NewTown
The sound of a great band is usually developed through the relationships the members have with one another as much as their technical abilities. This is certainly the case with NewTown, which features the first-rate vocal and instrumental work of five of the finest musicians in Bluegrass, who share a bond that combines individual virtuosity with a background of formal training.
Based in Lexington, Kentucky, and fronted by award-winning vocalist/fiddler Kati Penn Williams and her singer/banjo-picker husband, Jr. Williams, NewTown is one of the most exciting acts in contemporary Bluegrass.
Kati says that the band sometimes veers a little to the left of down-home Bluegrass, but no matter what they play, they wear their roots on their sleeves. “We play traditional Bluegrass but we also have a little Newgrass feel,” she says. “We don’t really get too extreme on either side, so I feel like we’re in the middle somewhere. We’re definitely more progressive. Especially with Hayes on guitar and Travis on bass because they’re so well-versed in jazz, and Mitchell is very versatile as well. But in the end, we’re still a Bluegrass band.”