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Formed in 2001, the earliest incarnation of Railroad Earth comprised of vocalist/guitarist Todd Sheaffer, vocalist/violinist Tim Carbone, mandolin player John Skehan, multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling, drummer Carey Haron, and bassist Dave Von Dollen. Having been collectivised by future manager Brian Ross, the name was inspired by the Jack Kerouac short story “October in the Railroad Earth”. After a series of practice sessions, the members felt they were on the cusp of something truly unique and brilliant and headed to the studio to record a five-track demo. Manager Ross subsequently sent the demo out to festival promoters and Railroad Earth landed a slot at Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2001.
Due to the success of the demo, Railroad Earth returned to the studio to record a further five songs which would form to resemble a debut album. Released in June 2011 “The Black Bear Sessions” features the popular singles “Seven Story Mountain”, “Head”, and “Railroad Earth” and was issued by Bos Music. The label Sugar Hill witnessed the group performance at Telluride and instantly signed the band to its roster. Following the release of their sophomore album “Bird In A House”, the group’s national exposure and appeal were gaining momentum aided by showcases by radio stations and online publications. Bassist Von Dollen was replaced by Johnny Grub in 2003, after which Railroad Earth’s third studio album “The Good Life” hit the shelves. Led by the singles “Storms”, “Mourning Flies”, and “Goat” the record was supported by an national tour and followed by the live album “Elko” in January 2006.
The band’s fourth, “Amen Corner” arrived in June 2008, after which electric guitars made their debut on Railroad Earth’s self-titled, fifth album. Following an appearance at the Jefferson Theatre at the University of Virginia, the band released their seventh LP “Last of the Outlaws” in January 2014. Extolled by critics and fans alike, the band supported the release with a headlining national tour, in which the group also headlined the Red Rocks festival for a second time.
Railroad Earth is a prime example of a jam band that can pack out a venue and leave everyone in awe of their musical craftsmanship. Railroad Earth has strong roots in Americana music, which can be conveyed from their name that they got from the Jack Kerouac story, “October in the Railroad Earth”.
The band has the tendency to take different genres and blend them into one unique sound. They are essentially a bluegrass band that uses primarily bluegrass instrumentation like mandolins, acoustic guitars, slide guitars, and fiddles, but they often add progressive and psychedelic elements to their performance. The band often uses such effects as delay on their mandolins to create psychedelic elements to their music. Railroad Earth is quite a large band currently having seven members in their band, and each member is highly competent on their instrument. Some of the band members are even proficient on several diverse instruments like Andy Goessling who plays the banjo, guitar, dobro, mandolin, flute, saxophone, and clarinet.
Railroad Earth approaches their musical delivery with a gentle touch, but they are able to get a rich, deep sound that is intricately developed due to the magnitude of their band. They primary use acoustic instruments such as the upright bass, and the drummer often uses brushes for drum sticks in order to get a more serene sound. The band creates polyphonic sounds that meld right together due to the band’s precise timing and great chemistry with one another. Due to being a jam band, Railroad Earth will often break out into long jam sessions that will go on indefinitely, but this is a thrill to the audience who seeks a sense of surprise and something new at one of their concerts.
Although Railroad Earth at times definitely has a gentle touch to their music, their shows often are one big party with colorful psychedelic lights flashing on stage and funky jams that will get the audience members moving on their feet.
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