CANE MILL ROAD

CANE MILL ROAD
GAP TO GAP

Patuxent Records
CD-317

This young group from western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia has made quite a name for themselves in the time they have been together. This new project allows the band to really showcase their talents. The band is Liam Purcell (mandolin, fiddle, resonator guitar), Eliot Smith (bass), Tray Wellington (banjo, guitar), and Casey Lewis (guitar). Purcell, the youngest member, contributed five of the selections to the project, with Lewis contributing three originals and the title-cut “Gap To Gap” was co-written by the pair. Banjo player Wellington added “Hydraplant” to the mix, and Purcell and Smith penned “Lose Myself.” Purcell’s songs include “Bound To Ramble,” “Rust,” “So Long,” “Rohan,” and the interestingly titled “Testostertone.” Lewis offers “Good Love,” “You Can Take Me Home,” and “Here I Go.”

Wellington is an excellent banjo player as shown on the instrumental “Hydraplant,” and Purcell shines on his classy “Rohan” and cuts loose on “Testostertone.” Other selections include Bruce “Utah” Phillips’ “Rock Salt And Nails,” Clarence Ashley’s “Little Sadie,” and Gordon Lightfoot’s “Wreck Of The Edmond Fitzgerald.” The band has a really strong following and has had their songs charted on Billboard. They’ve appeared at many festivals and venues and received a 2018 IBMA Momentum Award for Band Of The Year, and Wellington was nominated for Instrumentalist Of The Year. Cane Mill Road has taken their traditions and created a nice sound. Watch these guys as they continue to grow. (Patuxent Music, P.O. Box 572, Rockville, MD 20848, www.pxrec.com.)BF