The Family that Plays Music Together

Standing behind the counter of High Country Tire in Sylva, North Carolina, Summer McMahan is a long way from the bright lights of New York City.

Outside the shop and convenience store, cars zip and zoom by nonstop down U.S. 441, coming from Dillsboro to the north or Franklin to the south. And though the 22-year-old is busy ringing up purchases or talking up the locals who make a stop to High Country as part of their daily routine, McMahan’s thoughts keep drifting back to the Big Apple, back to Radio City Music Hall where she recently took the stage to perform on the NBC hit show America’s Got Talent.

“It all went by so fast, but we’re all definitely glad to be back in the mountains, back in the swing of things,” she says. 

“All” refers to Mountain Faith, the McMahan family bluegrass band consisting of Summer (lead singer/fiddle), her father (Sam, bassist), brother (Brayden, banjoist), and close friends Luke Dotson (guitar) and Cory Piatt (mandolin). In their 15 years together, the Jackson County group has crisscrossed the greater Southeast and beyond, taking the stage several nights a week—every week—all in an effort to make their dream of becoming a sustainable, viable touring act a reality. And now with their four appearances on AGT (before being eliminated in the semifinals in September), Summer and her crew are taking their exposure to countless viewers and new fans.

“We play bluegrass we because we love it so much. We fell in love with it 15 years ago, and to think that we put bluegrass in 13 million households with AGT is so incredible,” she says. “We’ve had so much positive feedback from all of this. All these people who perhaps didn’t like bluegrass before are now coming up to us and saying how much they love it because of the show. It’s just an honor for us, because we love playing this music.”

Though it’s only Monday afternoon, the McMahans have been hard at work at the shop since 5 a.m. They’ll be there until 6 p.m., only to head to band practice until 10 p.m. and do it all over again the following morning. That past weekend they had played a handful of shows around the Southeast, with the last being in Mississippi, which led to an overnight drive back to High Country to flip the closed sign around.

After their sendoff from AGT came the latest—and possibly greatest—pieces of news for Mountain Faith. On top of being nominated for “Emerging Artist of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association, the ensemble also learned their song “Feelin’ Blue” hit number one on the bluegrass charts. They were invited to perform for overseas troops in Doha, Qatar, in November. 

It’s been a wild ride, to say the least. But for these musicians, their rising profile is the culmination of years of dedication and perseverance to not only hone their craft, but to also promote a beloved genre of music. “We have to get a younger audience listening to all of us to ensure the survival of bluegrass,” Sam says.

At the center of this whirlwind is Summer, the focal point of Mountain Faith. She lights up when asked about AGT and the current state of the band. With her unassuming tone and Smoky Mountain Mustangs T-shirt (a local high school), an “aw, shucks” nature hints at her youth. But there’s a strong will, persistence, and maturity about her, too, which shows how far she’s come in her musical pursuits since the age of 7.

Mountain Faith released its latest album, That Which Matters, in October. At press time, the record hit number one on the Billboard bluegrass charts. Although they didn’t win “Emerging Artist of the Year” at the IBMAs, Summer took home the “Momentum Female Vocalist” award, which spotlights up-and-coming acts.

Q&A with Summer McMahan of Mountain Faith

How do you maintain energy for your relentless schedule, between the shop and the band?

My dad has one of the greatest work ethics of anyone I’ve ever seen in my life. From the time we were kids, he made us know that you’re not going to get anywhere without working very, very hard. That work ethic transitioned into music a long time ago—and more so now, because in the younger years it was more of a hobby, where today it’s what we want to do with our lives. We put as much work into the music as we do into the shop.

You’ve had a high-profile year. Does it feel like a whirlwind, or a natural progression?

Well, it kind of feels like both. This year has definitely been a whirlwind. And yet, we’ve also put 15 really long and hard years into this. We’ve had several different band changes over the years. With this band, dad and I sat down in January and said that if this band lineup didn’t make it, it’ll never work out. We all get along and play together so well. We figured if it didn’t work this year, we might as well quit and move on with our lives. Two weeks later to that day we got the call from AGT. So, we do the AGT thing, and one day after we get voted off the show we find out we have a number one song on the bluegrass charts. Our four goals at the beginning of the year were to broaden our audience, get a number one song, get an IBMA nomination, and play the Grand Ole Opry. When we made all these goals, in the back of my head I’m thinking if we just get one of these to happen I’ll be happy. Now we have three out of four, with sights on the Grand Ole Opry next. 

Bluegrass is second nature to us here in Southern Appalachia, but it seemed like a foreign concept on America’s Got Talent.

That was our biggest concern, because bluegrass isn’t in the mainstream right now. A lot of people say, “Oh, I don’t like bluegrass,” and you show it to them, and they’re surprised at how much they like it. A lot of people just haven’t given it a chance. It’s physically demanding music. All of these different riffs and rhythms going on at once, and it all comes together. And in that first audition, the judges seemed in shock because it was something they weren’t expecting.

How have your live shows changed?

Since AGT, the crowds have gotten a lot bigger. Recently, while we were in a church in Mississippi, the pews filled up; then they brought out all these chairs and they filled up; then they opened the church doors and people were listening from outside. I almost cried, because that’s my dream—to play and to have people love it.