Mountain Heart

Formed in 1998 by Jim VanCleve, Steve Gulley, and Barry Abernathy — all of whom had played together with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver — and Adam Steffey, Mountain Heart immediately had the sound of a veteran bluegrass band, and the group has kept that crisp sound intact even though there have been frequent personnel changes. Mountain Heart released two albums with Doobie Shea Records, 1999’s self-titled Mountain Heart and 2001’s The Journey, before signing with Skaggs Family Records for 2002’s No Other Way, 2004’s Force of Nature, and 2006’s Wide Open. A live album, The Road That Never Ends, appeared from Rural Rhythm Records in 2007, after which the band found itself without a label, leading to the self-released That Just Happened in 2010, at which point the group’s lineup consisted of Abernathy (banjo and vocals) and VanCleve (fiddle and vocals) with Jake Stargel (guitar and vocals), Jason Moore (bass and vocals), Aaron Ramsey (mandolin and vocals), and Josh Shilling (lead vocals and guitar).