North Fork Switchgrass Sprouts In The Tri-Cities

North Fork Switchgrass is sprouting some “new-grass” in the Tri-Cities area. With percussion as the backbone and electric bass carrying the beat, these five young-men play music they are passionate about, while making a few wise cracks in between, says fan Crystal Nottingham.

“Overall it’s just a mix of rock, blues, bluegrass and jazz,” said McClure Boyd, songwriter and drummer for NFSG.  “The most predominant influence would have to be bluegrass just because of the instrumentation, but we like to take it a step further than that so that we kind of ‘switch it up,’ or ‘switchgrass it up.’ ”

Each member adds his own ingredient to the North Fork Switchgrass seed, especially new members Rusty Ferrell and Gary Moore. “Rusty is one of the premier banjo players in the area,” said lead singer, songwriter and bassist, Tony Mowell.

Joining the group last January, Ferrell is a new driving force that has allowed NFSG to expand their repertoire. He’s been playing for 17 years and is influenced by the likes of banjo-greats such as Scott Vestal and Terry Baucom.

Seasoned in the ways of true bluegrass, Moore is the most recent addition to North Fork Switchgrass. He hopped on board to take the guitar spot, and doesn’t have any trouble hammering down some bone chilling blues vocals. “Gary has a big voice,” Tony said. “He’s brought a lot of experience to the band being with Ernie Thacker, Route 23 and then The Dixie Bee-Liners.”

Tony Mowell’s younger brother, David, completes the ensemble with his “lightning fingers” on mandolin. “David’s style is driving, mixed with tasteful melodic fills,” Tony said.

North Fork Switchgrass will debut some new material at their first Down Home appearance on Saturday, June 27 at 9 p.m.  “We’ve been busy writing and I think we are ready to play a few that aren’t recorded,” Tony said. “Plus, we will do a few new covers with anything from an old gospel tune to some old Motown.” Tickets for the show are $10 at the door.

The band has drawn a wide fan base during performances at Twilight Alive, The Kingsport Grocery Company and area TV stations. Local TV personality Morgan King enjoys listening to North Fork Switchgrass and invited them to play on-air. “It is bluegrass without a severe twang,” said King, co-host of Daytime Tri-Cities on WJHL, where the band played live last September and again in June. “For someone who may not like bluegrass, it still may be pleasing to the palate.”

Tony Mowell, the predominant song writer for NFSG, isn’t afraid to address politics, addiction, religion or the passing of a loved one.  Their debut album, Live in the Gray, has eight original tracks that Mowell wrote or co-wrote with Boyd.

The title track, “Live in the Gray” and “The Difference” each address frustrations with society, religion and political leaders. “ ‘Live in the Gray’ is a socially inspired song,” Tony said.

“When things bug me, my relief is writing music and ‘Live in the Gray’ was a result of my aggravation with a lukewarm society.”

The song’s lyrics are blunt, and dealing with issues such as these adds a lot of pressure, Tony said. “You are putting yourself out there with each and every show, including your thoughts and your ideas.” 

North Fork Switchgrass supporter Crystal Nottingham enjoys their original tunes, especially “Traditions.” “It reminds me of my own experiences after moving across the country after school and finally finding my way back home to the comforts mentioned in the song,” says Nottingham, who has been to three shows.

At a recent Kingsport Grocery gig, NFSG fan John Simpson enjoyed the band’s remake of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ by Neil Young. “My sister and I, who drove down from Knoxville to see the band, wanted to experience the folks playing live,” Simpson said.

The band has several large shows set up for this summer. They drew a large crowd at the Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City and are now looking forward to their Down Home debut. Then, they will open for Peter Frampton at Fun Fest in Kingsport on July 17. Tickets are available now for $10.

Despite the busy schedule ahead, the young men keep their focus on the future. “We have a long term goal of signing with a record label and having the opportunity to play to a wider audience and new markets,” Tony said.

For more information about the band and to sample some tunes, visit http://www.northforkswitchgrass.com.