Railroad Earth
Jamming In
Patchogue
By Faith Rackoff
Photo by Taylor Crothers

The first sign of a good music festival is when Americana- jam band Railroad Earth is on the bill. Hailing from Sparta, New Jersey, Railroad Earth's music combines elements of bluegrass with rock fused with a dash of jazz and a hint of Celtic sounds. The band has made a name for itself through live performances that contain extensive improvisation at festivals across the nation. They performed in June at the heralded Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, and the group is one of the headliners scheduled for The Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, to take place July 13 through 15 at Shorefront Park.

This six-member acoustic band focuses on songwriting and instrumentation to generate music that is easy on the ear but stimulating for the mind. Virtually everyone sings; Todd Sheaffer is the lead vocalist, and is also an acoustic guitar player. Tim Carbone contributes both with his vocals and on his violin. While John Skehan sings, he also performs on his mandolin. Multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling can be heard playing an acoustic guitar, a banjo, a dobra, a mandolin, a flute, a pennywhistle, or a saxophone in addition to his vocals. Even percussionist Carey Harmon’s vocals are embedded into the music.

The lone musician who keeps mum is bassist Johnny Grubb, who joined the already established band after graduating from University of North Carolina. As Grubb remembers, “I had an epiphany over a sink full dishes one day that I needed to get out of town. Within a week I met Skehan, and he mentioned how [Railroad Earth, his band was] in need of a good bass player."

Railroad Earth – the name stems from Jack Kerouac's poem "October in the Railroad Earth"– started in early 2001. It quickly became obvious that the band had marketable substance. After only three weeks of playing together, the group went into the studio and recorded a five-song demo. The strength of these recordings encouraged a manager to sign on board within a week. It also got the band booked for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. When they played at the prestigious festival, it was only their 10th gig.

By June 2001, Railroad Earth released their debut album, The Black Bear Sessions. It included the first five songs they recorded as their demo with an addition five selections. With positive reviews nationally, Sugar Hill Records approached the band after their appearance at Telluride 2001. With Sugar Hill, the band released Bird In A House in 2002 and The Good Life in 2004. Both albums received critical acclaim and produced strong sales throughout both the U.S. and Europe.

With steady touring and many stops on the festival scene, Railroad Earth developed a loyal legion of fans. These fans, which call themselves "Hobos," tend to follow the band on the road for multiple nights and document every note the band played.

Since January 2006, Railroad Earth has traveled from coast to coast and festival to festival promoting their latest release, the double live album Elko, which is on their new label, SCI Fidelity Records. To the band, the best part of playing in a festival setting is, according to Grubbs, "playing for large crowds no matter what time of day or where you are. Just by sheer odds you will have 1,000 to 10,000 people listening to you."

On Saturday July 14, Railroad Earth will perform at the Great South Bay Music Festival at Shorefront Park in Patchogue at 10 pm on the main stage. Tickets are available online at greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com, or at the festival.