Analogies and references to trains are commonly found in all corners of
traditional American music, from gospel to blues to bluegrass. But
perhaps none is more fitting than as a band name for the Freight
Hoppers.
Based out of Bryson City, N.C., the Freight Hoppers got their start in
the 1990s as a two-piece fiddle and banjo musical show for a scenic
railroad excursion company. The railroad wanted some traditional music
that fit in to the Appalachian scenery and fiddler David Bass and banjo
player Frank Lee both looked and sounded the part.
The daily tours allowed Bass and Lee to hone and perfect their sound
together, ultimately serving as the catalyst for the founding of their
band, which was in-demand for live shows at festivals and venues across
the country until the band’s hiatus in 2000.
After eight years apart the Freight Hoppers were born again in 2008,
much to the joy of fans clamoring for more of their hard driving,
fiddle-based music that both calls upon and pushes the boundaries of
what is commonly referred to as old time music.
“David was performing with some other people and there were occasions
where they would need a banjo player for one reason or another,” Lee
said in a recent telephone interview. “We were receptive to the idea of
putting the band together again to get a return on the investment we had
made in the Freight Hoppers.”
The Freight Hoppers represent a dichotomy that exists in the ranks of
old time music, blending traditional fiddle and banjo sounds that appeal
to purists with hard driving songs that appeal to wider audiences,
especially fans of bluegrass and other Americana genres.
Their 2010 album “Mile Marker” is a great example of this, with a split
of vocal and fiddle tunes across the 13 tracks that include chestnut old
time tunes like “Lost Indian” and well-worn country blues like
“Scandalous and a Shame.”
“The only thing we have to worry about is entertaining these people and
presenting the music in a format that is other than bluegrass,” Lee
said. “Many of the old time musicians recording in the ’20s and ’30s
were very versatile musicians, recording lots of different kinds of
music.”
In many ways the Freight Hoppers are simply creating music that they
love to play, regardless of sub genre or historical accuracy. Bass and
Lee’s partnership extends more than two decades, and their tight-laced
fiddle and banjo sound is the product of many years of hard-core
playing.
Their tight melody, coupled with the rhythmic drive of Isaac Deal,
guitar and vocals, and Bradley Adams, bass, is the hallmark of their
driving sound that is in many ways making old time music new again.
“Our existence as a band is very much unlike anything I have ever heard
about or dreamed about as far as how smooth it goes,” Lee said. “I am
really lucky to have this band, it is just so perfect. It is just so
natural.”