Today we’d like to introduce you to Whiskey Narrows String Band.
Hi Whiskey Narrows String Band, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The story of the Whiskey Narrows String Band deserves its own Behind the Music series. It is one filled with love and loss, tragedy and triumphs spanning 8 years since its inception in 2017.
The Whiskey Narrows String Band started out as an idea between two friends Kerry and Joe at a Memorial Day BBQ in Joe’s backyard. The idea was to do a simple duet between the two so they could play happy hour sets at local bars just for fun and free beer. Joe (Guitar, Vocals) had just ended a long stint with his jam band Gus’s Goatee and was looking for a more disciplined music genre, which he found in Bluegrass. For Kerry (Guitar, Vocals), this would be the first time in a band performing on stage. With the addition of an upright bass player (Jon Schroeder/The Whiskey Feathers), it was apparent the band would not stay a duet for long as the band began to take on a life of its own.
Tragedy struck on St Patrick’s Day in 2018. Kerry received a phone call stating her husband JB was in the hospital fighting for his life. He would soon pass, devastating Kerry’s world and the friends and family that surrounded him. The loss of JB upended life as Kerry knew it, leaving everything to question, including the band. But Kerry turned to the music instead, using it as therapy to help with the grief. Remarkably, rather than falling to the wayside, Kerry’s strength and intent on using music to heal lead to the band’s proliferation, soon adding additional players to round out the lineup.
Kevin Corbin (Banjo) was brought into the band, adding his breadth of knowledge in the Bluegrass world and mastery of the 5 stringed banjo. Finally, Annie Pape (Fiddle, Vocals) took a leap of faith by responding to a “Fiddle Player Needed” ad on Craigslist and joined the band, completing the lineup and taking the band from a duet to a full 5 piece string band. The band began to book more and more shows while building their repertoire, playing everywhere from Pennsylvania to Washington DC and beyond. You could feel the momentum building and the energy that manifested as a result, as the band continued to elevate the venues with which they would perform. You could also feel the sense of the following the band was creating through friends, family and strangers alike. The band’s mix of traditional bluegrass tunes with jammy covers combined with dynamic vocals and harmonies and exceptional instrumentation made it easy listening to the audience and was a welcomed change to your typical electrified bar band. Towards the end of 2019, the band had put together an incredible 2020 show lineup hitting festivals and more mainstream venues across multiple states, as they were poised to take the band to the next level.
Then the Pandemic hit. One by one, all of the scheduled shows were cancelled from the lineup until none were left. Worse yet, the band made the conscious decision to do their part to help fight the spread of the pandemic by halting all practices too. The band would not see each other again for 6 months, when they finally had the chance to hold a practice- outside and with masks on. This was short-lived as the pandemic spiked again, and the band would take another 6 month hiatus.
But through the trials and tragedies, something beautiful began to blossom. Kerry met John Peddicord, a local Crackpot patron and lover of music. The two would soon find love together, eventually marrying and moving in together. John also began to serve as the band’s soundman, usually working without pay and with the utmost patience as the band members pulled him in 5 different directions when setting up.
Insert band movie montage. Whiskey Narrows took up where they left off in 2020 by booking shows all over…sometimes to empty rooms, sometimes to large crowds. Determined to put their best product on the stage, the band practiced religiously and continued to diversify their repertoire, writing originals and expanding their show to include lights and professional sound. The band would see a change in bass players, adding Cliff Tyler (Bass/Vocals, Fiery Deep) to replace Jon Schroeder, who would see his own success with the rise of his other band the Whiskey Feathers. Joe welcomed two sons into the world, and Kevin and Annie would see their interest in each other went beyond the band as they began their own relationship.
Tragedy would strike again in 2024 when the band suddenly lost their 6th member and beloved soundman and friend John Peddicord. John was as good a man as they came, loving Kerry with his whole heart, serving as best friends to the band members, and always bringing passion and integrity to everything he did. There are no words that can be written to illuminate what this loss meant to the band, and more importantly to Kerry. John was a great man, and the band will carry him on through their music as long as they play.
The band found themselves once again asking the question, “Now What?” It would be Kerry who showed the world her strength by channeling her grief into the music, as that is what John would want for the band. So in the ashes of tragedy the band did what they do best, finding strength through music and the continual pursuit of getting better every day.
2024 would prove to be the most challenging year for the band to date, juggling the loss of John and a show schedule that had the band travelling further and further from Lutherville, MD sometimes playing 3 shows a month. 2024 came to a peak when the band was asked to play The Halloween show at the Maryland Science Center. Whiskey Narrows performed a tribute set to Old and In the Way, and they did it with an energy you could feel throughout the room.
The Whiskey Narrows String Band entered 2025 with a more surgical approach to booking shows, leaning on the now 8 years of experience and the countless shows across the tri-state area that included Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. They decided that less could be more, and wanted to focus on entering the festival circuit. Having shared the stage with such acts as The Larry Keel Experience, The Travelling McCoury’s and more, and boasting a repertoire that now included originals as well as their crafted covers, the band looks forward to the 2025 schedule and what memories that will be made with each show.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has been full of ups and downs, potholes and fresh asphalt. A Microcosm of life really, we’ve dealt with it all, some easy, some really, really hard. We’ve persevered through all of that and more, and that makes this band rock solid. Good people make great music.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
5 piece bluegrass band who performs an array of stringed numbers that includes everything from traditional bluegrass covers, jammy takes on fan favorites and craftful original songs.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Check us out! All shows listed on our website at www.whiskeynarrows.com or on our Facebook page!
Pricing:
- Dynamic based on the show details
Contact Info:
- Website: https://whiskeynarrows.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiskeynarrowsstringband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiskeynarrowsstringband
