Arden, North Carolina (August 19, 2022) — After their 2021 album, I’m The Happiest When I’m Moving, earned praise as “a bold statement [of] their fresh take on bluegrass—one that draws on a wide-ranging set of historical sounds, yet remains as authentic as Alex himself” (County Sales), The Alex Leach Band is taking an even deeper dive into the fresh, original sounds that characterized that first release with All The Way, their new album out now from Mountain Home Music Company.
Produced by award-winning songwriter Jon Weisberger, All The Way signals, as its title suggests, Leach’s commitment to a distinctive musical path. Opening with the exuberantly hopeful title track and new radio single, “Together (We’re Going All The Way)”, the project quickly offers up two covers that serve to reveal the breadth of his influences — one, an intimate duo reading of Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin’ Away” that features Miranda Leach, and the other a breakneck rendition of “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” that nods both to songwriter Joe South’s original and to another “deep catalog” entry, Cliff Waldron’s ‘grassed up 1970 version. From there, the collection ranges through a dazzling assortment of originals — some by Leach alone, others written in collaboration with Miranda (who also contributes a lively look at love as a metaphorical gamble), Lauderdale and Weisberger — before concluding with a final cover, this one written by longtime friend Evan Whitten Ondriezek.
The eclectic set reveals Leach’s many gifts — as a wide-ranging songwriter, proficient guitarist, inventive arranger and, above all, instantly recognizable singer who convincingly inhabits each song’s character. There’s the lovelorn narrator of “Loveland,” the stern seeker of vengeance in “Little Secret,” the heartsick wonderer of “She’s On A Different Train,” the guilt-racked survivor of “Lineman In The Rain” and more, with each song given a setting that underlines and amplifies its essential character. With regular bassist JT Coleman present throughout, Leach presides over a cast of musicians that includes Jason Johnson (banjo), Joshua Gooding (mandolin), labelmate Carley Arrowood (fiddle), banjoist Derek Vaden (Larry Stephenson Band), fiddlers Chris Sexton (Nothin’ Fancy) and Bryan McDowell, pedal steel guitarist Chris Castle (Darryl Worley), legendary drummer Tony Creasman, and longtime friend and colleague Roscoe Morgan on mandolin. Carefully tailored to the needs of the song, each configuration of supporting musicians serves to bring Leach’s varied approaches to life, from the straight ahead, blazing bluegrass of “Little Secret” to the rolling country rhythms of “High Tide.”
“The Alex Leach Band has entered a new season of growth this past year,” Leach notes, “and I couldn’t be more excited to share this fresh music that has been created as a result. This album is full of original tunes that I recently penned. I was honored to collaborate with Jim Lauderdale, Jon Weisberger, and my wife, Miranda, on a few as well. There are several special guests on this album and everyone involved knocked it out of the park. Thanks to all those who have helped make this project a reality. This is the beginning of a new era for The Alex Leach Band, and we are ready to go ‘all the way!’ Sit back, crank the knob up, and enjoy!”
Listen to All The Way HERE.
About The Alex Leach Band
Hailing from the mountains of East Tennessee, Alex Leach is no stranger to the world of music. Just 30 years old, he has already been in the business for more than two decades, earning two “DJ of the Year” awards from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America by the time he was 15, and appearing on CMT’s “Big Ticket,” the BBC, and Peter Jennings’ “ABC World News Tonight.”
Yet even as he was building his reputation as one of the premiere radio voices in bluegrass, Alex was honing his skills as a guitarist and banjo player. He began his professional career as a musician at the age of 19, and was recruited a few years later by Ralph Stanley II, the son of iconic bluegrass pioneer, Ralph Stanley, with whom he had the opportunity to play banjo on the Grand Ole Opry in 2014. In the years that followed, he toured widely with “Two,” earning critical accolades for his playing, his compelling lead and harmony vocals, and for his additions to the bluegrass canon with songs like “Mountain Heartache.”
In late 2019, Leach took another giant step in his career when he and his wife, singer Miranda Jo, launched the Alex Leach Band, which includes Kasey Moore (fiddle, guitar, vocals), Zach Russell (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Baker Northern (banjo, mandolin) and JT Coleman (bass). They released their album, I’m The Happiest When I’m Moving, in 2021. With influences ranging from The Stanley Brothers to The Beach Boys, and Curtis Mayfield to Porter Wagoner, Alex Leach’s music is both traditional and original, nostalgic and forward-looking — the sound of a new generation of bluegrass artists.