Bluegrass band with local members to cut first album

The year 2015 has been a big one for Rutherford County Line, a bluegrass band with members from across North and South Carolina and Tennessee. In June the group performed at Dollywood and an album is in the works.

Rutherford Weekly recently caught up with the band, who has performed locally at the Union Mills Learning Center and other venues, to see what's next on the horizon.

Q. How did Rutherford County Line get its start? Members come from three states - how does that work?

A. We were once a band named Rocky Creek. That band split up, and we formed Rutherford County Line from the members that stuck together. We have members from South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. Facebook is the main way we keep up with each other and get information back and forth.

Q. Your music is described as a mix of traditional and modern bluegrass, gospel and new country. What artists have inspired the group?

A. Artist such as Mountain Faith, Flat Lonesome, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, IIIRD Tyme Out, Allison Krauss and Union Station, Justin Moore, Jason Aldean and, of course, the great Mr. Earl Scruggs, have all inspired our band.

Q. There has been a revival of bluegrass music in recent years. Why do you believe it has risen to popularity again, and why do you believe bluegrass has staying power?

A. We believe that bluegrass music has become popular again because of the newer sound and style of the music. It's still the same kind of music, but with a newer sound that people enjoy. In most of our songs, we try to stay traditional, but also add a newer sound to it at the same time. We believe bluegrass music has staying power because it is a kind of music that has been around for a very long time and people still love it today. It is a style of music that can never be forgotten.

Q. Do you perform your own music, covers or both?

A. We are fortunate to have such talented musicians and song writers in our band. We have a few songs that members of our band have written and we also do covers.

Q. What is a song you always perform?

A. A song that we always perform and seems to be a fan favorite is a song entitled "Fall On Your Knees." It is a gospel song, but has a new bluegrass sound to it. It is one of our band's favorite songs.

Q. Rutherford County Line recently performed at Dollywood. What other larger venues have you performed at, and what would be your ultimate venue to perform?

A. Dollywood was by far one of the best venues we have played, it was so much fun, and such a great honor to be able to play there. We have also played at a large bluegrass festival in Guyton, Ga., called the Mossy Oak bluegrass festival. We played there along side of Mountain Faith, which was also a great honor. The ultimate venue to perform at one day would most definitely have to be the Grand Ole Opry.

Q. Where can folks expect to see the group perform in the coming months?

A. In the upcoming months, we will be performing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and in Georgia at the Mossy Oak Bluegrass festival. Those are our biggest venues coming up.

Q. Are there any albums in the works?

A. We will be starting our first album in December. We are very excited to get our debut album out to our fans and listeners.