Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"An abundance of dynamic performances."
"The Forge Mountain Diggers have created a breathtaking collection of old-time music that deserves to be an integral part of any serious music library."
- Bluegrass Unlimited
"David, Allison, and Thomas have chosen some of the best-loved tunes and songs in the repertoire, and they do them right."
"These folks hold nothing back.... they play flat-out."
"Just the right amount of push and pull between the fiddle and the banjo."
"This is a disc to play all year long."
- The Old Time Herald
"Fiery performances that owe nearly as much to punk rock as to bluegrass."
"The Forge Mountain Diggers combine traditional music with a DIY... ethic to carve out a unique niche in the music world."
"The group's music is famously danceable."
- The Athens Insider (Athens, OH)
"The Forge Mountain Diggers.... left the venue scorched, delivering a raucous, slash-n-burn series of sets not likely to be soon forgotten."
"The Diggers' punk influences are even more evident live than on their studio recordings. Allison Williams attacked her banjo clawhammer-style with an intensity rivaling that of any seasoned and steel-toed CBGB's regular, while David Bass' flawless fiddle work simultaneously drove the rhythm forward while providing a fierce melodic background. Thomas Bailey (playing a gorgeous small-bodied Gibson) unearthed a percussive element to the guitar, and even his solos were of the Lars Frederiksen variety: four or five notes, jackhammer tempo." - Augusta Metro Spirit
Discography
The Forge Mountain Diggers (s/t)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Originally formed as a contest band at the Mt. Airy Fiddlers' Convention in 2004, the Forge Mountain Diggers quickly realized that they were onto something bigger. The Diggers released their first CD in June 2006, and have since shared stages with the Grascals, Uncle Earl, Donna the Buffalo, and many other giants of the new Americana scene.
One group is particularly keen to see the Diggers on the scene: fans of the Freight Hoppers, fiddler David Bass' former group. In the 1990s, the Freight Hoppers pushed the boundaries between oldtime & bluegrass, drawing a new generation to traditional music and paving the way for bands like Old Crow Medicine Show and the Foghorn Stringband. David's heart transplant operation, five years ago, effectively ended the Freight Hoppers, and the Forge Mountain Diggers is his first project since.
The Diggers recently placed in the top 5 of the finals on the "American Idol Underground" contest, the online version of the megahit TV show, with their infectious rendition of “Jawbone,” in the Folk category. With a background in the DIY punk scene, the Diggers put their personal firebrand on old-time music.
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