Songs From The Road Band – Where The Road Goes (2024)
Of all the forms of American music that fall under the category of Roots music, bluegrass seems to be the most durable. There are a number of current bluegrass bands that bring original compositions to the music while managing to uphold the integrity of the style. Folk and blues are increasingly watered down, and so-called Americana is boring. But search up “new bluegrass” in Spotify and you will hear the rumbunctious, finger-pickin’ joy of the music burst forth in a host of post-millennium bands.
One of those groups is called Songs From The Road Band. Long name. Great band. Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, SFTRB (gee whiz, even their acronym is a mouthful) released their first album in 2006 and have been prolific both in the studio and on the road ever since. They just released a new single called, ‘Where the Road Goes’. On the chorus lead vocalist Mark Schimick sings, “I go where the road goes/ Follow where the wind blows”, surrounded by the harmonies of Sam Wharton and James Schlender. It has the feel of a group statement about the past almost twenty years that is genuinely thankful without being sappy or corny. “I thank the Lord each day/ I get to wake up and say/ I go where the road goes”.
Bluegrass is a remarkable form of music. All the instruments have a rhythmic role, and it takes sure-fingered players not to stray into total chaos. Yet the closer bluegrass teeters over the edge of calamity, the better it gets. Take a stone-cold, gloomy audience, put a good bluegrass band in front of them, and they’ll start clapping inside four bars, guaranteed. SFTRB is just such a group, so they would be a great one to see live.
The quintet features Schimick on mandolin, Wharton on guitar, Schlender on fiddle, Gabe Epstein on banjo, and Charles Humphrey III on bass. On “Where the Road Goes”, Schimick, Wharton, and guitar get solo space, but not so much that it becomes a focal point. The heart and soul of the music is group interaction, and while that interaction reaches exciting heights on breakdown numbers, this light-hearted tune captures the spirit with a grace and optimism that is refreshing. If you’re not smiling when it’s done, you need help.
Find out more about Songs From The Road Band on their Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
Listen to more Americana music on The Other Side Reviews Americana playlist:
