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THE NEW "WEST VIRGINIA HILLS" Live Concert CD with the MOUNTAIN SOUL BAND is NOW AVAILABLE
TO READ REVIEWS AND MORE INFORMATION ON THE AASHID AND THE MOUNTAIN
SOUL BAND
CLICK HERE
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The African peoples who were brought to this land (U.S.A.) forcibly,
had no idea where they were being taken, and they were not very
happy about it. As a matter of fact they even cried about it.
One of the ways they cried was by playing the old and ancient
rhythms of their ancestors on drums made from the trees around
them. This was a real threat to the slave masters. So the drum
was banned and the punishment for playing the drum was the amputation
of the hands of the player.
Music was one of the most important things in the life of these
Africans, so they put those rhythms on the stringed instruments.
Using any materials they could get their hands on, they made their
own one-stringed guitars. This was not so threatening to the slave
master because he could hear melodies, and melodies were where
the Euro-mind found comfort. Syncopated rhythms were not acceptable
until the white Jesus was accepted and lyrically portrayed in
the songs and visually exhibited on the walls of these Africans.
They did this for survival.
Some of the slaves brought banjo and fiddle playing skills with
them from the Motherland and were summoned to perform for the
slavemasters parties. At these parties, picnics and weddings the
African, the Aboriginal Reds and Blacks as well as the Irish and
Scottish musicians often communicated with each other musically,
spiritually and culturally.
Out of this communion came the Spiritual, Gospel, the Country
Blues, Delta Blues, Bluegrass, Mountain Music, Jazz, Rock, Rap,
Country and all other styles of modern North American music.
I was born, raised and got my basic musical training in the mountains
of West Virginia. I did my first recordings in the mountains of
Kentucky, I was spiritually initiated in the mountains of Old
Mexico and I refined my music in the mountains of Tennessee.
That's why I call this music - MOUNTAIN SOUL!
Hear songs from this CD at Aashid's mp3.com site...CLICK HERE
CLICK BUTTON TO ORDER!
the Mountain Soul Band is:
Aashid Himons - Guitar/vocals
"Bluesman" Bobby Taylor - Harmonica
Jody Lentz - Mandolin
Tony Gerber - Mandocello
Tramp - fiddle
Rick - Fiddle
Seth Ritter - banjo
Kirby Shelstad - percussion
Giles Reaves - snare, brushes and perc.
Tim Coats - the soundman god |
