Mountain Heart - Road That Never Ends

Mountain Heart’s newest project, “Road That Never Ends” released today, October 23, on Rural Rhythm Records is the groups first live album and is the first to feature the group’s new frontman, Josh Shilling.

On “Road That Never Ends“, recorded at “The Ark” in Ann Arbor MI, the band covers a lot of ground. Along with the progressive bluegrass sound Mountain Heart has developed since the groups inception, the group brings a rock and roll influenced mentality to the title track, “Road That Never Ends.” The Josh Shilling penned, “It Works Both Ways,” finds the group delivering up a “down in the dumps” blues number. The fretboard burning pace of Jim Van Cleve’s own “Devil’s Courthouse” serves up a healthy dose of bluegrass fiddle and mandolin work along with some classical and jazz flavors thrown in to boot. While “Mountain Man,” featuring Adam Steffey on the vocals, finds the group returning to a more traditionally rooted sound.

Instrumentally, Mountain Heart stays true to form throughout the new project delivering many virtuoso, high energy performances, replete with the intricate melody, unison and harmony lines from the instruments of Adam Steffey, Jim Van Cleve, Barry Abernathy and Clay Jones And, at times, at blisteringly fast tempos.

Mountain Heart

Josh Shilling’s vocals bring a new and very progressive slant to Mountain Heart’s signature sound enabling the band to push the boundary’s of acoustic music even further. Shilling’s vocal delivery is at ease delivering an energetic and heavily rock inspired performance on the title cut that opens the album as he is on the soulful and emotionally charged delivery of “Who’s The Fool Now” that could easily find an audience on top 40 country radio stations.

Mountain Heart also includes their wildly popular “The Gospel Train” on the recording. Previously released on the group’s 2002 release, “The Journey,” (now out of print). This a cappella tour de force showcases the groups tight harmony vocals that are entrenched throughout “Road That Never Ends.”

By Travis Tackett

Share This

Old Crow Medicine Show Photo by Danny Clinch

Nashville, Tenn. — The Americana Music Festival and Conference will kickoff on Halloween, Wednesday October 31st in Nashville, TN with an opening party starting at 5:30PM and will continue into the weekend.

Beginning on Thursday morning, daytime panels will be hosted at the Nashville Convention Center and will feature seminars for artists, industry members and those with a passion for music. Panels will focus on Recording Agreements, Artist Management, The State of Americana Radio and will also feature educational forums like teaching history through music. Additionally, daytime events will feature musical showcases that will further define the breadth and integrity of the Americana genre and Keynote Interviews with A-List Artists.

Thursday, November 1st at 7:00 PM, the conference heads back to the Historic Ryman Auditorium for it’s signature event, the Americana Honors & Awards Show. The proceedings will once again be hosted by Yep Roc recording artist Jim Lauderdale. The house band will be headed up by New West recording artist, Buddy Miller. This year’s show will include performances by Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby, Old Crow Medicine Show, Emmylou Harris, Todd Snider, Joe Ely, Sunny Sweeney, The Avett Brothers, Gurf Morlix, Amy LaVere and Guy Clark with some very special guests still to come!

This year, immediately following the Honors & Awards event, special parties will be hosted by Americana sponsors Lost Highway, Proper Records, Six Shooter and Starfish Entertainment, New Frontier Touring / Ramseur Records / Full Light Records and Yep Roc Records. To attend all you need is a conference registration or a showcase wristband. The evening of music will feature Blue Rodeo, the Hacienda Brothers, John Doe, the Avett Brothers and Hayes Carll, just to name a few.

From Wednesday, October 31, through Saturday, November 3, the festival will run nightly, presenting four days of music at various venues around the downtown area. A $30 showcase wristband will gain you admission to any of the sanctioned showcases in all of the clubs; the Mercy Lounge and Cannery Ballroom, 3rd & Lindsley, the Station Inn and The Basement.

Festival Showcase Wristbands will be on sale at various locations in the next couple of weeks or you can reserve yours by visiting the Americana Music Association website.

Share This

Raising Sand

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - “Raising Sand” Rounder (CD and Vinyl LP)

Mountain Heart - “Road That Never Ends” Rural Rhythm Records

See our Review of Mountain Hearts “Road That Never Ends” here.

Share This