this month to record their first album, with Jim VanCleve producing.
We’ll be watching for the next chapter in the story of Shotgun Holler. It would seem that they have high expectations.
