A PR piece for one of my favorite local bands

Malcolm Smith

Every once in a while an old time string band becomes the go to dance and entertainment band up on the Blue Ridge. It has happened with such bands as the Dry Hill Draggers, The Cabin Creek Boys, The Whitetop Mountain Band, The Konnarock Critters, the Slate Mountain Band and so on. The latest band attracting hordes of dancers and an army of loyal listeners up in the highlands of Virginia and North Carolina is “Nobody’s Business’

The band’s driving sound is derived both from the genetic rhythm created by master musicians but also from a genuine love of old time and early blue grass music. All of the members of this band trace roots to the Grayson Highlands area of Virginia as well as North Carolina high country. But what really makes “Nobody’s Business” stand out is that the musician’s lives are deeply dedicated to the art of old time mountain music and traditions in many other ways.

Take guitar player and “high lonesome” vocalist, Jackson Cunningham for example. When Jackson is not studying the various guitar styles and perfecting the vocalizations of the region, he is building some of the finest guitars on the planet. Cunningham Stringed Instruments is selling handmade guitars made in Mouth of Wilson, VA. around the world to those seeking an authentic old country sound.

Fiddler and vocalist Trevor McKenzie is a professional music archivist, author, and Director of the Appalachian Studies Center at Appalachian State University. A former apprentice of the great mountain fiddler and banjo player, Paul Brown, Trevor is immersed in Appalachian musical traditions. His most recent book, “Otto Wood: The Outlaw” details the life of an Appalachian bandit who was made famous by a ballad sung by, among others, Doc Watson

Corbin Hayslett, the banjoist, is considered to be a master of a variety of Appalachian and Blue Ridge banjo styles and can adapt his playing to both old time and early blue grass. Besides his playing, Corbin promotes his knowledge and love of mountain music by serving as General Manager of County Sales, the only music store in the nation devoted solely to old time and bluegrass music. In addition, Corbin serves as a mentor and teacher at the renowned Handmade Music School in Floyd, VA.

Joined by Jesse Morris on bass, the band defies both gravity and tradition, shifting from powerful old time fiddle dance tunes to crooning early bluegrass harmonies while putting on a darn good show.

Currently they are all the rage up here on the Blue Ridge, because fans are crazy about the drive, the authenticity, the fun and the madness that is “Nobody’s Business”