Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, Town Mountain is the sum of all its vast and
intricate influences — this bastion of alt-country rebellion and honky-tonk attitude
pushed through the hardscrabble Southern Appalachian lens of its origin.
“For us, it’s all about the interaction between the audience and the band — doing
whatever we can onstage to facilitate that two-way street of energy and emotion,” says
mandolinist Phil Barker. “Whether it’s a danceable groove or a particular lyric in a song,
we’re projecting what we’re going through in our daily lives, and we feel that other
people can attest to that, as well — it’s all about making that connection.”

Amid a renewed sense of self is the group’s latest album, Lines in the Levee, a collage of
sound and scope running the gamut of the musical spectrum in the same template of
freedom and focus found in the round-robin fashion of the musical institution that is
The Band — a solidarity also found in the incendiary live shows Town Mountain is now
revered for from coast-to-coast, this devil-may-care gang of strings and swagger.
“This is the sound we’ve been working towards since the inception of the band,” says
guitarist Robert Greer. “We realized we needed to do what’s best for us. We’re being true
to ourselves. It isn’t a departure, it’s an evolution — the gate is wide open right now.”
“We’ve always had such a reverence and respect for those first and second-generation
bluegrass bands, and it was that sound that initially inspired all of us to get together,”
Barker adds. “And that will always be part of our sound. But, we also need to grow as
artists, and as individuals — for us, that means bringing in a wider palette of sonic
influences.”

Formed by Greer and banjoist Jesse Langlais over 15 years ago on a ridge high above the
Asheville skyline, the sturdy foundation of Town Mountain came into play with the
addition of Barker not long into the band’s tenure. From there, the group pulled in
fiddle virtuoso Bobby Britt and bassist Zach Smith. And though the road has been long,
it’s also been bountiful.

“It’s definitely been a slow climb. But, it’s been a climb nonetheless, where each new
opportunity is filled with a sense of gratitude — to be able to make music, to be able to
play music with your friends,” Barker says. “And to be able to bring music to the people,
and have them want to show up and listen to it? Well, we’re thankful for that every
single day.”