Mountain Grass Unit Details Debut Album ‘Appalachian Smoke’ & Shares 3 Songs

Rising bluegrass outfit Mountain Grass Unit confirmed their debut studio album, Appalachian Smoke, set for release on August 28 via Dualtone Records. To preview the record, MGU shared a three-song self-titled EP containing the tracks “Appalachian Smoke,” “Window For A Friend” and “Forest Mississippi.”

Mountain Grass Unit — bassist Sam Wilson, mandolinist Drury Anderson, guitarist Luke Black and fiddler Josiah Nelson — largely tracked Appalachian Smoke live with acclaimed producer Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Phish).

“We wanted the album to feel like our live show,” Wilson noted. In that vein, Appalachian Smoke contains the band’s bluegrass bread and butter while also looping in psychedelic sounds.

Helping the band craft the sonic textures on their debut album are guests dobro player Anders Beck (Greensky Bluegrass), pedal steel player Karl Smakula and Grammy-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland.

The quartet also put themselves in the shoes of the fans they have gained through tireless touring when writing the material on Appalachian Smoke, as Luke Black explained.

“We were imagining our fan base while writing these songs,” he said. “They’re music fans who like to do things outdoors, like getting together around a campfire and singing along.”

Preview Appalachian Smoke with the three-tracks from the Mountain Grass Unit EP below and watch the video for “Window For A Friend,” tracing the longtime relationships within the band:

Appalachian Smoke Tracklist:

1. Earthquake
2. Homebound Troubadour
3. Appalachian Smoke
4. Wait for Me
5. Window for a Friend
6. Darkness Rollin’ In
7. Forest Mississippi
8. Suspicion
9. One Last Time
10. Eagle’s Nest
11. Take Your Time
12. Where Steamboats Go to Die
13. Another Sunday Again