Bluegrass boy band: Teens trump competition in Smithville

In the days leading up to Fourth of July weekend and the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree, members of local bluegrass band Mountain Cove were more worried about what to play than being decades younger than their competitors.

Mountain Cove's seven members, all 14- to 17-year-old students from Hixson High School and Signal Mountain Middle and High School, were torn between "Fox on the Run," a bluegrass classic, and "Wagon Wheel," a contemporary hit by the band Old Crow Medicine Show.

Eventually, they settled on "Fox on the Run," a more traditional, if less-rehearsed, song with smooth, layered harmonies, said banjo player Cody Harvey, 16.

Their rendition was a hit with the judges, who passed them on to the finals, where their cover of "Cumberland River," another standard, landed them $425 and second place in the bluegrass band category.

"We were pretty nervous, but once we got onstage, it went away," Cody said. "We just went out there and had fun.

"We talked to the judges after we played, and they said that what won them over was our enthusiasm and how we got in there and had life in us, how we won the crowd over."

The Smithville event is a national-level competition, drawing musicians from as far as away as Alaska to perform.

Mountain Cove formed last August at their mutual stomping grounds at Signal Mountain's Mountain Opry, where 16-year-old bassist Michael Holloway's grandfather, Ken Holloway, is the president.

Other members had similar upbringings around bluegrass. Cody has been playing banjo since he was 5, and both he and guitarist/lead vocalist Colin Mabry, 15, have relatives in bands.

The Smithville event was Mountain Cove's first competition, but the group has plenty of experience performing at school and church gatherings. Wherever the stage is, however, exuding confidence is key, Michael said.

"Basically, you just don't act nervous or you seem boring," he said. "You don't want to be afraid to do new things in front of people."

That a band whose average age wouldn't qualify them to drive landed top honors is a real honor, said Steve Daugherty, an organizer at the Opry and owner of the Mountain Music instrument store in Red Bank.

"That's a big deal," he said. "There are people who go over there for years and don't place. It knocks me out to see what they can do. They're just great musicians."

Mountain Cove plans to return to the Fiddlers' Jamboree next year. In the meantime, the boys are using their summer break to work on their first album, which they said they hope to have out by Christmas.

MOUNTAIN COVE'S LINEUP

* Austin Adkins -- rhythm guitar (17, Signal Mountain High School)

* Cody Harvey -- banjo (16, Signal Mountain High School)

* Michael Holloway -- bass (16, Signal Mountain High School)

* Colin Mabry -- guitar/lead vocals (15, Hixson High School)

* Will Markham -- fiddle (14, Signal Mountain Middle School)

* Tyler Martelli -- harmonica (15, Hixson High School)

* Garrett Massman -- mandolin (16, Signal Mountain High School)

JUDGING CRITERIA

Here's how the judges at the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree were charged with evaluating the bluegrass band category.

1. Material selection: difficulty, taste, authenticity.

2. General instrumental musicianship: rhythm, timing, intonation, expression for both solos and overall instrumental blend.

3. Vocal performance: intonation and overall vocal quality for both leads and harmony

4. Stage presence: entertainment value, showing comfort with the audience and expertise with the music.