By Ellie Johnson
Town Mountain’s high energy and boot-stomping sound had ROMP-goers leaving their lawn chairs behind to dance Friday night — exactly the kind of audience interaction mandolin player and vocalist Phil Barker hopes for.
“It’s a circular energy,” Barker said. “We give to the audience, they give back to us, and it builds. That’s why anybody plays music — to connect.”
The band has taken the ROMP stage an estimated five times over the years.
“It was 103 degrees the first year we played here,” Barker laughed. “And that was when we wore suits. We were just up there wondering if someone was going to pass out.”
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Town Mountain has spent nearly two decades carving out their place in the Americana and bluegrass world. Their unpolished and gritty style is shaped by their arts-driven hometown.
“Asheville is a hub for all kinds of artists — potters, painters, musicians,” Barker said. “It’s always been more of a community thing than a commercial thing, and I think that comes through in our music. We’re not trying to polish every corner; it’s about rawness and authenticity.”
Barker, who grew up in a musical household in Greenville, South Carolina, said his early exposure to classical piano through his mother and grandmother laid a foundation. But it wasn’t until high school that he discovered bluegrass through the guitar — and later the mandolin.
He said seeing Del McCoury live for the first time was inspiring
“I got a cheap mandolin that year, and I was hooked,” he said. “Once you start playing bluegrass, you can’t stop.”
Town Mountain’s current lineup includes Barker on mandolin and vocals, Robert Greer on guitar and vocals, Zach Smith on bass, Silas Hamilton on pedal steel, Bobby Britt on fiddle, and Camry Harris on drums. Their instrumentation pushes beyond traditional bluegrass boundaries.
“Stylistically, we’re extending our songs and singing about more topical subjects — always with a nod to bluegrass, but we’re not wearing suits anymore,” Barker said with a grin.
Often described as “alt-country rebellion with a honky-tonk attitude,” Barker said the label fits.
“We’re just trying to find someplace between bluegrass and honky-tonk that feels right,” he said.
As the band’s primary songwriter, Barker draws from personal experience, road stories, social commentary — and the occasional drinking song.
“The more I write, the more personal it gets,” he said. “There’s a lot about missing home, missing the road, and dealing with everything in between.”
With seven studio albums and a handful of EPs under their belt, the band is now working on their next project. But Barker said they aren’t rushing; they want it to be important and impactful.
And despite their genre-bending sound and rugged presence, Barker said fans might be surprised to learn Town Mountain is made up of “pretty regular dudes.”
“The fact that we’ve been at it for 20 years might surprise some people,” he said.
Fresh off their ROMP performance, the band heads to St. Louis and Chicago this weekend. Barker said his goal remains the same wherever they go.
“Our music is interactive,” he said. “It’s about getting loose and having a good time.”
