Allegheny is Ben Garnett on guitar, Eli Gilbert on banjo, Ellie Hakanson on fiddle, and Tristan Scroggins on mandolin. The band is named for the Allegheny highlands of West Virginia where Raines grew up. This band is a significant nod to her deep traditional bluegrass roots. The music is traditional and hard-driving at its core but energized with Raines’ well-known penchant for originality and innovation.
“I grew up in West Virginia, just a few miles from the historic C&O Canal, the headwaters of the Potomac River, and the Maryland and Pennsylvania state lines. Geographically, it was a pretty straight shot down ‘out of the hills’ to the Washington DC, Baltimore, and northern Virginia areas and my family would travel there as much as possible to hear all the incredible bluegrass that was being made there during the 60’s and the 70’s. Washington, D.C. was a hotbed of bluegrass (both traditional and progressive) at the time with bands like Bob Paisley & Ted Lundy, Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals, the Country Gentlemen, and the Seldom Scene. All of that music affected me deeply then and today I’m having the time of life letting those influences shine through with this band, Allegheny.”