Wilson Banjo Co Archives - Bluegrass Today

If You Don’t Climb the Mountain video from Wilson Banjo Co

Pinecastle Records has brought out a music video for the new single from Wilson Banjo Co, just as the band releases a five-track EP, Lonely As It Gets, which nicely showcases the latest iteration of the group.

The video is for If You Don’t Climb the Mountain, written by Jeff Hovis and Rick Lang, which was filmed by the folks with Bonfire Recording Studio on a hotel roof during last September’s World of Bluegrass convention in Raleigh, NC.

It’s a bluesy song about the need to put in the work to obtain the results you hope for in life, perfectly encapsulated in the last line of the chorus: “If you don’t climb the mountain, you can’t enjoy the view.”

Founder and band leader, banjo picker Steve Wilson – who really does make banjos – says that the song is a great fit for Andrew Crawford, who has joined the band on guitar along with his wife, Brandi Colt on mandolin.

“If You Don’t Climb the Mountain is a powerful anthem that Rick Lang brought to us, and we were instantly inspired by the lyrics and the dynamic groove. It truly sets the tone for the 10th Anniversary of Wilson Banjo Co. My wife and I gave up everything completely stable in our lives to follow this bluegrass dream ten years ago, and never looked back. We don’t do it for fame and fortune, but for the love of the music and creation, fulfillment in the journey, and we do hope to make enough folks happy that we can pay the bills and continue to climb our mountain.

We are strong believers in being a captain of our own destiny and not just ‘following the leader’ or ‘working for the man,’ for as long as the good Lord permits us.

We knew this was the perfect song to debut Andrew Crawford’s tenacious, gravely tone as a new lead singer with Wilson Banjo Co., and he absolutely crushed it along with the entire band driving the arrangement from start to finish.

We couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out, and hope it inspires you too!”

With Wilson on banjo, Crawford on guitar, and Colt on mandolin, the group is completed by Adam Bachman on reso-guitar and Jamie Carter on bass. Darren Nicholson plays mandolin on the track.

Have a look and listen to If You Don’t Climb the Mountain below.

If You Don’t Climb the Mountain, and the full Lonely As It Gets EP, are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Memory Lane – Wilson Banjo Co

What began as a tool to promote high quality, hand built banjos has become an outlet for presenting lyrically captivating material. Wilson Banjo Co’s release, Memory Lane, on Pinecastle Records contains a variety of themes from coal mining, murder, and heartbreak, among others.

The opening track, Sadie Danced a Hole in Her Stocking, has a fun swing feel to it. Written by Jack Shannon, Troy Engle, and Rick Lang, this song speaks of the energetic dances that would often be hosted inside a country home. At the time of this recording, Wilson Banjo Co was a duo consisting of Steve Wilson on banjo and vocals, and Sarah Logan Lewis on fiddle and vocals. Other studio musicians were brought in to create a full band sound. On this track Wilson and Lewis are joined by Glen Crain on resonator guitar, Tony Wray on guitar and bass, Milom Williams II on mandolin, and Melanie Wilson on harmony vocals.

Holler, by Jordan Rainer and Bill Packard, is another song which explores the country life. Here the duo is joined by Wray on guitar and bass, Williams II on mandolin, Melanie on vocals, and Deanie Richardson on fiddle.

Nightbird by Rick Lang is a gritty, yet mournful song about love coming to an end, and the encompassing feelings that come with it. This is especially punctuated by the resonator guitar work of Glen Crain. Also on this track are Jaime Carter on bass, Adam Plott on percussion, Josh Raines on guitar, and Jason Fraley on mandolin.

The Gavel also carries darkness, both in its lyrics and melody. Written by Jordan Rainer and Lance Carpenter, this murder ballad tells a captivating tale of a romantic relationship from its happy beginning to a tragic end. This is one of several tracks featuring great guitar work from Clay Hess.

Our Last Goodbye/Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine is a clever medley of two bluegrass classics. Rendered in a strong contemporary fashion, Wilson Banjo Co. shows through this arrangement how these two songs will always stand the test of time.

Memory Lane is a strong effort. Though the makeup of Wilson Banjo Co. has changed since the release of this album, this recording is an excellent example of the material that the group has brought, and will continue to bring to the table.

Black Wedding Dress from reconfigured Wilson Banjo Co

South Carolina’s Wilson Banjo Co introduces their new lineup with a single from Pinecastle Records, Black Wedding Dress.

Now in the band with founder Steve Wilson on banjo are Adam Bachmann on reso-guitar, Brandi Colt on mandolin and vocals, Andrew Crawford on guitar and vocals, and Jamie Carter on bass.

They all appear on Black Wedding Dress, written by Avrim Topel, about a young woman who has buried three husbands by the age of 30.

Wilson says of the song…

“We have always loved recording songs with an interesting storyline. It allows us to challenge ourselves musically to create the same emotion and dynamic to fit the lyric. Black Wedding Dress is perfect for exactly that. As a bonus, I don’t believe this story has ever been told, which is rare in our genre! The writer, Avrim Topel, did a great job, and we appreciate Sherrill Blackman for bringing us another amazing single. I hope everyone enjoys it!”

Darren Nicholson plays mandolin on the track, sung by Colt, who demonstrates why she has been celebrated as a vocalist for so many years.

Have a listen…

Black Wedding Dress is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct. It will also be included on the upcoming Wilson Banjo Co EP, expected early next year.

Congratulations Dax and Sarah Lewis!

On October 18, Dax Lewis and Sarah Logan were married in a simple home wedding. Dax is the banjo player with the David Parmley Band, and bluegrass fans recall Sarah from her time playing fiddle and singing with Wilson Banjo Co.

Their wedding was a wholly impromptu event, with only a few moments of planning. Though the two had been planning to get married at some point, Sarah relates that Dax literally looked at her on Friday morning and asked, “Should we get married today?”

So they contacted a minister and two witnesses, and stood out on their front porch and got married, holding on to their beloved “dog children.”

Sarah says that it was a perfect day.

“It was so spontaneous and so perfect, everything fell into place like nothing we could’ve ever planned or imagined. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. And so, Dax and I – with our beautiful dogs at our side – were married on the front stoop of our home, in the only fashion we know how – authentically.

Although we wish that everyone could’ve been there, we do plan to have a few celebrations with all of our friends and family in the future.”

In addition to his role with Parmley, Dax is the Director of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University, while Sarah works with a professional dog care business. Both are terrific bluegrass performers, and we wish them tremendous success together. Dax is also a member of the McLain Family Band.

Congratulations Dax and Sarah Lewis!

Coalmine drops for Wilson Banjo Co.

Pinecastle Records has a new single for Wilson Banjo Co., a band which sounds like it should be a lutherie shop – and it is – but is also and actually a bluegrass performing act.

Wilson Banjo Co. is, indeed, a banjo building outfit, run by Steve Wilson, who also plays banjo with the band of the same name. His musical partner is Sarah Logan, whose engaging vocals have delivered a good bit of attention to the group of late.

Their latest single, Coalmine, blends their bluegrass roots with something of an acoustic country sound, courtesy of Adam Plott’s subtle percussion and Logan’s fiddling. It was written by Richie McDonald, Ron Harbin, and Roxie Dean, and shares the story of a wife who waits every day for her husband to emerge from the mine. But it’s not a dire and mournful number, but a fun, upbeat song of love and trust. Country fans may recall Sara Evans’ cut of this song in 2005.

Studio guests on the track include Heather Mabe on guitar and Jamie Carter on bass.

Have a listen…

Coalmine is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.

The Gavel drops for Wilson Banjo Co.

Pinecastle Records has an eerie new single from Wilson Banjo Co, a novel murder ballad told from the female perspective.

The South Carolina band is headed up by Steve Wilson, and yes… he does have his own banjo building company. He refined his craft working for the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, and now has his own shop where he builds professional grade five string banjos. The idea for the band was initially more to let people hear Steve’s instruments, but after hooking up with Sarah Logan, a fiddle-playing singer currently studying at ETSU, the group has been giving it a serious go, with Pinecastle behind them.

Their latest release is called The Gavel, a song composed by Nashville writers Jordan Rainer and Lance Carpenter, about a woman who tracks a tragic romance from the warm blush of new love to a solitary life in prison. Rainer was a finalist on the current season of The Voice, working with Team Reba, and Carpenter is a veteran writer with cuts from Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, and many others.

Steve offers a preview of this latest track…

“The Gavel tells a gripping tale, and is so well written by Nashville’s Jordan Rainer and Lance Carpenter. This is the third Jordan Rainer co-write we’ve recorded, and as long as she keeps sending them, we will keep recording them. Her songs really dial in to what works with our unique brand of bluegrass music, and we just love digging into them in the studio. We hope y’all love this one as much as we do!”

With Wilson on banjo and Logan on fiddle and lead vocal, additional studio support came from Clay Hess on guitar, Jason Fraley on mandolin, Glen Craine on reso-guitar, Jaime Carter on bass, and Adam Plott on percussion.

Have a listen…

You will find The Gavel available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers can get the track via AirPlay Direct.

Nightbird drops for Wilson Banjo Co.

It’s a band… it’s a banjo company… it’s a duo. I’m so confused!

Actually, Wilson Banjo Co. is all three, the shop where Steve Wilson builds his handmade banjos in South Carolina, and the name of his band, which is actually a twosome, with himself on the five and Sarah Logan providing vocals. They bring in other players to record and tour, but the nucleus of the band is these two.

Pinecastle Records has just released Nightbird as a single from their upcoming studio project, a new song from Rick Lang which tells a sad story of heartbreak, sleeplessness, and reflection. Sounds perfect for a bluegrass number!

Steve says that he knew this one was a good fit from the start.

“We always look forward to seeing new songs in the inbox from our friend and songwriter, Rick Lang. When Nightbird arrived, we could barely wait to start arranging and recording it. We look for songs that showcase clear and present imagery. Nightbird was right in our wheelhouse. We thank Rick for sending it and hope you all enjoy it.”

Sarah gives a perfectly bluesy reading to Lang’s lonesome song, with assistance from Wilson on banjo, and a fine crew of studio musicians.

Check it out…

Nightbird is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct. It will be included on the next Wilson Banjo Co. album on Pinecastle, expected next year.

Six Degrees of Separation – Wilson Banjo Co.

I hear a lot of bluegrass music that is good but not necessarily different – do we really need, for instance, another cover of I’ll Fly Away, or another Alison Krauss sound-alike female vocalist?

So when something fresh and new comes along, I can get pretty excited. So it is that I was thrilled to listen to Six Degrees of Separation from Wilson Banjo Co. More specifically, I was taken by the straight-ahead, engaging vocal stylings of Sarah Logan, an East Tennessee State University student who sings lead on seven of the band’s 12 songs on this Pinecastle release. Remember her name.

From the first words she sings on the eerie ballad, When The Crow Comes Down, to the more conventional Long Hard Day, Logan establishes herself as a vocalist destined for big things. The band, put together by banjo builder, engineer, producer, songwriter, masterful player, and jack of all trades, Steve Wilson, is fortunate to have her in the lineup. Some day, he and others will be able to say, “We knew her when.” For now, they just need to enjoy every note.

But Logan is far from the only bright light on this balanced, tasteful project. While we only hear his warm voice out front on the first single, Wrong Turn That Led Me To You, Colton Rudd, is right up there with her in the vocal chops department.

Wilson also brought in a number of marquee names to contribute on instruments and harmonies, including Deanie Richardson, Gena Britt, Dale Ann Bradley, Alan Bibey, Shawn Lane, Michael Cleveland, Richard Bennett, Glen Crain, and others. Not surprisingly, with that cast, the picking is top-notch, elevated by super clean production. Seemingly every listen unearths a lick or nuance that eluded me previously.

Richardson is especially masterful in pairing a haunting fiddle part with Logan’s dark vocals on When The Crow Comes Down. The song, written by Jordan Rainer, Kevin Brandt, and Tristin Smith, will be featured in a video due out later this month. Hey, if we can have Christmas in July, why not Halloween in June? If the video is as hair-raising as the song, you might need to sleep with one eye open.

As a songwriter, I find one nagging little issues in a few places on this release. Most casual listeners aren’t likely to notice, but on a handful of songs, some unnecessarily repeated words (“right” in consecutive lines, for instance) keep good songs from being great ones, at least to my ear. But after focusing on instrumental compositions for long, Wilson is relatively new to the lyric side of the equation, and he and his co-writers, including his wife, Melanie Wilson, will only get better over time.

Overall, though, Six Degrees of Separation is a strong, strong project, with promises of greater things still to come.

When The Crow Comes Down from Wilson Banjo Co

Wilson Banjo Co – the band, not the custom banjo shop – has released a new single from their upcoming Six Degrees of Separation album, due next month.

For the single they have selected When The Crow Comes Down, written by country singer Jordan Rainer, with Kevin Brandt and Tristen Smith. Rainer cut it as a bluesy country number, but here WBC makes it into a grasser featuring Sarah Logan on the lead vocal. She is supported by band leader, Steve Wilson, on banjo, Richard Bennett on guitar, Deanie Richardson on fiddle, Glen Crain on reso-guitar, Milom Williams on mandolin, and Michael Branch on bass.

Steve explained a bit about this song and how they came to record it.

“When The Crow Comes Down is a really well written story song that Sherrill Blackman brought to us, initially for another project. When it didn’t fit there, I just couldn’t let it go. I played it for Sarah and she fell in love with it too. I think the whole historic Louisiana, scary story theme, really interested me since we have always wanted to travel down to New Orleans and tour all of those French Quarter shops and attractions. And who doesn’t enjoy a good scary movie?

Creating the mood for this song through arrangement was a lot of fun, but the musicians all truly captured my vision. Sarah’s vocals are absolutely on point to tell this story and it was great to get to work in the studio with my wife who did an excellent job on the harmony.”

Have a listen…

When The Crow Comes Down is available now wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can get the track at AirPlay Direct.

Wrong Turn That Led Me To You from Wilson Banjo Co

Steve Wilson is a pretty smart guy. He has a pair of bluegrass-related business, and he calls them both by the same name – Wilson Banjo Co. Anytime he is promoting one, the other gets mentioned at the same time. Plus he was bright enough to marry a bluegrass publicist and booking agent, so he’s got the whole thing at home.

One is a banjo building enterprise, using skills Wilson developed working for some time at the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. The other is his bluegrass band, with him on banjo, talents he has displayed working with artists like Dale Ann Bradley and Deeper Shade of Blue.

The band has had a string of members over the years, with Steve as the primary constant. So for their next album, Six Degrees of Separation, Wilson has brought in a number of the people he has played with over the years, giving the record something of an all-star feel.

A debut single has been released on Pinecastle Records, Wrong Turn That Led Me To You, one Steve wrote, featuring Colton Rudd on lead vocal.

Steve says that all the tracks on the new record are close to him.

“This album has a special meaning, in that I have included brilliant musicians and vocalists that I have worked with under all of the many hats I wear. Rather than a ‘band’ album, we refer to it as a ‘Company’ release!

I have been so privileged to be in the BEST company for the last eight years and it has continued to this day! With my bluegrass family, I have recorded albums for and with them, built banjos for them and been blessed to share a stage with them. The new record called, Six Degrees of Separation, not only boasts amazing artists, but you will also enjoy a broad scope of music and something for everyone.

Bluegrass is a small world and we are all or will all connect at some point in our careers! I believe it!”

With Steve on banjo and Colton on the lead vocal, the ‘Company’ is Richard Bennet on guitar, Glen Crain on reso-guitar, Blake Young on mandolin, and Porkchop Branch on bass.

Wrong Turn That Led Me To You is available wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can find the track at AirPlay Direct.