07/04/2026
We release a special album today in celebration of July 4th on this 250th anniversary of the United States. Some background on a project I'm proud we made.
Zach Lemhouse and Nash Lyle have been playing together for years — folks around here know them from Historic Brattonsville and other living-history events, where they perform period music in reenactments. They are the perfect performers for these songs, as they are the only two men I know who have dedicated this much spirit to the period music and have worked to honor our history.
Zach and I go back to public school and university days, and later working together on the Battle of Kings Mountain audio documentary. Nash and I know each other through Clover schools and through Clover Choraliers productions where we both performed as pit musicians. We all taught at Woody's music at some point. Three guys from the same area, who've crossed paths in different ways for a long time.
With the 250th anniversary of the Revolution here, I wanted to do something that felt true to that milestone — not just a recording, but a document of how this music actually lived. So we brought Zach and Nash into The WAV Lab and recorded their set the way it would have been played in 1776: live, together, in one take, with minimal editing after the fact. No layering, no computer tricks, no polish that wasn't there in the taverns of 1776. The whole session took about an hour.
We could have done something more "produced" — spent weeks getting it note-perfect. But that would have missed the point. I believe in the beauty of the "makers knife mark" ... now more than ever. The rough edges and the energy of two people playing together in real time is exactly what made this music what it was 250 years ago.
The result is "250 Years: American Folk Tunes of the Revolution," out now on Bandcamp. Would mean a lot if you gave it a listen and shared it with anyone who'd appreciate it — especially anyone into local history, the Revolution, or old-time fiddle music.
Available only on Bandcamp. May your July 4th feel the revolutionary spirit and sound like a 1776 tavern.
https://lemhouse-and-lyle.bandcamp.com/album/250-years-american-folk-tunes-of-the-revolution
