Free Rein Bluegrass Band

Free Rein | fri rāyn | noun. Defined: Unrestricted liberty of action or expression.

Ladies and gentlemen, what you are about to hear is the culmination of an unrestricted, unreserved, fast-driving, foot-tapping display of musical excellence. One where full liberty of expression was taken to deliver some of the finest music the bluegrass genre has to offer. Comprised of band members, Damon Seal (Guitar/Vocals), Daniel Oxendine (Banjo/Vocals), Randall Woods (Bass/Vocals), Cleve May (Dobro/Vocals) and David Combs (Mandolin), a chance meeting and impromptu jam session in 2002 ignited a spark. Though each were in different bands at that time, the ember lingered and continued to burn. And now, 23 years in the making, this group of God-fearing, Jesus-following, bluegrass-loving men have aligned themselves and their talents, formed a musical brotherhood and unleashed a bluegrasswildfire. THIS IS FREE REIN!

In this, their self-titled debut release, I invite you to plug in and hang on as the band takes us, the listener, on a musical journey through a wonderfully diverse collection of songs, filled with soul-stirring vocals, finely crafted rhythmic harmonies and instrumental perfection! The goal of every great song is to connect with the listener on an emotional level and tell a compelling story and every story needs a compelling storyteller…one that adequately conveys the emotion and intensity of the subject matter, leaving us feeling as if we are there in the story as it unfolds. Free Rein does a masterful job at doing just that. Whether it be the Doyle Lawson classic Georgia Girl, their gritty and soulful take on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Curtis Loew or the Cleve May penned original, Deeper Down, a song inspired by the horrific floodsof 1977 in Pineville, KY and most recently in 2024 in upper East Tennessee and North Carolina, I am confident you will find yourself immersed and woven into the tapestry of a powerful story, as told through the music on all the cuts on this great project. And if you’re craving a dose of some good, old fashioned bluegrass gospel music, tracks 6 and 11 put the punctuation mark on this superb labor of love! These men love the Lord, and it shows in these genuinely honest and spiritual gospel arrangements that will nourish the soul of every believer.

So sit back and enjoy this fine collection of musical narrations presented by this fantastic new Bluegrass band from East Tennessee! Just one word of caution though…these tunes will lodge somewhere inside you and take root. And on any given day, you’ll find yourself (as I have), belting out the chorus to one of your favorites, whether athome, or at work or even on Isle 7 at the grocery store! You have been warned!

Friend and Fan,
Steve Blankenship
2025