The Flint Ridge Millers

You will sit up and take notice when you hear the bluegrass stylings of the " Flint Ridge Millers." They are setting out to set the bluegrass world a blaze with their feverish playing and raucus shows.

Crazy Casey Tolliver is the band's founder, visionary, and banjo dominator. Abandoned by his parents as an infant somewhere in the foothills of the Appalachain Mountains, he was adopted and raised by bears until the age of eight. He was discovered by mountain men working in a logging camp who decided to take the mere lad in and raise him as their own. Not only did young Crazy develop the grizzle and strength to climb a tall oak barefoot only to bring the bohemath to the ground, he also developed a deep love for the mountain music the loggers made in the evenings when work was done. It was then, the spirit of the Flint Ridge Millers was born in the scrawny, blonde headed, pigeon toed boy. He quickly began the learn to not only play but dominate the banjo with his own style and technique later coined as " Crazy Clawhammer." In his early twenties, the world of the logging camp was too small for a young Crazy. He decided to set out to see the world by way of the railroad. In one of his early stops, Crazy Casey met a hobo. The hobo spoke little english but could chop on a mandolin like a logger with a double sided axe hopped up on cocaine from Crazy Crasey's days at the logging camp. Crazy named the hobo JK Soard cause he didn't understand a word the foreigner said especially when asked what his name was. The two decided to travel on together due to their musical kinship. Their travels took them clear overseas so obviously they abandoned seeing the world by railroad and took a boat at some point. They traveled places like Great Britian, Spain, Holland, and France stopping at bars, bus stops, and street corners top make their musci for passers by in hopes of making enough means to feed their aching bellies and travel a little farther down the road. It was when they were jailed in Ireland after a wild barfight, one of their fellow inmates was a young guitar player named Cory White who reconized the duo from playing on the street corner earlier that day. He quickly introduced himself and told them that he would absolutely love to play guitar with them. They decided when they were freed, they would have to get together and play. Impatiently the trio grew in the drunk tank that night, so they overtook the guards by staging a riot, and the narrowly escaped during all the mayhem. Instead of facing the court of Ireland the charges they faced, they decided never to come back to the emerald green fields of the country. After traveling the world abroad, Crazy Casey grew homesick for the Bluegrass. The three young men set sail back for the States and camped just on the outskirts of Somerset, Kentucky. Late one night while playing around their quaint campfire, they heard a distant but loud thunder followed by loud cheers and yelling coming from the small town. They decided to go and inspect the thunderous, bottomless, bass sound they were hearing. After roaming the busy streets, the trio discoverd the bass sound was coming from what appeared to be a cock fight being held in an empty warehouse on one of the backstreets of the little town. The warehouse was packed full of local yocals betting on which fighting rooster would prevail in the next fight. The boys fought their way through the thick crowd to the ring to see about the bass sound. Next to the arena, stood a slim fellow plucking the bass at a feverish pitch. It appeared that his thunderous playing of the bass would vibrate the ground and would whip the fighting roosters into a frenzy which would make for a better cock fight. The trio decided they needed the thunderous bass sound and the slim fellow that produced it to join their group. Said his name was Jon New and he was indeed interested making music with them. They decided there was no better place to hone their skills and cohesiveness then right there at the cockfights where Jon New had already began establishing a fan base. Every weekend the boys played to a full warehouse of people wanting to hear some kickass thunderous bluegrass music and see some fighting cocks. Now the group is ready to unleash the magic of the music made right there next to the cock fighting arena, onto the world.

Anywhere we can

Bluegrass Music

Bass Banjo Mandolin Guitar