Magnolia Mountain profile picture

Magnolia Mountain

About Me


2008 CEA (Cincinnati Entertainment Awards) Nominee in the category "Folk/Americana"
Folk/country/americana band led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Utley. The starting point for this project is Appalachian folk music; the music it came from, the music it became, and the music it inspired.
Mark is joined by lap steel/dobro player Rockne Riddlebarger, mandolin/harmonica player Bob Lese, guitarist/harmony vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jordan Neff, harmony vocalists Melissa English and Amber Nash, upright bassist Bob Donisi, and drummer Matt Frazer. This ensemble, christened Magnolia Mountain, is now playing out regularly around the Cincinnati area. Anchored by an acoustic musical core and a strong commitment to vocal harmonies, the band is currently performing Mark's original songs as well as an eclectic selection of covers that range from the Louvin Brothers to Son Volt, from Bill Monroe to the Flying Burrito Brothers, and from Hank Williams, Sr. to the Drive-By Truckers.
Magnolia Mountain's debut album, Nothing As It Was, is now available! The album was recorded at Ultrasuede Studio in Cincinnati with engineer/producer John Curley. It can be purchased from the band using PayPal , from CD Baby , from the Shake It Records website , or as digital downloads at iTunes , Amazon , eMusic, etc.
Mike Breen of CityBeat had this to say about the album: "Nothing As It Was is soulful, haunting and pure, taking the best of Country, Folk and Bluegrass and refracting it through a modern prism. It rings incredibly authentic and timeless, an album that could have come out 40, 30 or 20 years ago but is too lively and crafty to stand as some sort of retro-music museum piece."
"Nothing As It Was announces Mark Utley as one of the finest songwriters in the area. He and the amazing band he’s assembled have a knack for crafting something that is both traditional and refreshing. Fans of Roots music old and new will find Magnolia Mountain’s latest one of the more enchanting albums they’ll hear all year."
Click the YouTube link below to watch the full-length video for Magnolia Mountain's song "River City", directed by Kole Ross!
Click here to see the last two minutes of Magnolia Mountain's performance of their song "Hellbound Train" at the Rivertown Breakdown 2009! Thanks to Justin Todhunter for this clip!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 21/01/2006
Band Website: www.magnoliamountain.net
Band Members: Mark Utley (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Melissa English (harmony and duet vocals), Jordan Neff (harmony vocals, electric guitar, accordion, banjo, piano), Amber Nash (harmony vocals), Rockne Riddlebarger (lap steel, dobro), Bob Lese (mandolin, harmonica), Bob Donisi (upright bass), Matt Frazer (drums, percussion).
Influences:

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Sounds Like: Wood and wire, heart and soul.
Record Label: Sleep Cat Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

CityBeat review of "Nothing As It Was"

From Mike Breen's "Spill It" columnCityBeat, February 18, 2009Mountain SongsThough known for a wide-range of musical styles, Greater Cincinnati has always had an especially strong Americana/ Roots mus...
Posted by on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:52:00 GMT

A Song is an Amazing Thing

Last night I went to Northside Tavern to listen to my friends in The Tillers play a couple of sets.If you havent heard The Tillers, they are a three-piece string band that plays, in their words, old...
Posted by on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:54:00 GMT

THANK YOU

It wasnt too long ago that I got the bug to start writing songs again.  After I had a few that I liked, I started thinking about performing them in public.  I had a lot of uncertainty about that whol...
Posted by on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:10:00 GMT

2008 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEA) nomination

Just got word that Magnolia Mountain has been nominated for a 2008 CEA Award in the category "Folk/Americana". The award is given to the act that receives the most votes online.  Probably not the...
Posted by on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:10:00 GMT

New demos posted 04/03/08

Added three brand new songs to the profile page tonight, two from a recent rehearsal ("Autumn Rose" and "Little Wildflower") and one acoustic guitar/vocal demo ("The Devil’s Driving Up"). These...
Posted by on Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:53:00 GMT

CityBeat Article by C.A. MacConnell

Locals Only: Mark UtleyRock veteran unplugs, amplifying roots and heart with Magnolia MountainBy C.A. MacConnell | Posted 11/14/2007When I arrive, songster/guitarist Mark Utley is M.I.A. Actually, he'...
Posted by on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:52:00 GMT

The (Other) New Baby

I'm giddy as a schoolgirl, I tell you.Look what I just got:A Martin HD28. Yes, sir. I can't believe I just dropped that much coin on a guitar (or should I say I can't believe my wife LET me drop tha...
Posted by on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 19:57:00 GMT

Undead undead undead

Thanks to all who posted comments to my earlier blog, attempting to explain what I might be missing due to my lifelong inability to stomach the Grateful Dead. At this point, however, I remain clueles...
Posted by on Wed, 14 Jun 2006 18:48:00 GMT

Dead, Gratefully

In response to an earlier blog, Wendy sez: "I made a similar voyage to roots music as a fan, but I got turned on to it through the Dead."Which makes me wonder. I love so many kinds of music. I get a...
Posted by on Sun, 11 Jun 2006 20:01:00 GMT

The Country Thing

Mrs. Shreck wrote:"Country is taking over! What is the deal? I move to FL and when I check in, e-v-e-r-y single RockPunkGoth I know has started wearing a Stetson and piped shirts. Is it the peyote?"So...
Posted by on Fri, 09 Jun 2006 20:27:00 GMT