Iron Horse: Blurring Boundaries, Building Bridges to Bluegrass

Known for its storied recording history, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is a major player in the music world. It is also home to a bluegrass band bending genres and surprising audiences for over two decades. Iron Horse.

"It has been said of this area, 'There must be something in the water,'" says Vance Henry of Iron Horse. "There currently is and has been in the past a lot of music produced in Muscle Shoals, even in the bluegrass genre. We are proud of that heritage."

They are also proud of contributing to the area's music catalog through the influence and encouragement of people like Jake Landers, Rual Yarbrough, Jerry Clemmons, Steve Baccus, Dennis Clifton and groups like the Southern Strangers, The Adair Family, and The Dixie Gentlemen.

"These people performed for years, and it was great to have their encouragement. That encouragement helped us gain confidence in the early days," Henry added.

From the beginning in 2000 to their latest project, Pickin' On Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bluegrass Rising, Iron Horse formed a career from reimagining songs across the musical spectrum.

"I think of bluegrass as flexible music. It seems to lend itself to any musical style." Henry explained how CMH Records was an integral partner in allowing them to arrange the songs "the way we feel them. They didn't require us to do acoustic remakes, note for note like the original, which would be tempting."

The arrangements for Iron Horse evolved easily because of the band's bluegrass background. As Henry puts it, Sammy Shelor of Lonesome River Band said it best: "Bluegrass music produces itself."

Iron Horse's discography reads like a mash-up playlist of rock and bluegrass, from Metallica to Elton John. However, making seamless transitions can be challenging because choosing one is hard.

"The groups we have covered are phenomenal. Their material seems so good that crossing over to bluegrass is natural." Henry said that at first, they were unsure. Still, after recording Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" and "Unforgiven," they saw the concept more clearly, as if this is how they were supposed to be played. "Or at least another valid way to present them," he clarified. "Maybe it is a credit to the greatness of the songs as well as the flexibility of bluegrass."

However, Henry clarified that honoring the original while adding their creative stamp is a balancing act.

"Generally, bluegrass is a more up-tempo style, so you can double the time signature and sing the vocals close to the original tempo, and it will work. We also look for the signature licks of the song to see if we can incorporate them in a way that will lend it to bluegrass, as if you can hear Del McCoury singing it. That said, we try to stay with what we feel and what comes naturally, which usually ends up as something bluegrass."

A turning point for Iron Horse happened in 2001 when CMH Records approached the band with an idea: bluegrass covers of rock songs with vocals. Before this, CMH had only done projects of instrumental rock covers. And Iron Horse was ready to do something different.

"We had recorded the Marshall Tucker Band's 'Fire on the Mountain', so we were already trying something you wouldn't normally hear in bluegrass. But even with that said, we were unsure that CMH's idea could work."

It did.

Henry admitted the driving force of Iron Horse is, "Presenting music worthy of the listener's time. Producing something that has a listenability factor. That is hard, because everyone in the music business is trying to figure out that formula."

The problem is that spending a lifetime working and worrying on one song to perfect it too often prevents future recordings. He said that kind of microfocus negatively impacts what you want to accomplish.

"If we like listening to it and want to listen again, that is a good indicator that we are getting close. We try to stay true to ourselves and the ideas in the minds of all four of us. Good music is good music."

Iron Horse never intends to abandon traditional bluegrass; it is their default music. Nevertheless, their cross-genre work introduces bluegrass to listeners who might not have otherwise discovered it. They know this because they receive comments like, "Finally, music that my father and I can listen to together," or "We had never heard of bluegrass music until we listened to your version of Rocket Man, and now that we have discovered it, we love it."

"Generally, most of the feedback on what we have done has been very positive. Fans of the original version like hearing it a different way, and bluegrass traditionalists like it because they hear some of the rock songs they grew up listening to performed in the bluegrass genre."

Iron Horse strives to meet a certain standard before releasing any project. Still, anything pursued full force with heart and time has challenges. "Overall, we do it and hope for the best. If it doesn't happen, we turn the page and move on to the next gig or project."

Henry pointed out that playing music with difficult people turns into drudgery, so the key is to surround yourself with people you care about. Thankfully, all the members of Iron Horse have been great to work with. We are still friends after all these years and enjoy playing music and hanging out together."

He keeps his perspective at home, saying he's just a normal person who can play music on a certain level. He enjoys constant family support because they are the band's biggest fans. Plus, his wife's family is musical. "They could all sing and play when they were in the mood. It was a great culture to have around."

Considering all the musical giants in the world, Henry said he recognized how limited he is and is "thankful for the opportunity to make a small contribution to the world's musical landscape. All the while, I realize that it is my place to do what I can do for a short time."

Looking back, Henry's advice is to have fun, make memories, not try to live too fast and always enjoy where you are.

"Take lots of pictures and save an event flier of every place you play. Save multitrack files of every project you record. Interact with your fans. They have given you one of their most valuable things: their time and attention."

As for what's next, the door is open. So, come on in! The Iron Horse will take you on the ride of a lifetime.