A New Jersey band is coming to Bellingham to share their distinctive sound.
Railroad Earth got started in Stillwater, New Jersey, playing Americana music, which is defined as a mix of various styles of American roots music including Blues, R&B, bluegrass, folk, roots-rock, and country, with an emphasis on progressive bluegrass. They have been recognized as carrying on the type of improvisational music pioneered by the legendary Grateful Dead, and are known for extensive improvisations in their live shows.
The name Railroad Earth comes from a poem by “beat” writer Jack Kerouac. The first lineup came together in 2001, comprising Todd Sheaffer, Tim Carbone, John Skehan, Andy Goessling, Carey Harmon, and Dave Van Dollen. Sheaffer, Carbone, Skehan, and Harmon are still with the group.
Railroad Earth’s founding members knew about each other, but had not all played together prior to forming the group. Once they started rehearsing, they released they had something special, and cut a demo. That demo got them a spot at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2001, where Sugar Hill Records heard and signed them. To date, they have ten albums to their credit. The latest, “All for the Song,” dropped in 2022 and is in part a tribute to the late former member Goessling.
Railroad Earth will be at the Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham on Friday, December 29. Organizers of concerts like this can create programs for the shows using brochure printing.
