Barrel House Mamas at the Grey Eagle on Saturday

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

1

Press release here. Don’t miss ’em:

The Barrel House Mamas Perform at The Grey Eagle on Sat, November 15th; Town Mountain supporting

(Asheville, NC) The sweet and sultry mountain music of the Barrel House Mamas will fill the Grey Eagle on Saturday, November 15th. Doors open at 9pm for this all ages shows, $10 adv./ $12 day of. Supporting the evening will be local original bluegrass/ country act, Town Mountain.

Within the Mamas’ seamless and unique sound, claw-hammer and folk style banjo playing meets the melodic finger-picking of two acoustic guitars, with the throaty voice of old-time fiddle wailing over-top. Above all of these are the soaring, poetic three-part harmonies sung from three beautiful and distinct female voices for which the Mamas have gained regional notoriety. The result is a roots-pure and undeniably moving musical experience with hints of Appalachian old time, classic folk, the blues, a touch of country, a bit of swing, and is entirely these Mamas own.

The foundation of this musical group is Jane Kramer Edens, Molly Rose Reed, and Eleanor Underhill, three singer-songwriters whose musical journey began while attending Warren Wilson College in the Swannanoa River Valley. In March of 2003, they each were to perform individual sets of their original music in a women’s music showcase. One week prior, in what was supposed to be a playful, one-time collaboration as a finale for the show, their voices and instruments meshed for the first time, echoing up a cold dormitory stairwell, and stopping passers-by.

Now, more than four years later, with the lovely and talented Anna Bauman-Smith joining in on fiddle, they have achieved a gracefully powerful, audience-wooing sound in their extensive repertoire of solidly crafted original songs and creative arrangements of some old and contemporary favorites. In addition, they have carved a solid niche in Western North Carolina’s folk and roots music scene, being voted one of the top three performing acts in the folk/bluegrass genre of 2007 (Mountain Express) and holding their own as Asheville’s premiere and most beloved all female roots band.

With the release of their self-published debut album ‘Gathering’, named one of the top 20 regional releases in 2006 by WNCW radio, The Barrel House Mamas have been spreading their unmistakable harmonies and unforgettable songs to listening rooms, concert halls and festival stages throughout the southeast and beyond during the last year, even reaching as far as Los Angeles and New Orleans.

For more information visit www.barrelhousemamas.com and www.myspace.com/barrelhousemamas.