Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, Town Mountain is the sum of all its vast and
intricate influences — this bastion of alt-country rebellion and honky-tonk attitude
pushed through the hardscrabble Southern Appalachian lens of its origin.
“For us, it’s all about the interaction between the audience and the band — doing
whatever we can onstage to facilitate that two-way street of energy and emotion,” says
mandolinist Phil Barker. “Whether it’s a danceable groove or a particular lyric in a song,
we’re projecting what we’re going through in our daily lives, and we feel that other
people can attest to that, as well — it’s all about making that connection.”
Amid a renewed sense of self is the group’s latest album, Lines in the Levee, a collage of
sound and scope running the gamut of the musical spectrum in the same template of
freedom and focus found in the round-robin fashion of the musical institution that is
The Band — a solidarity also found in the incendiary live shows Town Mountain is now
revered for from coast-to-coast, this devil-may-care gang of strings and swagger.
“This is the sound we’ve been working towards since the inception of the band,” says
guitarist Robert Greer. “We realized we needed to do what’s best for us. We’re being true
to ourselves. It isn’t a departure, it’s an evolution — the gate is wide open right now.”
“We’ve always had such a reverence and respect for those first and second-generation
bluegrass bands, and it was that sound that initially inspired all of us to get together,”
Barker adds. “And that will always be part of our sound. But, we also need to grow as
artists, and as individuals — for us, that means bringing in a wider palette of sonic
Influences.”
Formed by Greer and banjoist Jesse Langlais over 15 years ago on a ridge high above the
Asheville skyline, the sturdy foundation of Town Mountain came into play with the
addition of Barker not long into the band’s tenure. From there, the group pulled in
fiddle virtuoso Bobby Britt and bassist Zach Smith. And though the road has been long,
it’s also been bountiful.
“It’s definitely been a slow climb. But, it’s been a climb nonetheless, where each new
opportunity is filled with a sense of gratitude — to be able to make music, to be able to
play music with your friends,” Barker says. “And to be able to bring music to the people,
and have them want to show up and listen to it? Well, we’re thankful for that every
single day.”
Lines in the Levee also marks the band’s debut album release for famed Nashville label,
New West Records. Well-known and championed as a fiercely independent act, the
members of Town Mountain felt an immediate kinship with the record label — this
genuine bond of creative fulfillment and sustained artistic growth to ensure the long
game for the ensemble.
“We’ve always wanted to have a relationship with a label that felt right, and New West
felt right,” Langlais says. “New West came to some of our shows and the ball started
rolling. They knew they wanted to work with us, and we knew we wanted to work with
them. New West lets the artist steer the ship and that’s what we were looking for — to
have the autonomy to do what we want, but also have a great label behind us.”
Recorded at Ronnie’s Place (part of the Sound Stage Studios) on Music Row in the heart
of Nashville, Lines in the Levee is a bona fide workshop in the seamless blend of
Americana, country, bluegrass and folk roots — this crossroads of deep influences and
cultivated visions each member of Town Mountain brings to the table.
“The studio has been part of Nashville for over 50 years, and there’s a certain mojo that
comes from a space like that — you’re literally stepping into history and that history is in
the air when you hit the record button,” Langlais says.
Lines in the Levee is also a moment in time for Town Mountain to take pause and glance
over its shoulder at the road to the here and now. It’s this whirlwind blur of people,
places and things that fly by, especially when your hardscrabble existence is spent along
that lost highway — bouncing from town to town, show to show, all in an effort to turn
long-held dreams into a daily reality.
“Right from the beginning, it’s always been about camaraderie and the creation of
something unique, where we haven’t let any of the bumps on the music business road
get us down too much,” Langlais says. “And I think we feel really comfortable with
where the Town Mountain sound is right now — that’s a damn good feeling.”
