Like many bluegrass bands do, Flatt Out Blue got its start from a regular jam where banjo player Andrew Beverly took note one evening that there was too much talent in the room to just get together and pick. It was time to form into a real touring group.
Now this sextet from southwest Virginia/northeast Tennessee has a single to demonstrate their sound, a gritty contemporary sound very much in keeping with the style that predominates in that part of the country.
Alongside Beverly on banjo, Flatt Out Blue consists of Jordan McPherson and Braeden Christian on guitar, Jacob McPherson on mandolin, Cory Nelms on reso-guitar, and Isaac Saults on bass.
Comparisons to Blue Highway are fair, as Wayne Taylor produced the recording, and co-wrote the song, Coal Town, with Jordan McPherson, Corey Nelms, and Braeden Christian.
It tells of a life familiar in their part of the Appalachian region, and in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia, and North Carolina, where mining is among the few occupations where a worker can earn a living. The lyrics share the frustration of someone who wants out of the mines, but with no idea what else to do.
Have a listen.
Coal Town is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.
