Introducing The Cumberland Collective: “We want to make music for the right reasons”

12 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Introducing The Cumberland Collective: “We want to make music for the right reasons”

One of the hits of the Folk Alliance 2012 was new Nashville band, The Cumberland Collective. Consisting of anywhere up to fifteen players, eight of the band’s members made their first trip to the music conference where I watched them create a buzz with their unique blend of, well, just about every music genre you can think of!

The still-new band played their first show on October 6, 2011 in Nashville with no one really sure what was going to happen; the vision was simply to make music. With everyone having the right attitude, keeping a group this large together has not been a problem. “Everyone here just wants to lift up the music as opposed to draw the attention to themselves,” explained band leader Mike Willis. Percussionist and ace vocalist,Jason Eskridge, agreed: “It is about pushing the egos aside and playing as a unit. It works dynamically, musically and it’s more spiritual than anything I have been a part of so far.”

The collaboration between these independent singer-songwriters came about organically, vocalist Debra Gordon told me: “We all like each other’s music and we all appreciate each other’s musicianship. So why not all get together and jam?” Connor Rand added that it was just the right time. “We have all been doing this for so long,” he said. “We just wanted something different, and hopefully this can also help our own individual projects gather some momentum.”

So how are their first impressions of Folk Alliance? Overwhelmingly positive. Clay Evans gave the most succinct description I have yet heard: “It’s like Bonnaroo in a hotel room!,” and he added that the authenticity of the event and the music being played everywhere had been really inspiring and refreshing. It is a sentiment that came up several times during our chat. “It’s so great to see so many musicians make music for the right reasons,” Willis said. “That’s what we want to do! Folk Alliance is a hotel jam-packed with people who make music simply because they have to.” Building on that, Gordon acknowledged that in Nashville, it’s not always easy to simply write the music you like: “Everyone’s busy wondering if material is pitch-ready or if it will have a chance at radio. Here at Folk Alliance, none of that matters; people are just making music!”

This is the kind of creative environment that The Cumberland Collective effortlessly fits into, even though there were a few doubts at the start. “I will honestly say I was apprehensive about how we would be received at a folk festival,” Eskridge confided. “But very quickly, the synergistic nature of what we do brought down the walls – and we have so far only once been told we were too loud!” he added with a smile.

Folk Alliance really is an incredible experience and any folk, americana, bluesgrass and acoustic musicians reading this, who haven’t yet attended, really ought to consider making the trip to Toronto, Canada for next year’s edition. Joining his band mates here for the final day, Reggie Sullivan‘s first impression is a pretty accurate assessment: “I felt like I walked into a circus – it was crazy!,” he said. “There were musicians hanging over the railings and everybody was playing. It’s fantastic!”

Given their busy schedules of volunteering during the day and playing from 10.30 pm through to around 4 am, I wasn’t sure if they had time to check out other performances. I had barely asked and names started flying across the table. The Cumberland Collective members had made sure they caught up with other artists and those who left an impression included Caleb Hawley, The Sweetness, The Big Machine, Shel, Carolina Story, The Kicking Grass Band, The Wood Brothers, Jason White, Angel Snow, and Phoebe Hunt.

For fellow Nashvillian Hunt, the feeling was very mutual, and it seems The Cumberland Collective will return to Nashville with a new band member. “It’s magnetic,” she explained. “Every time I don’t have to be elsewhere, I go to their room to see what they’re playing, and I end up staying and joining in!”

The plan for 2012 is to continue adding to their live performances and library of original music. Asked if they plan to attend Folk Alliance 2013, the response is unanimous: “Absolutely!”

The Cumberland Collective is (at the time of writing):
Mike Willis – acoustic, electric, u-bass, lead vocals
Clay Evans – acoustic, lead vocals
Debra Gordon – lead vocals, harmony
Phillip Lowman – drums, percussion
Isaac Hayden – acoustic, lead vocals
Reggie Sullivan – upright bass, lead vocals
Brendan Bull – drums, percussion, harmony
Connor Rand – resonator, acoustic, banjo, lead vocals
Jason Eskridge – percussion, acoustic, lead vocals
Phoebe Hunt – violin, acoustic, ukelele
DeMarco Johnson – keys, chromatic harp
Kerry Green – keys, bass
Michael Majett – electric bass
Noah Collins – acoustic, percussion, harp
Ted Pennington – mandolin
Billy Ramirez – latin percussion

You can connect with The Cumberland Collective via facebook.com/thecumberlandcollective.

Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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