There’s a sound the Shenandoah River makes as it rumbles over old stones in the shallows. It sings songs the way they used to be – plain and honest. No frills, buckle that belt before you head to the hills and hollers. It’s there under a Virginia moon that you’ll find the Low Water Bridge Band.

Forged by firelight picking, the band’s romping, stomping, country-grass Americana ain’t for the faint of heart. Since their founding in 2020, they’ve gone from barnstorming the Shenandoah Valley to festival stages along the East Coast. Venues from the Carolinas to Kentucky and, yes, Nashville, Tennessee ring with their sound and are asking for more.

They’re led by guitarist and lead singer Logan Moore’s searing melodies. The precision thump of brothers Alex and Riley Kerns’ bass and drums and their pitch-perfect vocal harmonies fill out the sound. Justin Carver’s pedal steel and banjo swirl through songs like smoke from the campfire.  And it’s all brought together with the crunch and crackle of James “Chainsaw” Montgomery’s electric guitar riffs.

From the first time you see them, your boots will be worn from kicking up dust. By the time a second chorus comes around you’ll be hooting and hollering their memorable originals alongside their die-hard fans. You’ll join a crowd who travels far and wide, bringing the party to your town. If you’re a fan of good music done right, be sure to keep a lookout for this fast-rising outfit from Clarke County, Virginia. Chances are, they’ll be blowing through your way one of these days soon.

You can check out the latest Low Water Bridge Band news, information, and merchandise at www.lwbbmusic.com. And give them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, and Tik-Tok. Their music is also available everywhere you stream or download your favorite music.

St. Louis honkytonk rock ‘n’ roll act The Fighting Side is making waves throughout the Midwest, and the status quo of country music has been given notice.

Frontman Brad Jackson makes it all clear. “Each one of us has been doing this for a long time, but in different musical realms. Some of us cut teeth on punk rock, some of us on bluegrass or surf rock, and I’m a traditional country guy with a long punk rock history it all matters.” The styles each member contributes is distinct, but the resulting sound is something altogether innovative, yet familiar in the way that defines songs you can’t get out of your head. Screaming telecaster lead guitar from David Newman and the walking bass lines of Ben Gastman, combined with Jackson’s deep baritone growl, say it’s something between country music and southern rock, while the punk/blues backbone from behind the kit of Timmy Kendrick and the guitar of Seth Barnhart transform the output into something that’s really not country music at all.

The songs this act delivers, hard-hitting in both arrangement and lyrical content, are the carefully crafted art pieces of a group that clearly has a formula down pat. “Seth and I have been friends since 5th grade”, says Jackson, “so there’s a definite element of understanding between us. Sometime I deliver an idea, a one liner or a melody that’s been banging around in my head, and it’s like he just automatically knows where I’m heading with it. That makes it easy, and we take those ideas to the full band and watch them grow as each of us adds a piece of ourselves to the tunes. Having the incredibly cool lineup that we have is the secret recipe  Everybody in the band writes the songs together.” And while the songs are the heart of this act, the banter and the obvious clout and decades of experience they display on stage are the edge.

While working on a new album (hopefully hitting in mid-2024), The Fighting Side is currently touring on their sophomore release Hellbent on Hardtimes, available on iTunes, Spotify, and wherever you buy music online.

When this act comes to town, you put your damn pants on and go see what honkytonk insurgent rebel rock ‘n’ roll looks like if you know what’s good for you.

Jon Dell is an American songwriter, guitarist, and music educator. Currently based in Brooklyn, his upcoming release “I Love You & Wish You The Best” explores weighty topics such as terminal disease, lost love, second chances and most things in between. All this, while still maintaining his trademark gallows humor. The fact that his songs tread the line between dolor and blissful jubilance so well is a testament to Dell’s deftness as a storyteller and his uncommon sensibilities as a songwriter. Having played in bands since his early teens, he has played hundreds of shows coast to coast, sharing the stage with artists such as Charley Crockett, BJ Barham, Justin Wells, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, and many, many others.