Eight Point Star

Cosmic Appalachian string band Eight Point Star, led by Mike Gangloff’s droning Norwegian Hardinger-style fiddle and Matt Peyton’s finger-picked guitar, mines the modal traditions of both old-time Appalachia and far-out drone music to produce beautiful tunes that are equal parts memorable and psychedelic. Isak Howell provides old-timey banjo and evocative harmonica. Tim Thornton’s doghouse bass thumps and throbs below it all. The band plays a mix of old-time tunes and original compositions employing everything from shruti box to dulcimer to fill out its sound.

UK-based music magazine UnCut said Eight Point Star tackles “quite a few forms of American roots music on their self-titled album” but chose a “rowdy, raucous blues” cut for the magazine’s compilation CD Rollin’ & Tumblin’ featuring a “a powerful new group” of artists. In addition to their LP and a spot in the compilation, Eight Point Star also released Old New, a CD of music featured in the Blue Ridge PBS documentary The Story of the New River.

“New River Train” from Eight Point Star’s Old New CD

“Hawks Nest Tunnel” from Eight Point Star’s Old New CD

Video of Eight Point Star playing at The Jefferson Center for
the Blue Ridge Holler, the Friends of the Blue Ridge hurricane relief concert.

Just as COVID was beginning to close down the world, Eight Point Star produced this LP.

Eight Point Star performed new versions of the songs on Old New at Radford University. Here’s the raw footage of “Hawks Nest.” The whole performance is available at Blue Ridge PBS Echo TV.