Dry Branch Fire Squad (L to R:) Dan Russell, Brian Aldridge, Tom Boyd, Ron Thomason

Burlington, MA – Rounder Records is pleased to announce the January 27 release of Echoes of the Mountains, the first all new studio album from the legendary Dry Branch Fire Squad since 2001’s Hand Hewn. Led by singer, mandolin-picker and raconteur Ron Thomason, Dry Branch Fire Squad is one of the most compelling and unique bluegrass bands to emerge in the past three decades. With each album (over a dozen to date), Dry Branch Fire Squad carries timeless traditions into the modern era with a blend of reverence, soul and wit all their own. Bluegrass Unlimited calls Thomason “one of the most soulful vocalists in bluegrass history.”

Echoes of the Mountains features songs that Dry Branch put their stamp on and make fully their own – like fan favorites “Echo Mountain,” “Rider on an Orphan Train” and “O Captain! My Captain!.” This is the long-awaited and exciting first release by Dry Branch Fire Squad in its current and longest-running, best-established line-up: Ron Thomason, Brian Aldridge, Dan Russell, and Tom Boyd. This is Dry Branch in its most bluegrass-inflected incarnation – “Bluegrass music is band music,” Thomason reminds us. True, and as such, this is the Dry Branch Fire Squad as many in the know have hoped to hear them for years. Get ready for soulful and raw traditional bluegrass and old-time music, an enduring and well-loved band still giving us a heartfelt and fresh set of new favorites.

Dry Branch Fire Squad is: Ron Thomason (lead vocals and mandolin), Brian Aldridge (guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals), Tom Boyd (banjo, Dobro and vocals) and Dan Russell (bass and guitar). Beginning May 19, the band will perform at festivals and concert halls throughout the U.S. Upcoming tour dates are listed below.

Upcoming Dry Branch Fire Squad Tour Dates:

• Jan. 1 — Salemburg, NC – New Year’s Bluegrass Festival
• Jan. 2 — Goshen, IN – LVD’s Concert Hall at the Old Bag Factory
• Jan. 3 — Dayton, OH – Canal Street Tavern
• Jan. 4 — Dayton, OH – Canal Street Tavern
• Jan. 24 — Yee Haw Junction, FL – 15th Annual Bluegrass Festival
• Feb. 13 — Mamaroneck, NY – The Emelin Theatre
• Feb. 14 — Framingham, MA – The Joe Val Bluegrass Festival
• Mar. 27 — Withlacoochee, FL – Withlacoochee Bluegrass Festival
• Mar. 28 — Withlacoochee, FL – Withlacoochee Bluegrass Festival