Seneca Creek has been playing bluegrass in the DC region for some time now, focusing on the traditional mountain style of The Stanley Brothers, and entertaining at festivals and clubs from their Montgomery County, MD home base.
Now a song written by the band’s mandolinist, Emily Day, has been released as a single, and they are eager to share it with the wider community. It’s called Tiny Taters, and it shares a true story from Emily’s family about hardship and generosity among neighbors.
She describes the backstory thusly.
“It’s about my grandmother’s childhood experience growing up in poverty. She grew up in Hagerstown, MD in the 1940s and her family was dirt poor growing up. They had a really hard time putting food on the table and had to get creative to find ways to make ends meet. Luckily they lived next door to a potato farm, so from a very young age, my grandmother was sent next door to scour the ground looking for little tiny potatoes that had been left out in the field, and that’s one of many ways they survived those hard times.”
We hear Day on lead vocal and mandolin, supported by bandmates Michael Riedman on guitar, Elizabeth Merkhofer on fiddle, and Elise Smithmyer on bass. Guest contributors include Ira Gitlin on banjo, and Dede Wyland, who sings harmony along with Smithmyer.
It’s definitely a positive, feel-good story, should you need one today, presented with a classic bluegrass sound.
Have a listen.
Tiny Taters is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers are invited to contact Seneca Creek online or on Facebook to obtain an airplay copy.
