Bowling Green, Kentucky's Jericho Woods are a band of veteran musicians who wed their state's bluegrass, honky tonk, and outlaw country, revved-up roots rock, and garage band aesthetics in an aural stew that reflects the soil of their region and the music they were weaned on. They often describe their own sound as half-Grand Ole Opry and half-Muscle Shoals, but it's more complex than that. The outfit was founded by cousins Josh Mitcham (guitar & vocals) and Paul Priest (bass & vocals) in 2013. Fiddler Jory Hutchens rounds out the band's permanent lineup with drummer Dustin Spencer. The group more often than not performs as a five-piece, and the second guitar chair has belonged to several different musicians. Priest played bluegrass while Mitcham was a working man and a songwriter. The pair decided to form a band together and packed in virtually all of the music they loved, from Bill Monroe, George Jones, and Garth Brooks to Tom Petty and the Allman Brothers Band. From the basement, they took to local clubs and fairs and were greeted by ever-larger crowds. They garnered opening slots for a host of national acts and began to tour regionally as well. Their debut album, Same Ol' Dirt, was issued independently in 2015; it landed inside the Top 25 on the digital country charts, and the Top 10 on the Heatseeker charts. Encouraged by their success, the band took to the road, playing everywhere from country bars to theaters to festival dates, garnering a larger fan base, radio support, and positive press virtually everywhere they went. In May of 2017, the band issued a six-track, self-titled EP that landed in the Top 20 on the digital country charts during its first week of release. ~ Thom Jurek