The Westbound Rangers
Nashville, Tennessee
22 Years Old
22 Years Old
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"So you put me on a one-way train to Utah..."
BIOGRAPHY“Are you ready for a hootenanny?” asks GAC’s Nan Kelley as four country boys carrying a banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass come walking down the stage towards a single microphone under a single spot light. The crowd’s response is deafening. As a hush comes over the Curb Event Center three voices shoot across the silence: “Are… you…. a Westbound Ranger?” begins the band before jumping into their fiery theme song. The chorus shows the approval of the crowd—“We’re the Westbound Rangers…” in three-part harmony is met by the crowd’s response “WESTBOUND RANGERS!”
Nashville’s artists from the beginning years of country and bluegrass are being represented in Nashville today by the Westbound Rangers. The Rangers are an acoustic group formed by four Belmont University students to preserve and promote music from the past while forging a new unique sound. They feel that raw energy mixed with musicianship is what made the older music of Nashville so great and they look to keep the style and tradition alive.
The Westbound Rangers released their debut self-titled album in June of 2009. The album contains nine tracks—five originals and four others spanning genres from traditional Appalachian mountain music to the Euro-pop song “Clocks”. Each song was recorded around one microphone in an old house just south of Nashville. Each song is a well-rehearsed work recorded in one pass—there is no pitch correction, no overdubs, and limited mixing. The result is a raw, high energy sound resembling the old recordings of music before the days of high technology.
The sound of the Rangers is called bluegrass by many, old-Time by some, while others hear old country. The Rangers just call it americana and play it how they hear it. One of the reasons the Rangers are such a unique group is their influences come from diverse genres. Each musician hails from a different part of the country with a different musical background. Graham Sherrill, from North Carolina, brings a true Appalachian voice and his own style of claw-hammer banjo. Read Davis, from Texas, has the soul of a Texas bluesman and lets us hear all about it through his guitar pickin’. Mike Walker, from Alabama, chops hard on his mandolin and has an edgy southern voice that can have a soul flavor, which helps the Rangers cross genre boundaries. Wes Burkhart, from Virginia, helps pull it all together with an old-timey heart that beats out the rhythm through his bass. Throw in high energy all around and you have the makings of the Westbound Rangers.
Their influences include Hank Williams Sr., John Hartford, Uncle Dave Macon, Grandpa Jones, and String Bean just to name a few. Old country songs like Hank’s “Mind Your Own Business” and bluegrass tunes like “Man of Constant Sorrow” are heard at many Ranger’s shows but they do not exclusively play acoustic music. Coldplay’s “Clocks” is always a crowd favorite when arranged for the four piece band.
“We just want to get out there, put this music in front of people and let them have fun,” says bassist Wes Burkhart. “It’s all about music and having fun.”
Nashville’s artists from the beginning years of country and bluegrass are being represented in Nashville today by the Westbound Rangers. The Rangers are an acoustic group formed by four Belmont University students to preserve and promote music from the past while forging a new unique sound. They feel that raw energy mixed with musicianship is what made the older music of Nashville so great and they look to keep the style and tradition alive.
The Westbound Rangers released their debut self-titled album in June of 2009. The album contains nine tracks—five originals and four others spanning genres from traditional Appalachian mountain music to the Euro-pop song “Clocks”. Each song was recorded around one microphone in an old house just south of Nashville. Each song is a well-rehearsed work recorded in one pass—there is no pitch correction, no overdubs, and limited mixing. The result is a raw, high energy sound resembling the old recordings of music before the days of high technology.
The sound of the Rangers is called bluegrass by many, old-Time by some, while others hear old country. The Rangers just call it americana and play it how they hear it. One of the reasons the Rangers are such a unique group is their influences come from diverse genres. Each musician hails from a different part of the country with a different musical background. Graham Sherrill, from North Carolina, brings a true Appalachian voice and his own style of claw-hammer banjo. Read Davis, from Texas, has the soul of a Texas bluesman and lets us hear all about it through his guitar pickin’. Mike Walker, from Alabama, chops hard on his mandolin and has an edgy southern voice that can have a soul flavor, which helps the Rangers cross genre boundaries. Wes Burkhart, from Virginia, helps pull it all together with an old-timey heart that beats out the rhythm through his bass. Throw in high energy all around and you have the makings of the Westbound Rangers.
Their influences include Hank Williams Sr., John Hartford, Uncle Dave Macon, Grandpa Jones, and String Bean just to name a few. Old country songs like Hank’s “Mind Your Own Business” and bluegrass tunes like “Man of Constant Sorrow” are heard at many Ranger’s shows but they do not exclusively play acoustic music. Coldplay’s “Clocks” is always a crowd favorite when arranged for the four piece band.
“We just want to get out there, put this music in front of people and let them have fun,” says bassist Wes Burkhart. “It’s all about music and having fun.”
LEVELsemi-pro
GENRESFolk, Bluegrass, Country
Contact
Booking: westboundrangers@gmail.com
INSTRUMENTSbanjo / bass / acoustic guitar / mandolin / vocals
INFLUENCESOld Crow Medicine Show, Avett Bros., John Hartford, Stringbean, Hank Williams
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