Banjo, fiddle, cello, drums. What sounds come to mind when you’re given a band that can combine all those instruments? Bluegrass? Classical? Folk? High energy, feet-stomping, channeling the sounds of Nashville and some strong vocals to boot? The classically trained quartet, Harpeth Rising, highlights all of the aforementioned styles to leave an impression on audiences all over. Literally, all over.
“We do as much hiking and exploring as we can. So a lot of our adventures are still coming up this year, like being in Colorado this summer and then the UK, which is one of our favorite places to hike,” says Jordana Greenberg, who began studying the violin at the age of eight.
Last summer, the band was invited to the UK to play the esteemed Cambridge Folk Festival. They’ve also been through the US with tours in the Midwest, South, and Northeast. The group’s debut album was released in 2010.
Photographer: Susan Bryant
Originially from Ontario, Canada, Greenberg met her band members at Indiana University where they all undergrads in classical performance. After college, she and band-mate Rebecca Reed-Lunn took an extended trip across the country. Reed-Lunn, who studied many instruments before pursuing viola in college, taught herself how to play banjo during the girls’ road trip.
“Along the way, we learned a bunch of bluegrass and old-time tunes and started playing them at festivals, campsites and just busking on the street,” says Greenberg. “We loved it so much we decided to expand what we were doing into a career. We moved to Hawaii, where I had played a couple of times and started performing four to five times a week and writing songs. We eventually decided to expand to a full band and moved to Nashville.”
As a full band, the girls reached out to Chris Burgess, born and raised in Kentucky but currently a drummer in Memphis. Along with Burgess, they added Maria Di Meglio who hails from Brooklyn and is now finishing her Masters at Indiana University. The band got a hold of a 1993 E150 conversion van and began to show North America how multitalented the members of Harpeth Rising are.
“The van belonged to my in-laws, who called it the ‘Hippy Hauler,’” says Greenberg. “It’s in perfect condition and we love it, super comfy and plenty of space for us.”
Plenty of space is a good thing, but Greenberg promises she and the other two girls aren’t as girly as people would assume. The sole man in the group doesn’t have to cover his ears or close his eyes too much.
“Chris is very chill. He’s in his own world a lot of the time,” says Greenberg. “He does all the driving while we talk and watch TV in the van. We’re not super girly-girls, though, so I think that helps.”
Burgess will be driving his band to Philadelphia soon, as they’ll be performing at the PSALM Salon on April 13th as part of Gene Shay’s concert series there. It’s a great listening venue where patrons are encouraged to BYOB (and share) and there’s always a chef on hand to make a home-cooked meal that’s somehow related to the band that’s performing. Harpeth Rising hails food as a pretty important part of their tours.
“This will be our first show in Philly and any time we’re in the Northeast, we do a lot of eating,” says Greenberg. “We like to try regional and local cuisine whenever possible.”
After their Philly gig, Harpeth Rising will be all over the US and without much downtime, they’ll be spending late summer and early fall in the UK. The band does most of their rehearsing on the road considering none of the members live anywhere near each other or have much free time. Reed-Lunn teaches violin and viola lessons, at her home in Nashville, Burgess is a freelance percussionist in Memphis, Greenberg teaches at Western Kentucky University, and Di Meglio teaches cello and completed a Pilates certification.
“We also get together for extended periods and stay at one of our houses,” says Greenberg of the times when the band isn’t actually together.
Photographer: Susan Bryant
Harpeth Rising, voted ‘Best Local Band’ by Nashville’s Tennessean, strives to become more than the best locally. With sounds blended to create something you haven’t heard before but still familiar enough to take the time to listen to, this is a great band to keep an eye on in 2012.
“We’re always making plans for new albums, more touring, and taking the next steps in our career. One of things we love about this as a job is that you never know what’s going to happen next.”
Written by: Brenda Hillegas
