Magnolia Mountain | Cincinnati, Ohio | Folk/Americana/Country Music




Mark Utley - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo Jordan Neff - Harmony Vocals, Electric Guitar, Accordion, Banjo, Piano, Organ Melissa English - Harmony Vocals Amber Nash - Harmony Vocals Bob Lese - Mandolin, Harmonica David Rhodes Brown - Vocals, Lap Steel, Dobro, Slide Guitar, Banjo Bob Donisi - Upright Bass Matt Frazer - Drums, Percussion
Anchored by an acoustic musical core and a strong commitment to vocal harmonies, Magnolia Mountain will appeal to fans of roots music, old and new. Drawing from the deep well of American music, Magnolia Mountain takes different genres, finds the common thread within, and translates them into their own original songs that both pay tribute to the past and carve out their own place in today’s musical landscape. The band is led by songwriter Mark Utley on vocals, acoustic guitar and banjo. Mark is joined by guitarist/harmony vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jordan Neff, mandolin/harmonica player Bob Lese, harmony vocalists Melissa English and Amber Nash, upright bassist Bob Donisi, drummer Matt Frazer, and their newest member, Cincinnati music icon David Rhodes Brown on lap steel, dobro, slide guitar and banjo. The band plays regularly around the greater Cincinnati area, performing Mark's original songs as well as an eclectic selection of covers that range from the Louvin Brothers to Son Volt, from Woody Guthrie to the Flying Burrito Brothers, and from Hank Williams Sr., to the Drive-By Truckers. They are at home in quiet "listening rooms", rowdy bars, and anywhere in between. Magnolia Mountain was nominated for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award in the Folk/Americana category in 2008 and 2009, in addition to performing at the 2009 CEA awards ceremony. Along with performing at venues as the Southgate House, Madison Theater, Northside Tavern, The Comet, Leo Coffeehouse and The Crow's Nest, they’ve also taken part in festivals such as Twangfest 14 (in St. Louis), the Whispering Beard Folk Festival, MidPoint Music Festival, Rabbit Hash Old Timer's Day, EdenSong, Music for the Mountains, and Metamora Old Time Music Festival. Magnolia Mountain has also played a Studio 89 session live on WNKU radio and a live session on KDHX-FM in St. Louis. Their first album, “Nothing as it Was,” was released in February 2009. CityBeat magazine called it "soulful, haunting and pure, taking the best of Country, Folk and Bluegrass and refracting it through a modern prism. It rings incredibly authentic and timeless, and album that could have come out 40, 30 or 20 years ago but is too lively and crafty to stand as some sort of retro-music museum piece". In October 2009, the band returned to Ultrasuede studio with producer John Curley to begin recording their second album. June 19, 2010 saw the release of "Redbird Green", an ambitious 17-song project released on both CD and 2-LP vinyl. This date also saw the release of the band's initial video from the album, "Hellbound Train", directed by Cliff Jenkins.
"Like many musicians, I spent my young adult years looking for inspiration anywhere other than where I came from. The rural background of both my parents held no allure for me and sometimes embarrassed me. My ears were trained to the exotic, the urban, the sounds of the cities. But like many others, age and experience (particularly the experience of raising children) have given me a different vantage point on life. These days I am more interested in who I am than in who I am not. I have actively sought out my roots, from my ancestors in Ireland, Scotland, and England, through their time in Appalachia and out into the farms, towns, and cities of the midwest and the south, and I have found a sense of pride, humility and grounding there. I have also found a deep and rich musical tradition to draw from, from the folk songs of the old countries through the melting pot of Appalachia that birthed bluegrass and traditional country music. I found in the acoustic instrumentation a warmth, a humanity, and an inclusiveness that indeed felt very much like coming home to me. The songs that I write and perform with Magnolia Mountain come from that place. I hope that you might find something in them that you can relate to and enjoy." Mark Utley, October 2007
home \| gigs \| mp3s \| press + photos \| merchandise \| lyrics \| myspace \| facebook \| contact

Magnolia Mountain

Mark Utley - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo
Jordan Neff - Harmony Vocals, Electric Guitar, Accordion, Banjo, Piano, Organ
Melissa English - Harmony Vocals
Amber Nash - Harmony Vocals
Bob Lese - Mandolin, Harmonica
David Rhodes Brown - Vocals, Lap Steel, Dobro, Slide Guitar, Banjo
Bob Donisi - Upright Bass
Matt Frazer - Drums, Percussion

Anchored by an acoustic musical core and a strong commitment to vocal harmonies, Magnolia Mountain will appeal to fans of roots music, old and new. Drawing from the deep well of American music, Magnolia Mountain takes different genres, finds the common thread within, and translates them into their own original songs that both pay tribute to the past and carve out their own place in today’s musical landscape.

The band is led by songwriter Mark Utley on vocals, acoustic guitar and banjo. Mark is joined by guitarist/harmony vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jordan Neff, mandolin/harmonica player Bob Lese, harmony vocalists Melissa English and Amber Nash, upright bassist Bob Donisi, drummer Matt Frazer, and their newest member, Cincinnati music icon David Rhodes Brown on lap steel, dobro, slide guitar and banjo. The band plays regularly around the greater Cincinnati area, performing Mark's original songs as well as an eclectic selection of covers that range from the Louvin Brothers to Son Volt, from Woody Guthrie to the Flying Burrito Brothers, and from Hank Williams Sr., to the Drive-By Truckers. They are at home in quiet "listening rooms", rowdy bars, and anywhere in between.

Magnolia Mountain was nominated for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award in the Folk/Americana category in 2008 and 2009, in addition to performing at the 2009 CEA awards ceremony. Along with performing at venues as the Southgate House, Madison Theater, Northside Tavern, The Comet, Leo Coffeehouse and The Crow's Nest, they’ve also taken part in festivals such as Twangfest 14 (in St. Louis), the Whispering Beard Folk Festival, MidPoint Music Festival, Rabbit Hash Old Timer's Day, EdenSong, Music for the Mountains, and Metamora Old Time Music Festival. Magnolia Mountain has also played a Studio 89 session live on WNKU radio and a live session on KDHX-FM in St. Louis.

Their first album, “Nothing as it Was,” was released in February 2009. CityBeat magazine called it "soulful, haunting and pure, taking the best of Country, Folk and Bluegrass and refracting it through a modern prism. It rings incredibly authentic and timeless, and album that could have come out 40, 30 or 20 years ago but is too lively and crafty to stand as some sort of retro-music museum piece".

In October 2009, the band returned to Ultrasuede studio with producer John Curley to begin recording their second album. June 19, 2010 saw the release of "Redbird Green", an ambitious 17-song project released on both CD and 2-LP vinyl. This date also saw the release of the band's initial video from the album, "Hellbound Train", directed by Cliff Jenkins.

roots

"Like many musicians, I spent my young adult years looking for inspiration anywhere other than where I came from. The rural background of both my parents held no allure for me and sometimes embarrassed me. My ears were trained to the exotic, the urban, the sounds of the cities.

But like many others, age and experience (particularly the experience of raising children) have given me a different vantage point on life. These days I am more interested in who I am than in who I am not. I have actively sought out my roots, from my ancestors in Ireland, Scotland, and England, through their time in Appalachia and out into the farms, towns, and cities of the midwest and the south, and I have found a sense of pride, humility and grounding there.

I have also found a deep and rich musical tradition to draw from, from the folk songs of the old countries through the melting pot of Appalachia that birthed bluegrass and traditional country music. I found in the acoustic instrumentation a warmth, a humanity, and an inclusiveness that indeed felt very much like coming home to me.

The songs that I write and perform with Magnolia Mountain come from that place. I hope that you might find something in them that you can relate to and enjoy."

Mark Utley, October 2007