What ever happened to The Railsplitters? The popular progressive grassers from Colorado say they have been hearing that from fans and friends ever since they went on hiatus back in 2018.
But even though they have taken a break, they are still a band. During the interim, vocalist/guitarist Lauren Stovall and mando man Peter Sharpe got married, and spent some time living in Costa Rica. Back now, the group is coming together again to record and work on new music, and the fire is there just as it was before.
Lauren tells us that the road life, all but living in a van while playing 150 dates a year, had worn everyone down and they all needed some time at home to rebalance their lives. Banjo player Dusty Rider became a certified pilot, and works at a charter airline. Fiddler Joe D’Esposito has been playing with a number of different groups, while bassist Jean-Luc Davis worked with the Jeff Austin Band.
Never ones to hew closely to the rules, The Railsplitters were always known for tackling music that pushed against the boundaries of bluegrass. So, unsurprisingly, their first video after reassembling is their cover of Two Weeks, released in 2009 by indie pop rockers, Grizzly Bear. Those who remember this song will notice that the ‘Splitters arranged their version by sticking closely to the original, but with all acoustic instruments.
See what you think…
Keep your eye on The Railsplitters’ web site for upcoming news about future recordings and tour dates.
