April 28, 2023 — Top bluegrass quintet, Lonesome River Band, are on quite a roll these days, dropping two full length albums (Singing Up There: A Tribute to the Easter Brothers and Heyday) for Mountain Home Music Company just under a year apart, and seeing singles like “Heyday” and the recent “Waitin’ For A Train” racing up the charts. Not only that, the venerable — they passed their 40th birthday not too long ago — group is keeping up the pace, as they announce the release of their first new music since Heyday, a peppy, rockabilly-flavored number that harkens back to the sound of 90s country called “Near Mrs.”
Says award-winning banjoist and bandleader Sammy Shelor, “‘Near Mrs.’ is a song that Shawn Camp recorded on a Country project back around 1994. A good friend of mine, Rod Riley, was playing guitar with Shawn at that time, and he recently posted a video of them performing it on the Crook and Chase show from that era. I felt strongly that Adam would be able to do a great job with the song and the current configuration of the band is really good at playing stuff out of the Bluegrass box. We love Traditional Country and feel that the Bluegrass genre is the last form of Real Country Music.”
Shelor’s referring to mandolinist Adam Miller, who first recorded with the band on Heyday, and whose reading of the tongue-twisting lyric is indeed commanding. But as he also notes, the current configuration of the group, including longtime fiddler Mike Hartgrove, guitarist Jesse Smathers and bassist Kameron Keller, has an obvious affinity for the retro, good-time feel of the original recording. Keller, in particular, contributes mightily to the groove, alternating a steady pulse in the verses with a boogie-woogie walking line that puts the choruses into overdrive, and combining both feels under split solos from the rest of the group.
From Shelor’s inspired initial choice to the final mix — available in the immersive audio of Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL’s Bluegrass: Dolby Atmos playlist — “Near Mrs.” is a signature performance by a band that blends veteran depth and youthful energy into an unbeatable whole.
Listen to “Near Mrs.” HERE.
About Lonesome River Band
Since its formation decades ago, Lonesome River Band continues its reputation as one of the most respected names in Bluegrass music. Five-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music. With stellar lead vocalists and impressive instrumental talents, the band seamlessly comes together, performing the trademark sound that fans continue to embrace.