The Bluegrass Outlaws have made a lot of big steps since forming at the beginning of this year. The talented group won the 2016 SPBGMA Band Championship in February, and have now been signed to Wilson Pickin’s Bluegrass Promotions for representation.
Based in East Tennessee, the band epitomizes the powerful, “mash style” so prevalent in that part of the country. Aggressive instrumentation and a fanatical devotion to the groove lay behind the strong vocals of Becky Webb Monk, with her husband Chris Monk on banjo, Wesley Wolfe on guitar, Evan Maynard on mandolin, and Cody Bauer on fiddle.
They have released a first single to radio from their upcoming album. Upper Big Branch Mine was written by Becky and Chris, with help from her brother Darrell Webb. It tells the true story of the Massey Energy mining disaster in West Virginia on April 5, 2010, where 29 of 31 men were killed when a coal explosion caused a cave in. Becky and Darrell’s dad was a coal miner in West Virginia, and so was Chris’ in Virginia.
You can get an opening taste of the tragic tale in this sample…
Their full, self-titled, debut album is set to release September 5. You can find out more about The Bluegrass Outlaws on their web site.
