Remember Where You Came From

Around this time of year, Douglas Lake is half-empty—physically and emotionally. Situated between Sevierville and Dandridge in the foothills of East Tennessee, the man-made lake exposes its sandbars and mysterious depths when the Tennessee Valley Authority lowers the water levels. 

Marina docks are hanging along the shoreline, with the only semblance of life being a hot cup of coffee found at The Dam Store. Situated at the crossroads of somewhere and nowhere, the station catches the eye of any passerby with gasoline about 40 cents cheaper than just over the nearby North Carolina state line. 

Pushing south on Tennessee 338, the winding roadside is filled with summer lake cabins that stand quietly, in stark contrast to the rolling farmland consuming your field-of-vision. Turning onto Haggard Road, an unassuming barn sits against a tree line. The structure is home to Sound Biscuit Productions. 

The studio was started by Dave Maggard. A longtime singer-songwriter, Maggard has known his way around a studio for decades. For most of that time he made his living as a skilled woodcarver. It was only in recent years when he decided to delve into creating a studio space of his own, way out in the backwoods of Southern Appalachia, for musicians big and small to come in and get cozy, instrument in hand.

“Heck, we had Dolly Parton in here last week doing voiceover work,” Maggard modestly stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “She was as sweet as could be. And my wife even loaned her reading glasses to use in the singing booth because Dolly had forgotten hers.” 

On a recent cold and rainy afternoon, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys were hard at work at Sound Biscuit on the string act’s third album. 

2018 was filled with milestones for the quartet, most notably when they signed with Rounder Records in the spring and then they received the International Bluegrass Music Association award for “Emerging Artist of the Year” in September.

Fronted by de facto leader C.J. Lewandowski (mandolin), the group is a cup runneth over with the joyous harmonies and melodic tones of Josh Rinkel (guitar), Jereme Brown (banjo) and Jasper Lorentzen (bass). 

Originally from rural Missouri, Lewandowski, 31, has had a lifelong love of bluegrass music, which led to him packing his bags and relocating just outside of Louisville, Kentucky, several years ago. It was there he found himself pickin’ in jam circles, quickly befriending Rinkel and Brown. Soon after, the trio crossed paths with Lorentzen. 

From there, Lewandowski wandered down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in August 2013, finding work as a musician in the seemingly endless production of Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales. The following summer, Rinkel, Brown and Lorentzen made their way to East Tennessee once Lewandowski was asked to put together a bluegrass group for Ole Smoky Distillery, with regular gigs in its Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge locations. 

In the distilleries, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys played for folks in rocking chairs that never ceased in a back-and-forth motion once the band hit the stage—something still found today at Ole Smoky when the ensemble gets off the road and has an itch to play. 

By 2016, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys released its debut album, “Back to the Mountains,” only to follow that up with “God’s Love Is So Divine” (2018). Each release was met with much acclaim, but also more and more expectations. Was this band simply playing “bluegrass house” or were they the “real deal,” something tangible that could secure the fate and future of traditional bluegrass in the modern, digital world? 

Coming into 2019, many of those voices are now singing the praises of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. The group is filled with a sense of urgency to not only capitalize on their hard-fought labors, but also throw more logs onto the fire of their ultimate intent—genuine career longevity in pursuit of that “high, lonesome sound.”

Smoky Mountain Living: What’s it like to see the “Emerging Artist of Year” award sitting on that cabinet right there?

C.J. Lewandowski: “It’s kind of unbelievable, I guess. Because I never thought anything I would do, would result in anything recognized by the IBMA and my peers … When you’re looking back, I started when I was roughly 15 years old. So, half of my life I’ve been playing music now. Well, 15-year-old C.J. would have never thought there would be an IBMA award like that. Especially “Emerging Artist of the Year,” because it was really tough competition—Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, Sister Sadie, Mile Twelve and us.” 

All those names that you mentioned, that’s the next generation of bluegrass.

“Oh, yeah. And, if you look at the broad spectrum of the music style, “Emerging Artist” was super inclusive. Things are changing. Some people say we need more inclusiveness. Well, look at “Emerging Artist of the Year” category. If you argue there isn’t inclusive in IBMA, then you’re not paying attention. It’s great that traditional music is coming full-front again. And we’re traditionalists from way back.” 

What do you love about bluegrass?

“I like the reality of it. There’s no fake anything about it. You can look at the videos now of all those guys. They’re playing those instruments right there live. Just an acoustic instrument and a microphone, singing. There’s nothing in between. No auto-tune or anything. They’re singing about real subjects, and it was stuff that I could relate to.” 

To be respected by the elders, you have to know the history. You can’t play music and not know where it’s coming from.

“You have to. I think you can tell if somebody knows the history of bluegrass music by the way they play and sing. If they don’t necessarily know the history and some of the material that’s important to bluegrass music, you can tell right off. That’s the beauty of bluegrass—it’s all so important. 

“And see, that’s what we want to do, too, to pull those old songs that weren’t necessarily played a whole lot or recognized, maybe an artist that was great, but was overlooked a little bit—there’s a whole bunch of ‘em. Earl Taylor & the Stoney Mountain Boys? …They were incredible. They were the first bluegrass band to play Carnegie Hall in 1959. Everybody thinks it was Flatt & Scruggs. Nope. We’re dusting off old songs, shining them up, and making them all our own. But, a lot of people don’t know they’re old songs because they’ve never heard the original cut.”

Does that play into the mission of the band—to educate people on the history of bluegrass, and to appreciate it? 

“I think so. It’s not going to overthrow anything. We still want to grow, still make our own music. We’re finding material that is going to be recognized as Po’ Ramblin’ Boys material, and not a cover of us doing “so and so’s” song. It’s got to be a healthy mix. The IBMA award puts us into overdrive. We’ve proven ourselves, now we need to keep proving ourselves. We’ve gained the acceptance and acknowledgement from these people, and with Rounder Records—now let’s run with it.”