ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band Concert

Ever wondered about East Tennessee State University’s renowned Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program?

You know, the one that spawned Kenny Chesney, Tim Stafford, Becky Buller, Adam Steffey, Barry Bales, and many other award-winning artists?

You will have the opportunity to sample one of their premier touring and recording groups on Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. at the Appalachian Auditorium at St. James.

“The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band is one of about 25 bands from within the program,” Dan Boner, program director, said. “Our mission is to showcase our program.”

The spring 2025 band includes students Ethan Church (Newland, N.C.) on mandolin, Steven Ivey (Henegar, Ala.) on banjo, Audrey Neel (Hillsboro, Mo.) on guitar, Will Potts (Blairsville, Ga.) on bass, and Reid Warren (Ottawa, Ontario) on fiddle. “Students audition for the band and are chosen not only for their ability and style, but also for their musical aesthetic fit, ability to write or find material, and their ability to dedicate the time necessary for a demanding schedule,” Boner explained.

At the Greeneville concert, the group will perform two 45-minute sets, which will include a mix of original material, standards, blazing instrumentals and a few gospel songs as well, Boner said. “Of course, we will have some really cool ETSU-branded products that folks can take home with them,” he added.

The band is excited to perform in Greeneville. “We are looking forward to the show and cannot wait to see old friends and meet some new ones,” Boner said.

New single ‘Seesaw’

One highlight of the concert will be their performance of “Seesaw,” their new single released March 28. “Audrey (Neel) brought us the song a couple of months ago,” Boner said. “We arranged it together and recorded it at the ETSU Recording Lab.”

The song is about the up-and-down emotions that often come with being in a relationship, or just with navigating the imbalances of life. The single is available worldwide at all major digital platforms.

“I love the sweet tone that Ethan came up with and how Will was so particular with what notes he was playing on the bass,” said Neel, who sings on the record. “I love the call and response that Steven delivered, and how Reid harmonized so pleasantly.”

The song’s final cut is a realization of what Neel envisioned for her composition. “Dan amazed me with all that he put into the song,” she said.

Completing her first academic year as guitarist and vocalist for the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, Neel grew up playing fiddle alongside her sister accompanied by their father at fiddle competitions in their home state of Missouri. She counts fellow Missourian Rhonda Vincent, a longtime supporter of ETSU’s program, as one of her greatest influences.

“When I was 7 years old, I was able to open for Rhonda Vincent,” Neel told Tim Stafford on Bluegrass U!, the podcast for ETSU’s program. “…My love for bluegrass definitely expanded when I met her, because she was a woman of bluegrass that I idolized.”

Stafford, a Grammy-winning bluegrass musician celebrating 30 years of touring and recording with his band Blue Highway, is completing his second year as ETSU’s Artist in Residence. Coaching students in the art of songwriting has naturally been one the primary areas of focus for the three-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Songwriter of the Year award.

“Something that I really enjoy about working with Tim is the fact that I can tell him exactly what I want and he can help me deliver it just right,” Neel said. “He said to go about the choruses with generic advice that doesn’t necessarily only apply to the main characters of the song, but to everyone, and in different ways and meanings. Within a short time frame, the rest of the song was complete.”

The Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies at ETSU is the oldest established program of its kind at any four-year institution, Boner said. Founded in 1982 by Jack Tottle, the program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies with concentrations in Bluegrass Profession; Old-Time Music; Audio Production; and Scottish and Irish Music, as well as undergraduate minors.

“Students from around the globe are attracted to ETSU for the chance to study and experience the music and Appalachian culture of East Tennessee,” Boner said.

During his recent induction speech for the County Music Hall of Fame, ETSU alumnus Kenny Chesney mentioned Tottle and his formative time at ETSU. “He is among dozens of incredible musicians who walked the halls of our university,” Boner said.

Local bluegrass connections

Bluegrass, old-time and country music are a huge part of this region’s culture and history, he said. “From Greeneville, you had entertainers likes the Sauceman Brothers and Buddy Rose, to ETSU alumnus Barry Bales, a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station since the early 1990s,” Boner said. “But there are untold numbers of community musicians who grew up playing this music with their families, in church, and at local jam sessions, who are at the center of what makes this music so important.”

The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, in various configurations over decades of the university’s 43-year program, has performed in seven foreign countries and at noteworthy venues including the Smithsonian National Folklife Festival, NATO Headquarters in Brussels, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The group became the first collegiate bluegrass band ever to have a charting single in fall 2016 when its original release, Did You Hear Me Say Goodbye, reached #12 on the Bluegrass Today National Airplay Chart. Since that time the band has also charted another student-written song, Sam Jocelyn’s Ghost, which peaked at #17 on the BTNA Chart in fall 2017. When the Water Goes Down – the band’s studio collaboration with co-writers Stafford and multi-award-winning artist and songwriter Becky Buller – debuted at #20 in May 2021.