New WNC Bluegrass Album Released

On October 14, the Western North Carolina band Pretty Little Goat released their fourth studio album, Southland. Its release follows Hurricane Helene’s destruction, and serves as a reminder for the importance of WNC as an artistic hub. 

Influenced by Steep Canyon Rangers and other Southern Appalachian folk artists, Pretty Little Goat’s bluegrass sound has been around for over ten years. Southland is a sonic exploration of the region’s past and present. It’s a fresh and introspective project that combines the sounds of bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, and old time music. 

“The idea of the album is to artistically, emotionally and energetically capture the essence of existence at a certain time and place. The Southern Appalachians have been home to many different types of people over thousands of years and the result is a very uniquely iconic culture represented by everything from the food we eat, the homes we live in, the accents you hear and the music that is played,” the band says. 

The album features a number of notable originals alongside traditional folk ballads with a lasting legacy. 

For example, several sources date the album’s third track, “Elzick’s Farewell,” back to the 1880s. It’s said to be a parting gift to a West Virginian who left to fight in the Civil War, and the tune has survived through several generations of musicians. 

“Elzick’s Farewell” emphasizes the flare of the fiddle, and features Madeline Dierauf, a North Carolina college student who first played with the band when she was 12 years old. Dierauf has won the South Carolina State Fiddling Competition twice despite being self-taught on folk and old-time music. 

The band explores the bittersweet nature of the Appalachian spirit in “Endless Road”. The band’s vocalists create an airy two-part harmony against the acoustic instruments, and stun with introspective lyrics that feel all too relevant after Hurricane Helene:

“I’ve seen so much pain / But in this life there’s much to gain / Wind blows through my brain / This water rushes through my veins / These mountains are my home”

Listen to Southland
You can purchase CDs and vinyls from Pretty Little Goat’s website. Southland is also available on Spotify.