Carolina Detour Brothers Elijah and Malachi, “Our Fans are Top Priority”

Bluegrass isn’t static; it’s moving forward, and Carolina Detour is a great example. The young band is becoming a favorite among North Carolina bluegrass fans with their energy and youthful harmony!

“Our fans are top priority. Without them, there is no Carolina Detour,” says fifteen-year-old banjoist Malachi Bulman, who is set to play MerleFest with his bandmates,

Bassist Elijah Bulman, Bulman's twenty-one-year-old brother, agrees, saying he’s thrilled. “When the entire crowd sings with you, it’s the best feeling ever!”

Carolina Detour’s mission is to put on a great show.

“We play at elementary schools in Wilkes County and try to sing at least one mainstream popular song that all the kids know. Malachi explains, “Many times, we ask venues what their favorite songs are and try to accommodate their requests.”

Along with the Bulman brothers, the band features fifteen-year-old fiddle player Lake Carver, fifteen-year-old guitarist Lyla Cherry, fourteen-year-old guitarist Tae Childress, and eighteen-year-old mandolinist Cooper Eades.

“Several of our mom’s took charge,” explains Malachi who says most of the members are under the driving age. They call themselves “The Momagers.” “They take care of the booking and financial stuff.”

Malachi says most of the band balances their rehearsal schedule around school. “We mostly have to practice on Fridays and Saturdays. We have to find a time when everyone is free on the weekend. Sometimes we practice before shows, which is another opportunity to rehearse.”

“Music counts as part of my grades,” shares the young banjoist, who says being homeschooled makes it easy for him to practice. “Music is basically an elective for me.”

Malachi and his brother reveal that finding a rehearsal space for Carolina Detour hasn’t been hard. “We used to practice in a building that we were invited to use in Statesville. Now we practice at Union Grove at a place called Blake Farm. It has a little country store [where] we were also invited to play.”

As a guitarist turned banjo player, Malachi is thankful to those who inspired him. “I would say my biggest influences are my music teacher, Ralph McGee, my brother, Elijah, and my uncle, Tom Berry. They definitely encouraged me a lot!”  Sharing more of his influences, “I listen to Dan Tyminski’s band a lot and I’ve gotten a lot of ideas and licks from their banjo player, Jason Davis.” 

Carolina Detour is beginning to compose their own songs.

“Our Mandolin player, Cooper, loves to write music and typically composes one to two songs a week,” Malachi shares. “He uses most of it for his personal pursuits but has also contributed originals for Carolina Detour and other bands.”

Elijah adds, “Cooper and I have written some music, and other members of the band have some originals in the works.”

Malachi’s older brother recalls how he got into music. “I started playing guitar at twelve and have been playing ever since. I grew up singing in church and started playing guitar in church as well, which I still do today, and love it.”

Malachi joins in, “Elijah has played guitar almost as far back as I can remember, so as a typical younger brother, I had to copy him!”

Malachi wound up playing banjo.

“I started taking guitar lessons at the age of about eight. I played that for a few years, and I wasn’t nearly as good as Elijah, so I decided to switch things up.” Malachi shares that he’s happy with his decision to play banjo,

“I had always thought the banjo seemed cool. So, even though everyone told me not to go from playing guitar to playing banjo, I did it and enjoyed it. I started playing banjo at the age of 12 and I’ve loved it ever since!”

The band is planning to release music. “We’re going to record a couple of singles. I think the two songs that we’re going to do are both originals-- one by me and one by Cooper,” says Elijah.

Besides Merle Fest, they say they are excited about their upcoming Camp Springs Bluegrass Park performance. “The Tony Rice festival will be our first bluegrass festival. We would really love to do more!”

The brothers agree they would like Carolina Detour to be a touring band someday.

“We would love to open for Dan Tyminski, Sam Bush, or Sierra Hull. That would be a dream come true!”