Spring Creek

Spring Creek "Way Up On A Mountain" (Rebel Records)

Spring Creek, a bluegrass band from the Rocky Mountain region, this week released its first CD on the Rebel Records label.

From Lyons, Colo., the quartet, together for five years, is the only group to win band competitions at the Telluride and RockyGrass festivals in the same year.

The new CD, Way Up on a Mountain, “projects a sound that derives its inspiration from the soul of the Rocky Mountains but maintains its footing in the Appalachian hills and piedmont of the bluegrass heartland,” said a press release from the label. ” Drawing from the same creative wellspring that produced
traditional bluegrass bands such as Hot Rize and Open Road, the album bursts with a freshness that is guaranteed to earn Spring Creek a spot among Colorado’s bluegrass innovators.”

The new CD also reflects “the band’s keen mastery of traditional bluegrass and their deep respect for its Appalachian origins,” the release stated.

Way Up on a Mountain features eight original tunes and cover songs that run the gamut from early rock idol Ricky Nelson to bluegrass god Bill Monroe.

Members include banjo player Chris Elliott, bass player Jessica Smith, Alex Johnstone on mandolin and guitarist Taylor Sims.

Fiddler Michael Cleveland is a guest artist on several tracks.

Prior to Way Up on a Mountain, Spring Creek released two independent albums, Rural & Cosmic Bluegrass and Lonesome Way to Go. The track “High Up in the Mountains” off the first CD won an Independent Music Association’s Vox Populi Award.

In support of the new CD, Spring Creek will spend 2009 performing at festivals and venues nationwide.