The city of Wheeling, West Virginia.
Country music's earliest and
biggest radio shows originated
on the city's airwaves via the
venerable AM station WWVA
which first aired "Jamboree USA"
in January 1933. The show
found a home just one month
later at the Capitol Theatre and
soon was drawing capacity crowds
in excess of 3,000 paying customers. Country music in Wheeling was there to stay. Along the way, a
history that now spans more than 70 years has furthered the careers of such legends as Grandpa
Jones; Wilma Lee, Stoney Cooper and the Clinch Mountain Clan; and Hawkshaw Hawkins – not to
mention more recent acts such as Brad Paisley and Tim O'Brien. All of those acts eventually found
success on a national stage.
Add Coaltrain to that list of acts that hopes that early success in Wheeling will translate into national
recognition. Coaltrain came together in 2004 when lead vocalist/fiddler Chris Denham paired up with
guitarist Joe Carr. They soon added John "Sixball" McCombs on bass and harmonies and began
playing locals bars and clubs with other musicians as the Nothin' Fancy Band.
Soon it became apparent that if they wanted to expand beyond their regional success, they would
have to follow the footsteps of the local acts that preceded them such as the Coopers, Hawkins and
Paisley. That meant following some of their many heroes to country music's mecca – Nashville,
Tennessee. Still playing as the Nothin' Fancy Band, the group relocated to the Music City in 2005
and soon settled on their new name – Coaltrain, a moniker that paid homage to their home state of
West Virginia where coal mines have a long history as one of the state's major industries. The move
paid off when they attracted the interest of a local label for which they recorded their self-titled debut
album released in early 2006.
Coaltrain took a chance on that
album by releasing "If You Wanna
Get To Heaven" – a countrified cover of the
Ozark Mountain Daredevils' 1973 classic.
The gamble paid dividends, however, when
the track found success at country radio.
reaching 83 on the Music Row charts
during a 23-week chart run. Coaltrain
immediately returned to the road to support
the album and soon decided to add
another member to replicate the album's
sound in their live shows.
Lead guitarist Jason Treuman joined Denham, Carr, McCombs,Webb and regular drummer Brice Foster to
round out the band's sound. The band regularly features soaring three-part vocals led by Denham's
signature lead vocals with McCombs and Webb adding the harmonies.
The band bills its music as country-and-mountain music, and Denham's fiddle licks keep their sound
anchored squarely in West Virginia's strong fiddle tradition. However, the band draws heavily from
the modern Americana tradition with strong Southern rock overtones and more than a hint of
country's outlaw tradition as channeled through Steve Earle and the Drive-by Truckers. Carr's
crunching guitar solos pair up with McCombs pulsing bass and Foster's hard-driving backbeat on
drums. Webb's flourishes on piano and organ give the band a fuller sound and allow the band to
take unexpected detours into ballads influenced by both traditional country and modern rock bands.
Along the way, the band has earned a reputation as an act willing to travel anywhere and everywhere
to reach their fans playing festivals and clubs from Alabama to West Virginia and across the Midwest
while maintaining their base in Nashville. But if success in Nashville has brought the band to bigger
stages, they still remain true to their West Virginia roots. The band returned home in the summer of
2006 to a hero's welcome in the prestigious opening slot for Jamboree in the Hills. The annual event
is one of the nation's largest outdoor summer music festivals and an offshoot of Wheeling's original
Jamboree USA. Coaltrain played for more than 40,000 people at the festival to rave reviews, and
then returned again to Wesbanco Arena in Wheeling in the fall of 2007 to open for national act Neal
McCoy.
Wheeling, however, has always openly embraced the success of its own homegrown acts – even
when those acts have moved on to Nashville and to greater
acclaim on a national stage. And for Coaltrain at least, perhaps the biggest irony is that their success
in Nashville has led to even greater success back home … in Wheeling where it all began.
Country music's earliest and
biggest radio shows originated
on the city's airwaves via the
venerable AM station WWVA
which first aired "Jamboree USA"
in January 1933. The show
found a home just one month
later at the Capitol Theatre and
soon was drawing capacity crowds
in excess of 3,000 paying customers. Country music in Wheeling was there to stay. Along the way, a
history that now spans more than 70 years has furthered the careers of such legends as Grandpa
Jones; Wilma Lee, Stoney Cooper and the Clinch Mountain Clan; and Hawkshaw Hawkins – not to
mention more recent acts such as Brad Paisley and Tim O'Brien. All of those acts eventually found
success on a national stage.
Add Coaltrain to that list of acts that hopes that early success in Wheeling will translate into national
recognition. Coaltrain came together in 2004 when lead vocalist/fiddler Chris Denham paired up with
guitarist Joe Carr. They soon added John "Sixball" McCombs on bass and harmonies and began
playing locals bars and clubs with other musicians as the Nothin' Fancy Band.
Soon it became apparent that if they wanted to expand beyond their regional success, they would
have to follow the footsteps of the local acts that preceded them such as the Coopers, Hawkins and
Paisley. That meant following some of their many heroes to country music's mecca – Nashville,
Tennessee. Still playing as the Nothin' Fancy Band, the group relocated to the Music City in 2005
and soon settled on their new name – Coaltrain, a moniker that paid homage to their home state of
West Virginia where coal mines have a long history as one of the state's major industries. The move
paid off when they attracted the interest of a local label for which they recorded their self-titled debut
album released in early 2006.
Coaltrain took a chance on that
album by releasing "If You Wanna
Get To Heaven" – a countrified cover of the
Ozark Mountain Daredevils' 1973 classic.
The gamble paid dividends, however, when
the track found success at country radio.
reaching 83 on the Music Row charts
during a 23-week chart run. Coaltrain
immediately returned to the road to support
the album and soon decided to add
another member to replicate the album's
sound in their live shows.
Lead guitarist Jason Treuman joined Denham, Carr, McCombs,Webb and regular drummer Brice Foster to
round out the band's sound. The band regularly features soaring three-part vocals led by Denham's
signature lead vocals with McCombs and Webb adding the harmonies.
The band bills its music as country-and-mountain music, and Denham's fiddle licks keep their sound
anchored squarely in West Virginia's strong fiddle tradition. However, the band draws heavily from
the modern Americana tradition with strong Southern rock overtones and more than a hint of
country's outlaw tradition as channeled through Steve Earle and the Drive-by Truckers. Carr's
crunching guitar solos pair up with McCombs pulsing bass and Foster's hard-driving backbeat on
drums. Webb's flourishes on piano and organ give the band a fuller sound and allow the band to
take unexpected detours into ballads influenced by both traditional country and modern rock bands.
Along the way, the band has earned a reputation as an act willing to travel anywhere and everywhere
to reach their fans playing festivals and clubs from Alabama to West Virginia and across the Midwest
while maintaining their base in Nashville. But if success in Nashville has brought the band to bigger
stages, they still remain true to their West Virginia roots. The band returned home in the summer of
2006 to a hero's welcome in the prestigious opening slot for Jamboree in the Hills. The annual event
is one of the nation's largest outdoor summer music festivals and an offshoot of Wheeling's original
Jamboree USA. Coaltrain played for more than 40,000 people at the festival to rave reviews, and
then returned again to Wesbanco Arena in Wheeling in the fall of 2007 to open for national act Neal
McCoy.
Wheeling, however, has always openly embraced the success of its own homegrown acts – even
when those acts have moved on to Nashville and to greater
acclaim on a national stage. And for Coaltrain at least, perhaps the biggest irony is that their success
in Nashville has led to even greater success back home … in Wheeling where it all began.
COALTRAIN
 |  |  |  |  |
MARTIN BEEK
 |  |
| MOUNTAIN MAN COMING SOON |