Pretty Little Goat Bring Modern Bluegrass Flair on “Big Storm”
Above: Pretty Little Goat L to R: Owen Grooms, Mallory Carter, Josh Carter, JT Linville Credit: Robb Leahy
PRETTY LITTLE GOAT
— MODERN BLUEGRASS QUARTET —
RELEASE NEW SINGLE AND MUSIC VIDEO
“BIG STORM”
THIRD FULL-LENGTH STUDIO ALBUM
BIG STORM
DUE OUT FRIDAY, MARCH 25
NASHVILLE, TN (February 25, 2022) — Western North Carolina bluegrass quartet Pretty Little Goat have released the playful title track, “Big Storm,” from their third full-length studio album. The song arrives with a music video that perfectly captures the suspense and feeling of impending doom as a storm approaches, all while keeping it lighthearted as the band continues to play.
Yesterday, Bluegrass Today exclusively premiered the single and praised that “Pretty Little Goat is an interesting and unorthodox string band. Working in the format of an old time group, they have a bluegrass attitude, and the rowdy energy of a jamgrass outfit. To that, add thoughtful songwriting and a willingness to take chances with the genre, and you have a perfect band for today’s pluralistic, fusion-oriented music scene.”
Since their previous album, 2019’s Let The Sun Shine In, the quartet have been anything but stagnant. In fact, they've been pasteurizing their best work yet, Big Storm. Recorded at Buttertone Studio, Brevard Music Center and Island Ford Productions, Big Storm is a body of work that is both vigorous and enchanting — featuring Mallory Carter (percussion), JT Linville (Bass), Owen Grooms (Banjo), Jackson Dulaney (Dobro) along with incredible guest musicians including Jenn Linville, Barrett Davis, Madeline Dierauf, Jeff Sipe, John Duncan and Jamie Laval.
The nine-track Big Storm exhibits proficient roots musicianship with melodic songwriting — expected digitally on Friday, March 25 — and a physical version arriving the same day with a bonus track.
Rollicking, folky and sentimental, the album is a whirlwind of a ride covering a variety of topics. Songs like “Fisher's Hornpipe” and “Uncle Joe/Leather Britches” will get your toes tappin' and your head waggin', whereas “Undone in Sorrow” is a beautiful, old and slightly sad traditional song that contemplates life and death.
Formed in 2013, Pretty Little Goat was built on their common love for the deep well of local tradition found in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The band sees traditional music as a living art form; vibrant and evolving.
The core four members of the band are husband and wife combo Josh and Mallory Carter, JT Linville and Owen Grooms. The musical collaboration of these four goes way back before Pretty Little Goat. Josh and Mallory's relationship is a core element of the band. They have spent a lot of time traveling around the country and abroad playing music and experiencing world cultures together. Now, they enjoy being homebodies on the farm in rural western North Carolina, raising three children and milking cows by hand. Josh and JT have been playing together since JT was big enough to hold a bass. JT has always had a profound connection with the mountains in North Carolina, which shines through his music. Owen, their good friend and neighbor, known as “the professor,” runs the local Junior Appalachian Musicians program, embodying the band's vision of "keeping the tradition alive" on a daily basis.
Their debut 2016 self-titled album presents unique interpretations of old-time songs, along with original material while 2019’s Let The Sun Shine In is full of groovy original music that is "as close as we'll ever be to our past while being as current as we need it to be," as one of their musical inspirations, Mike Ashworth of the Steep Canyon Rangers, once said.
Track listing for Big Storm:
“Fisher’s Hornpipe”
“Making Time”
“Big Storm”
“30 Mile Run”
“Uncle Joe/Leather Britches”
“Underdone in Sorrow”
“Running on the Bench”
“Home with the Cider”
“Rhyme for a Dime”
Above: ‘Big Storm’ album artwork