by Josh Belcher, Freelance Writer
A new and upcoming group will grace the Bluegrass Stage at this year’s Williamson County Fair. The group is called Thompson’s Station Bluegrass Band,and they will kick off the musical performances on August 1st at 6:30 pm. TSSB is made up of Shane Cothran on guitar and lead vocals, Krystal Cothran lead and tenor vocals, Chris Carter on banjo, Damian Roberts on mandolin and Kevin Bowlds on fiddle. The band came together at an impromptu jam session at Nashville’s 2013 SPGMA ( Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) festival.The group has members from Tennessee as well as Kentucky in which they call home, but decided to name the band in honor of Thompson’s Station to give the band a relatable hometown feel. Since the group’s inception in 2013, they have been entertaining at festivals and concerts all throughout the mid- south. All of the members have been involved professionally in other bluegrass outfits honing their skills with combined years of experience and ultimately decided to join together as a collaborative to make the music that they all love in the Bluegrass genre. They have a very unique sound and high energy, and offer both traditional and modern bluegrass styles of some recognizable songs that they have put a unique spin on as well as original songs pinned from within the group. Be sure and check them out as it promises to be a great kick off to another stellar fair in Williamson County.
Kevin Bowlds, fiddle player ,discusses in more detail about the band:
WS: Are you guys excited to perform at The Williamson County Fair?
KB: We are extremely excited to play the Williamson County Fair this year. Fairs are a wonderful family atmosphere and bluegrass music fits right in with everything a county fair has to offer. This will be our first time playing at the fair and we hope for this to be our biggest venue yet!
WS:How exactly did you all form a band from a Jam Session at Nashville’s SPBGMA event in 2013? Also for those who aren’t aware what does SPBGMA mean?
SB: SPBGMA is an acronym for the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America. The event is held annually at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. SPBGMA is well known by bluegrass musicians for its non-stop jamming. Three of the original members, Shane Cothran, Krystal Cothran, and Chris Carter, met at a jam session there and thought that the music they played that day was something special. So the ideay of a band, now known as Thompson’s Station, was formed.
WS:How did you come up with the name Thompson’s Station Band?
SB:The band entertained several names and ultimately put several of them up for a vote. One of the names suggested was Thompson’s Station which comes from a town in Williamson County where Shane and Krystal reside. We all thought it had a nice hometown feel to it and voted it in as our band name.
WS: Do you have original songs that you perform, and is your bluegrass style considered contemporary or traditional or both?
SB: Shane Cothran and Damian Roberts are both great song writers and we are looking to add more original songs to our sets. We also pick up on songs that most people haven’t heard and put our own touch to them. I wouldn’t say that our music would fit perfectly into either category, traditional or contemporary. Our music is the perfect blend between the two.
WS: Kevin, tell us more of your back ground and what you play in the group?
SB: I was born and raised in Daviess County, Kentucky and started out playing a fiddle handed down by my granddad when I was 11 years old. My dad had played bluegrass as far back as I could remember and he always encouraged me to take it up. I took lessons from a talented local musician and just took off with it from there. I honestly had no idea where this music would take me, but looking back it has brought me to a lot of great friends, great music, and some great times.
WS:Do you have any albums in the works?
SB: We are a fairly new band and we are currently setting aside money to go towards our first album. We are hoping to start work on a recording this fall and have it ready for sale by early next year.
WS: What else would you like to add for first time listeners to your group that may come to the fair this year?
SB: We would love for everyone to come out and listen to us. We enjoy meeting new people and would love to be part of your entertainment for the fair this year.
