Bluegrass music has long balanced its worldwide appeal with a strong sense of place, but few of its artists are more openly devoted to their native ground than Mountain Home Music Company’s Unspoken Tradition. So it’s only natural that, while many of its tracks have already been successful singles, their new collection, Resilience, nevertheless has a theme deeply attuned to its history and culture.
The album is now available for pre-save/add ahead of its July 25 release.
"The songs on this album were recorded and released over several years,” notes the group. “Each one carried its own meaning at the time, but like many creative works, their deeper significance revealed itself gradually. We chose to gather these singles under the title Resilience because, together, they now speak to something more — something that fits the present moment.”
In addition to the previously-released singles, which feature three different lead singers (guitarist Audie McGinnis, whose brother, Zane, is their banjo player; mandolin player Ty Gilpin, and bassist Sav Sankaran) and virtually all of which appeared in the Top 10 and three of which reached #1 on Bluegrass Today’s weekly chart, Resilience includes a tip of the hat to tradition with Sankaran’s soulful reading of the durable “I’ll Break Out Again Tonight,” which features a guest vocal from IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Danny Paisley as well as triple fiddles from the group’s Tim Gardner and guests Jason Carter and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.
“'I’ll Break Out Again Tonight’ was one of the first bluegrass songs I ever learned,” recalls Sankaran, who first engaged with bluegrass as a Pennsylvania youngster, “largely inspired by the captivating rendition of the song by Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass. It has long been one of my favorite old country ballads to sing, and to honor my Mid-Atlantic bluegrass roots and collaborate with Danny on this song is a dream come true. Danny is my all-time favorite bluegrass vocalist, and has been an inspiration to me since I was a child. I’m so excited to have Unspoken Tradition’s version of this classic out in the world, and even more excited to share the track with my bluegrass hero!”
“‘Resilience’,” the band goes on to note, “is often used to describe people who face hardship with grit and fortitude. That spirit runs through these tracks. ‘Weary Town’ is a tale of a region that’s endured tough times but holds on, much like the Western North Carolina area we call home. ‘Weeds Don’t Wither’ explores inner strength through personal struggle and quiet victory. ‘Moments’ turns reflective, leaning into gratitude. And our cover of Alabama’s ‘I’m In a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)’ critiques the chaos of always rushing, a cautionary tale wrapped in a familiar melody.
“Original songs like ‘Georgia In Her Eyes’ and the country ballad 'I’ll Break Out Again Tonight' bring emotional depth and ‘Katie and Burl’ grounds the collection in a strong sense of place. That sense of place is central — not just to this album, but to roots music as a whole. It’s also at the core of who we are."
Pre-save/add Resilience HERE.
About Unspoken Tradition
Unspoken Tradition is about new, original Bluegrass. Inspired by their own influences and the roots of traditional and newgrass music, this North Carolina based quintet brings a sound that is both impassioned and nostalgic, hard-driving and sincere.
Their latest single, “Weeds Don’t Wither” reached No. 1 on the Bluegrass Today chart, and seven singles from their 2022 album Imaginary Lines charted in the top 20 including “California” at No. 1, “Irons in the Fire” at No. 2 and “Carolina and Tennessee” at No. 4. Their 2019 release, Myths We Tell Our Young, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and saw five top-charting radio singles, including a No. 1 on the Bluegrass Today chart with “Dark Side of the Mountain.”
Unspoken Tradition’s material is mostly original and reflects the ever-changing culture of Western and Central North Carolina where they call home. The band has earned a fervent following in the Southeast, selling out shows in Asheville, NC as well as the legendary Station Inn in Nashville, TN. They have also performed twice on the coveted Watson (main stage) at MerleFest. With heavy airplay on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction and ever-growing streaming numbers, Unspoken Tradition is a fast-rising voice of a new generation of roots music artists.
