In 2001 Railroad Earth formed out of live sessions at the Pocono Bluegrass Society open mics. A few weeks later they recorded their first demos and were invited to play Telluride, Grey Fox and High Sierra music festivals before they ever played a formal gig.
As the frontman for popular Jersey roots act From Good Homes, Todd Sheaffer covered a lot of ground in the years before Railroad Earth. It was a time when Sheaffer, mandolinist John Skehan and bluegrass musicians Carbone and Goessling were in between projects that the band members first came together. While they knew of each other from New Jersey’s roots music scene, they hadn’t played together before the fall of 2000. It was during a series of open-mic events sponsored by the Pocono Bluegrass Society that the initial four first began playing together.
Bandmates Tim Carbone (violin, accordion, guitar) and Andy Goessling (banjo, dobro, guitar etc.) literally traveled more than a million miles going from gig to gig in their previous band Blue Sparks From Hell.
Sheaffer had written some new songs and played them for Carbone, Goessling and Skehan who helped to adapt them into neo-bluegrass numbers. Within a couple of months the Railroad Earth line-up was rounded out by the addition of (drummer) Carey Harmon (a former member of The Hour and the Bobby Syvarth Band) and finally acoustic bassist Johnny Grubb.
The band is an amalgam of influences and experiences. Carbone and Goessling have bluegrass backgrounds while Sheaffer is a singer-songwriter schooled on such icons as Dylan, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones and Neil Young. With roots in the piano, Skehan plays the mandolin. The group also brings together players of different ages and perspectives. ‘It’s sort of a multi-generational band so there are influences that come from different moments in time‘ says Sheaffer. ‘It’s those different energies coming together that have created our sound.’
The band’s debut The Black Bear Sessions arrived in 2001 (BOS Music) following strong internet exposure. That was a year that found Railroad Earth becoming a popular act with many roots music fans as its improvisational style and bluegrass influence recalled the Grateful Dead and New Grass Revival. It was their blazing instrumental work and instantly classic songs that really connected with fans.
Their Sugar Hill Records debut, Bird in a House followed in 2002, thrilling critics and fans alike. While initially the band had begun to build a reputation with soulful sets at the country’s biggest bluegrass festivals and small venues Bird in a House accurately reflected the band’s potential and varied influences going from bluegrass to folk to Celtic to rock. At the same time it found Railroad Earth emerging as a songwriting force.
When it came time to record The Good Life, the members of Railroad Earth felt it was time for something new. Since forming in 2001, the band had released two lauded albums that were largely documents of the Railroad Earth live experience. Both rootsy sets were full of songs that initially came to life onstage and were then crafted for the studio.The Good Life however is the product of a very different studio experience.
‘This was the first record where we had even less of an idea of what might happen before we went into the studio ‘ said Todd Sheaffer. ‘We weren’t drawing from any material that we’d ever played live. This record was all fresh material written arranged and recorded in the studio.’
The disc is still very much a Railroad Earth experience, lush with rich mandolins, acoustic guitars, violin, banjo, upright bass and many other musical surprises. Yet there are clearly some more poppy moments throughout.
In 2008, the band released Amen Corner (SCI Fidelity Records), written and recorded at lead singer-songwriter Todd Sheaffer’s 300 year-old farmhouse in New Jersey’s rural countryside.
“Normally,” Sheaffer explained, “you come home after six weeks on the road and jump into the studio, all frazzled because you don’t have much left in the tank. This time I feel like we’ve invited our friends into our living room and that’s basically how we recorded it. We wanted for years to try working this way and I’m so happy we were finally able to do it.”
Discography:
The Black Bear Sessions (BOS Music 2001)
Bird in a House (Sugar Hill Records 2002)
The Good Life (Sugar Hill Records 2004)
Elko (SCI Fidelity 2006)
Amen Corner (SCI Fidelity 2008)
Railroad Earth (One Haven Music 2010)
Last of the Outlaws (Black Bear 2014)
Captain Nowhere [EP] (Black Bear, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.