Coal Town Rounders
Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
In less than three years, Coal Town Rounders went from just jamming together to opening for acts like the Lumineers in Harrisburg and Emmylou Harris at Lackawanna College. More recently, the band performed in Scranton at the inaugural Old Farmers Ball Music Festival at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain and released its first CD, which fans have asked about since the band formed. - The Scranton Times
The past comes alive again with youthful animation, as the Coal Town Rounders blend Depression-era, working man backbone with the barefooted, rural optimism of a Southern summer Sunday to stamp a unique voice upon their own bluegrass palate.
Coal Town Rounders ‘Numero Uno’ Rating: W W W W
- The Weekender
Coal Town Rounders, one of the earlier acts on the bill, was also one of the best, playing a classic set huddled around a microphone Grand Ole Opry-style. Chris Kearney and Matt Hiller’s harmony vocals rang out crystal clear throughout the Rounders’ performance, which included an upbeat, bluegrass-y take on The Band’s “The Shape I’m In.” - Highway 81 revisited
Sounding like they’re from deepest darkest Appalachia but actually hailing from the rough-hewn industry of Pennsylvania’s ‘Electric City’ Scranton come the Coal Town Rounders. And yes, while Scranton was founded first on its coal mining, this music will have you thinking of the mines of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee as the band produce a bluegrass sound that feels fully authentic. Authentic enough to earn opening slots with the likes of Emmylou Harris and the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and to catch our ears. If they catch yours too, you can nab a free download of Foggy Mountain Top here. - For Folks Sake
The Coal Town Rounders are a four piece string band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Over the past two years the group has opened for such artists as: Emmylou Harris, The Lumineers, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The group’s debut EP, Numero Uno, is a collection of traditional bluegrass tunes. Today we’re premiering " Foggy Mountain" from the new recording. - Relix Magazine
Discography
Coal Town Rounders- Numero Uno EP (2013)
Photos
Bio
Grafting their passion for Appalachian music and harmony singing onto 21st century sensibilities, Northeast Pennsylvania-based quartet Coal Town Rounders occupy a space in time that is distinctly their own. With a foundational repertoire of bluegrass material you'd expect in a group twice their age, the band is poised to expand the reach and relevance of traditional music with their unique sound and hard-driving approach. Live performances around a single microphone showcase the intensity and dynamic interplay between each member and lend a timeless quality to an old-time approach.
Following the release of 'Numero Uno,' their 2013 EP of traditional bluegrass tunes, the band has been well received by audiences throughout its home state of Pennsylvania, throughout the northeast, and stretches of the midwest. They have shared the stage with a range of nationally touring acts including Emmy Lou Harris, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Lumineers, The Grascals, and The Roys, and budding groups such as Cabinet, The Tillers, Wood & Wire, and The Barefoot Movement.
Coal
Town Rounders are currently putting the finishing touches on their
first full-length record of original material to be released in May of
2015. 'How It Used To Be' is a recording that attests to the enduring
qualities which define the style known as bluegrass music. It is evident
that the band has absorbed the traditions inherent to this uniquely
American art form, and they have melded the genre's vocabulary with the
unique musical influences each member brings to the fold. Filtered
through the aggressive artistic ethos of post punk/DIY culture, it is a
thoroughly modern record, imbued with studied bluegrass tradition.
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