With two strong 2025 singles for Mountain Home Music Company (“I’m On to You,” “Blues”) already racking up streams and airplay, bluegrass powerhouse quintet, Lonesome River Band keeps the year’s momentum going with “Square Dance Friday Night,” a joyously feel-good number that celebrates a still-vibrant country legacy.
“‘Square Dance Friday Night,’ written by our bandmate Jesse Smathers, is a story of years gone by in rural America,” notes the group’s leader — and award-winning banjo player — Sammy Shelor. “Growing up in the 1970s, I played so many square dances and gatherings attended by the unique characters described in this song. So many friendships were built in the VFW halls and community centers that lasted forever. Music and dancing were the main source of entertainment for working-class folks, and it was the way to end the week with celebration!”
Yet while it revels in its portrayal of the scene Shelor’s comment evokes, “Square Dance Friday Night” is no exercise in nostalgia — not with the peppy kick-off supplied by Mike Hartgrove, who was recently honored with his 50-year pin from the Nashville Musicians AFW Local 257 and inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, nor with its loving yet clear-eyed sketches of the characters Shelor mentions, and definitely not with its irresistibly danceable rhythm. And in a nod to the eclecticism that permeates the dance hall settings depicted by its rapid-fire lyrics, “Square Dance Friday Night” features Rod Riley’s electric guitar alongside the usual sounds of banjo, mandolin, and, of course, plenty of fiddle.
Says Smathers, who plays guitar and sings lead on the track, “The tie between playing music and dancing is a huge part of the culture along the Appalachian mountains. Growing up, I remember cutting my teeth playing music for dancers at local venues along the North Carolina/Virginia line. It has always been a beautiful community event. ‘Square Dance Friday Night’ is your invitation to a night full of fun, and tells of some of the interesting characters you may meet while there!”
"Square Dance Friday Night" is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.
