The Packway Handle Band is a bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

 quintet

Quintet

A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....

 originating as a part of Music of Athens, Georgia

Music of Athens, Georgia

The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New Wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and The B-52s, and several long-time indie rock groups...

 in 2001. The band is known for tight three- and four-part vocal harmonies, extensive and progressive original material, off-the-wall covers, and energetic performance dynamics around two tightly-spaced condenser mics. Fans of the band include bluegrass traditionalists and those who say they don’t usually like bluegrass.

History

Over the course of the band's four-year history, they have been recognized both regionally and nationally. In 2003, they won the Athens hosting of the Miller Lite

Miller Lite

Miller Lite is a 4.2% abv pale lager brand sold by MillerCoors of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Sibling beers include Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life.-History:...

 “Locals Only” Battle of the Bands, besting 72 rock bands with an energetic, single-mic performance. They were finalists three consecutive years in the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Telluride Bluegrass Festival is held annually in Telluride, Colorado by . Although traditionally the festival focuses on bluegrass music, it often features music from a variety of genres. In 1974, its first year, it attracted 1000 participants. Currently the festival's attendance is capped at 10,000...

 Band Competition and have been voted Athens’ Best Bluegrass Band three years running in the readers’ choice Flagpole Magazine

Flagpole Magazine

Flagpole Magazine, often abbreviated to simply Flagpole, is an American alternative newsweekly that focuses on the cultural scene of Athens, Georgia and its surrounding communities. It was founded by Jared Bailey and Dennis Greenia in 1984 and is currently edited and published by Pete McCommons...

 Music Awards.

In January 2004, PHB released their debut album Chaff Harvest, which features some of the band’s creative, early songwriting. According to the SouthEastern Bluegrass Association, “this is not a recording for those who would like bluegrass to remain frozen in 1953 . . ‘Chaff Harvest' is a welcome breath of fresh air from an innovative band that shows even more promise for the future.” September 2005 witnessed the release of PHB most recent album, (Sinner) You Better Get Ready - a collection of traditional gospel

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

 tunes, some haunting tunes about the end of the world, and an arrangement of Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

’s "Like a Prayer

Like a Prayer (song)

"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna on her fourth studio album of the same name . It was released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records as the album's lead single...

." Sinner was voted one of the Top Ten Albums to come out of Athens, GA in 2005 by the readers of Flagpole Magazine.

The Packway Handle Band has toured widely and shared the stage with many great musicians including Ralph Stanley

Ralph Stanley

Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...

, Yonder Mountain String Band

Yonder Mountain String Band

The Yonder Mountain String Band is an American progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado. Composed of Dave Johnston, Jeff Austin, Ben Kaufmann, and Adam Aijala, the band has released five studio albums and several live recordings to date.- History :The band's history stretches back to...

, Donna The Buffalo

Donna the Buffalo

Donna the Buffalo is a band from Trumansburg, New York. They play both originals and covers....

, Darrell Scott

Darrell Scott

James Darrell Scott known as Darrell Scott , the son of musician Wayne Scott with whom he has collaborated, is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He moved as a child to East Gary, Indiana. He was playing professionally by his teens in Southern California, later living in...

, Larry Keel, Jeff Austin

Jeff Austin

Jeff Austin is a mandolinist and singer best known for being a part of the Yonder Mountain String Band....

 and Chris Castino, and Confederate Railroad

Confederate Railroad

Confederate Railroad is an American country rock band founded in 1987 in Marietta, Georgia by Danny Shirley , Michael Lamb , Mark Dufresne , Chris McDaniel , Warren "Gates" Nichols and Wayne Secrest...

. The young, talented members of this up-and-coming band aspire to bring their unique brand of American folk music to new audiences around the world, living up to one reviewer’s prediction that they “grow musically and become a staple name on the big Bluegrass circuit”.

Current members

Josh Erwin - Guitar and Vocals

Tom Baker - Banjo and Vocals

Andrew Heaton - Fiddle and Vocals

Michael Paynter - Mandolin and Vocals

Zach McCoy - Bass

External links

• Official site
• Packway Handle Band collection at the Internet Archive
  Internet Archive
  The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
  
  's live music archive
• Show Review- BreakThru Radio