The Night the Cumberland Came Alive

The Night the Cumberland Came Alive is singer/songwriter Mike Farris’ response to the devastating flood that struck his adopted home of Nashville in May 2010. Assembling a group of top local players, he recorded this six-song EP at the Downtown Presbyterian Church while the city was still recovering from the disaster. This powerful set combines the sanctified celebration of a tent revival with the swampy grooves of a roadhouse jam. Farris taps into the twanging rhythms of old-time jug band music on the title track and “Down On Me,” songs that acknowledge earthly suffering while holding out hope for resurrection. Guitarist Kenny Vaughan and the McCrary Sisters help set the church rafters shaking as they fill “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down” with gospel fire. Eric Holt’s blues-drenched piano sets a sanctified tone for the sober meditation “Mother Earth.” Original tunes like the moody “Dear Lazarus” compliment covers like Rev. Cleophus Robinson’s “Wrapped Up, Tangled Up.” A portion of the proceeds from the EP’s sale will benefit flood victims and the homeless in Nashville.