Justin Edwards

History Inspires New Music

Justin Edwards: History Inspires New Music

Bear Grass songwriter Justin Edwards is so prolific that word is barely out about one album release before another drops. That was the case when speaking with him about his album released in August, I, a duo project with fiddler Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw

Edwards explained the impetus behind the history-inspired concept album:
I wrote these two songs, ‘The Prince,’ and ‘The King,’ and they didn’t sound like other stuff I was writing. They didn’t necessarily fit the rest of my music. To me they almost sounded like old folk ballads or something like that. I was like, ‘You know what? Why don’t I just write an album of songs like that?’ I had written those two songs and then I went home for the weekend and wrote more or less the rest of the album in one weekend. I wrote ‘The Horse Thief’ next. In both ‘The Prince’ and ‘The King,’ you’ve got people that are leaving Europe for America for different reasons. So I said ‘Let me just write some songs about other people who came over.’

Edwards said he’d always heard in some of his family histories about horse thieves coming over from Europe to America, or from Virginia down to North Carolina. So he wrote a song about a horse thief, and that led to “Isabella.”

“I had those written and a pretty good idea for the album,” he said, “and then one day I was fishing with my stepdad, and we were on the Roanoke River somewhere near Jamesville and there was a wisteria vine growing in a tupelo tree. And I thought, ‘That’s sounds cool,’ and that turned into ‘Moss grows on the Tupelo by the Waterside,’ which are the lyrics in another song, ‘Virginia Dare.’”

Describing it as “alternative history,” Edwards said no one knows what happened to Virginia Dare, but in the song he wrote, she lived on, and that led to the original song “Croatoan,” based on the single word that searchers found carved in a tree after the colony went missing.

Kinlaw talked about her collaboration with Edwards on “Croatoan”:
The chordal structure was already well-established, and it had this raw, authentic old-time feel that really captured the essence of the project. Adding the fiddle felt like a natural progression—it complemented the existing framework, enhancing the traditional vibe while also adding depth and texture to the overall sound. The fiddle brought out nuances in the arrangement that highlighted the music, making it feel even more grounded in the heritage we’re honoring.

Kinlaw described the project coming together very organically:
I was inspired to join this project with Justin because I have a love for the intimacy of a duo album—it allows for a unique musical conversation where each artist’s voice is truly heard. The focus on local history also resonated with me, as it’s a chance to highlight the stories and culture of my hometown and state. Being able to combine my passion for music with a tribute to the rich history of this area makes this project especially meaningful to me.

Even though they’re both from the Martin County area, the two musicians really didn’t get to know one another until Edwards’ sons started taking violin lessons from Kinlaw. Since then they’ve collaborated on several projects.

The duo recorded with Russell Johnson in Four Oaks. Joe Pessolano mixed and mastered the album. Cover art was by Edwards’ sister-in-law,  Meredith England. His wife, Katherine, completed it digitally.

Kinlaw & Edwards with Russell Johnson at his Four Oaks studio

One of the original songs on Isabella is “Burn the Candle” and both musicians have learned how to do that from both ends, with many projects in the works. Kinlaw performs regularly with her band, Hank, Pattie & the Current, and they released Paper Lanterns, their sixth album, on Robust Records this past summer, and they’ve been touring to support it. 

“It’s been an exciting journey bringing this new music to audiences on the road,” Kinlaw said. “This album represents our most collaborative work to date, with every band member contributing creatively, making it a truly unified effort. It’s also our most thematically cohesive album, with a strong narrative thread running through the tracks. I find myself discovering new layers and details even when I go back and listen again, which speaks to the depth and richness of this project.”

When Edwards isn’t working on solo projects like The Old Jail Session released earlier this year and duo projects, he plays banjo in Screamin’ Bridge with Matthew Manning, Brendan Mobley, and Jacob Vaughan.

“Pattie and I also recently did a live recording,” Edwards said. “A guy from The Old Jail Sessions that I’d done–he came down and did some videoing and live recording. It’s called Play Me a Song. It’s all recorded as a live performance and videoed and will be coming out as an album and an hour long documentary. Pattie played on nine songs and the rest are me. I gave her the stories behind some of my songs and we traveled to a couple of the places I mentioned in the songs.”

Play me a Song was just released in the past week.

So what is Edwards’ secret to prolific songwriting?

“If anybody I know tells me they can’t write a song, I tell them it’s just like playing guitar,” he said. “You weren’t an amazing guitar when you started. The first song you write isn’t going to be the best song ever, because you’re going to get better. Unfortunately some people think that songwriting is either something you’ve got or you don’t. And I tend to disagree. There are gifts, but I think a lot of it you develop and practice with time. And I also think the main thing a lot of people miss from songwriting is they don’t read enough. Whether you’re reading poetry, or stories or whatever, I think just reading the written word a lot helps you be more fluent as a songwriter.”

His motivation is straightforward: “I got it in me…I’ve got to get it out. I love writing songs. Once I record a song, I kind of move on from it. It opens me up to do more stuff. I’ve actually already written a sequel to ‘Isabella,’ a story album, that I hope to record next year.”

Kinlaw recording her fiddle tracks

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Originally published in the Daily Reflector September 28, 2024.

Screamin’ Bridge at MerleFest ’23