He doesn’t mention it in his blog, but Mountain Heart has just been selected to perform at the Suwanee River Jam in April, along with Zac Brown Band, country music’s Best New Artist at the 2010 Grammies, and country/rock legend John Fogerty. It’s a big break for the band, and they are plenty stoked.

Here’s Josh…

I’m sitting in the A Room at Ocean Way studios in Nashville working on Mountain Heart’s new record. Our engineer is working on a rough mix of a song as I type. I sang a ton of harmonies this morning, and I just wrapped up some B3 organ overdubs on a few songs.

This studio used to be an enormous church so, as you can imagine, the rooms have ridiculous ceilings and acoustics…I’m pinching myself as I think about so many of the greats that have cut in this place. Mountain Heart has been touring some, but for the most part the last few weeks has been spent in the studio and for me personally, writing songs.

In the next few weeks, I’m writing with some of my faves. Guys like Bryan White (yes the country singer), Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio, and a known monster in Nashville, Marc Beeson. After all the writing and recording is over in February, Mountain Heart is heading out to Seattle for a couple of shows at the Wintergrass Festival.

Directly after returning home from Seattle, we’re all flying down to the Virgin Islands for a week where we’ll be crashing at a swank resort called The Buccaneer on the  island of St. Croix after our gigs. I lucked out and got to gig there last Spring, but this trip will be with the entire band so it should be freaking awesome. Until that nice dose of 70 degree temps comes, we’re gonna be bundled up and hunkered down in Nashville working on the record.

The next thing on the agenda as far as recording is concerned is a few acoustic guitar overdubs. I’m starring at my guitar in the corner and thinking about the insane stuff Brian Sutton is gonna lay down shortly! The one common denominator that I see with all the axes laying around is they’re all strung up with D’Addario strings.

So, once again I’m saying “thank you” for the never ending support!

The blog will be a behind-the-scene look at life on the road with Mountain Heart. This is a fun-loving bunch of guys, so you can expect a measure of zaniness in his reports.

Here’s Josh’s first entry. Subsequent blogs will be will be posted on both the MH and D’Addario sites.

It’s Sunday morning, January 10th and I think I can speak for all the guys in Mountain Heart when I say we had an AMAZING weekend on the road!

Although Sundays are usually spent licking wounds for most musicians after traveling, today we’re all celebrating yet another sell-out show at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan Friday night. From what I was told, this was the 6th straight sell-out at this intimate room which is also where we recorded our live record, The Road That Never Ends in 2007. We had a line downtown that went on forever to get in and see our show.

We stuffed ourselves at our favorite Mongolian Grill just a few blocks away, and hit up a Starbucks, or as we like to call it “Fivebucks,” and we suited up for showtime. The show kicked off with an sold-out, wall to wall electric crowd that actually seemed louder than the band at times!

After multiple encores and an interesting encounter with two fans who wanted to duet on stage (we can talk about that later), we ended up on stage for over three hours, playing every single request from the crowd. We ended up spending another hour at the record table signing and schmoozing before finally loading up the Prevost and heading South. Michigan has become one of our favorite states when it comes to fan support, and Ann Arbor in particular, seems to be addicted to live music!

After such a ridiculously good night in MI, we headed to Clay City, KY to play to another die-hard crowd that also fought several inches of snow on country roads to party with us. It seems like our rock edge us rubbing off on even the traditionalists in eastern Kentucky. I noticed a lot of young faces and requests for Allman Brothers covers . . . CRAZY!

After the great show last night, we packed up the bus and scooted back down to Nashville for some recording sessions this week. Outside of touring, our main focus right now us writing new material and recording a new record. The only thing I can share about the project thus far is that it’s going to the most creative and original sound I’ve ever heard!

The bus trip was crazy as usual, with Aaron doing his monkey impressions and the rest of us trying to keep from wetting ourselves over the stories, crazy song lyrics and general mayhem that is a trip with MH.

As always, we are all so blessed to be using great gear in the studio and on tour, so I wanna say “thanks D’Addario for their products and never ending support.” With as many strings as we go thru on tour, (Jones!!!) we couldn’t live without them!

Until next time …………….

Josh Shilling

Josh accepted reluctantly, but leapt into the breach with a passion, only to lose by a mere 8 friends by Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. when the competition ended.

Cia had only a brief comment after the results were announced:

“I won, ha ha…”

Will there be a rematch? Cia had better watch her back any time Cherryholmes is playing the same event as Mountain Heart.

Cia Cherryholmes, banjo picker and lead singer with Cherryholmes, and Josh Shilling, vocalist with Mountain Heart, have declared a Facebook friend war. As of Sunday morning, Cia is on top with 2,660 while Josh trails behind with 2465.

Our sources indicate that Cia started it, but Josh is determined to finish the contest victorious. If you are a Facebook user, you have the chance to voice your preference and declare for Team Josh or Team Cia.

It’s all in good fun, with nothing at risk but bragging rights, but the marker has been laid down. The final count will be determined on Monday morning.

Ooooh…  the tension is unbearable!

Of course, you can follow The Bluegrass Blog on Facebook as well.

Watch the video from Mountain Heart we shot during their special Tuesday night showcase at IBMA. It offers a glimpse of the variety of music they deliver, from traditional bluegrass to a rockin’, hybrid sound. The presentation was powerful, and whether you agree with taking bluegrass in this direction, the impact of the performance was impressive – and unforgettable.

Watch the video here.

Jim said that they took a ton of photos, and that Josh is putting together a little travelogue for us to publish here on The Bluegrass Blog. Look for that to appear soon, along with their swimwear photos.

Josh and Jim are also playing the Grand Ole Opry tonight with Mountain Heart. They are scheduled in the 9:00-9:30 segment (EDT), which you can catch over the air on 650 AM from Nashville, via online streaming at wsmonline.com, and on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville).

Our local Roanoke, VA newspaper, The Roanoke Times, has published a feature on Josh, written by staffer Tad Dickens, which follows the “local boy makes good” format. Josh grew up not far from Roanoke in Martinsville, VA, and got his professional music career started playing with Roanoke-area bands.

For 24-year-old Shilling, the road that never ends started around Roanoke.

Shilling was already a veteran of the region’s music, nightspot and recording scene by the time he graduated from Bassett High School. Every male in his family plays guitar. His maternal grandfather, Leon Woodward, and uncle, Kim Woodward, were well-known nightclub pickers.

Read the full article on The Roanoke Times web site.

Don’t forget that tomorrow (10/22) between noon and 10:00 p.m. (ET), any registered user of The Bluegrass Blog can download a free track from Road That Never Ends. Be sure to log in during that time and get a free first look at Josh Shilling and Mountain Heart live.

Adam talks about the recent departure of founding member Steve Gulley, and how they came to bring Josh into the band. He also touches on the reaction of bluegrass fans to the change, with an allusion to the way some hardcore grassers look at them.

“Like any band change, it may take a year for people to get used to it. People who are real traditional bluegrass fans won’t like it, but they didn’t like our band before. It’s different to hear a different voice, but he’s doing a great job. I guess everything worked out the way it’s supposed to.”

Read the whole article online.

Mountain Heart is also performing live on the radio today (3/2) in Knoxville. You can hear them via live streaming at the WDVX web site at 12:00 noon (EST) when they visit WDVX’s Blue Plate Special.

If you have yet to catch their recently revised lineup – with new vocalist Josh Shilling front and center – and will be near a radio receiver or an Internet connection, you’ll have the chance tonight (2/16) between 9:00-9:30, and again on Saturday evening (2/17) between 8:00-8:30 and 11:00-11:30 (EST).

Also appearing on Saturday’s Opry broadcast will be Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys (8:30-9:00), Cherryholmes (9:30-10:00 and midnight to 12:30) and The Whites (9:00-9:30 and 10:30-11:00). All times are Eastern.

The Opry broadcasts can be heard online via streaming audio from the WSM web site, and their radio can be heard over a wide portion of the southern and central US at 650 AM. Friday’s show runs from 9:00-11:00 p.m., and Saturday’s from 7:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m.

If you miss the live broadcasts (or audio streams) you can find selected performances posted on the WSM audio archives page by early next week.

Early reports have been enthusiastic, and Josh has been described as an amazingly talented vocalist with real “star power.”

They made their Station Inn debut in Nashville last week with Josh, and we have a report on the show from Jennie Frank, sister of bluegrass picker Ashby Frank. Jennie works for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and operates a teaching studio, Inspire Reflect Studio, in Nashville.

Here’s Jennie’s review, which she titled Who’s The Fool Now?

Bluegrass staple, Mountain Heart, with new lead vocalist Josh Schilling, packed the Station Inn on 12th Avenue South in downtown Nashville this past Wednesday night. I was one of the lucky ones to catch the show.Now for most in the bluegrass world, this band’s incredible talent is no news to you, but the particular sound emerging from the stage was not one of a typical Mountain Heart performance. It echoed a new voice in bluegrass; one that is guaranteed to grow there for a really long time.Schilling made his debut with the band only a couple weeks earlier on the Grand Ole Opry stage, immediately showcasing his songwriting abilities with self-penned Who’s the Fool Now? - a “melt your heart while it’s breaking” tune that would make Vince Gill contemplate the idea he had a long lost brother. On the Station stage, he topped his Opry crooning, throwing into the mix of the traditional MH sound with soulful, unique renditions of classics such as Soulshine by Warren Hayes and Eric Clapton’s Running on Faith.

Mind you now, the highs of the evening were not carried by the newcomer vocalist alone. Mountain Heart – summing up musicians plus vocalists equals a whole lotta something good – has never been so full of energy. Loved favorites of the band, plus a couple cuts from fiddle player Jim Van Cleve’s self-debut No Apologies, spattered the song list, as one after another were executed in perfect accord. When the crowd cheered for more at the end of the second set, a band member of another well-known bluegrass group whispered to me “gosh, I love this band!” as the group re-entered for an encore.

And encore they did. Van Cleve tore up the last number, blazing half the hairs off of his bow and I do believe a couple audience members’ heads. By the time the show closed, every member glowed with the sweet sweat of a successful, bless your bluegrass heart performance.

So, if you haven’t taken a listen to this band in awhile, I urge you to “get thee to their website” for a listen to Mountain Heart and their new sound with the familiar trimmings. The appeal is quite mesmerizing and the freshness will be well-known in bluegrassland very soon.

Editor’s note: You can hear a live version of Josh and Mountain Heart performing Who’s the Fool Now? on their MySpace page. There is also a video clip on YouTube of them doing a semi-spontaneous cover of Clapton’s version of Nobody Knows You at the Georgia Theater in Cartersville, GA on February 3.

Jim VanCleve said that it was sort of a special feature moment in the show, and that the clip was captured by a member of the audience on a cell phone.

They got a call back from the Opry audience last night after Josh sang one of his tunes, and all the guys are excited about having him in the band.

Jon Weisberger, Nashville writer, musician and member of the IBMA Executive Committee, attended the band’s rehearsal yesterday, and passed along some more information and his impressions of Josh, and how he fits into the Mountain Heart sound.

I stopped by Jim Van Cleve’s house Friday to catch a few numbers as Mountain Heart was rehearsing for their weekend’s shows at the Grand Ole Opry with new member Josh Shilling – and, like the members of the band themselves, I was blown away by his talent. Just 23 years old, Josh grew up around Martinsville, Virginia and now lives in Roanoke. But while he heard bluegrass from an early age‚Äîalmost inevitable in that area‚Äîhe was drawn to the piano as a youngster, and by the time he graduated from high school, he was already playing a wide variety of music with an equally wide variety of bands on a semi-professional basis. Indeed, by the time he got the call from Mountain Heart, he was working 200 dates a year.

From what I heard – a half-dozen numbers, including “I’m Just Hear To Ride The Train,” “God And Everybody,” “Heart Like A Road Sign, Head Like A Wheel,” “Deadwood” and a beautiful contemporary country-flavored original of Josh’s – this young man’s going to fit right in with Mountain Heart’s signature sound, while bringing some new dimensions to their music. He can definitely cut the vocals on their existing material. Josh doesn’t sound exactly like Steve Gulley, but there’s no apparent limit to the upper end of his range, and he’s getting inside the songs quickly, so fans will find a lot of continuity of sound in their favorite material.

I sat and talked with some of the guys – Josh, Barry Abernathy and Jason Moore, mostly – during one of their breaks, and was impressed by their mutual admiration. Perhaps surprisingly, it turns out that Josh and the band had been aware of each other for some time, having connected through Mountain Heart’s sound engineer Scotty Bolen, who engineered some demos for Josh a few years back.

“They were doing a record for Clay [Jones] about two years ago,” Josh told me. “And for some reason, I just decided I wanted to go by and check it out, so I eased into the session and introduced myself to everybody. And then just a week or so later Scotty gave them some of the demo stuff.”

“Scotty and Jim and I went to see him at one of his regular gigs, and he was just unbelievable,” Barry added. “Needless to say, we were impressed, and I thought, if there were ever a move made here, he would be the first one that I would want to call‚Äînot that I had any idea he would take a job playing bluegrass!”

Though Josh’s background isn’t in bluegrass, he’s got a solid grasp of the music, both from his wide-ranging tastes – I’ve got everything from Bill Monroe to Tower of Power, and I find something I like in all of it,” he told me – and from the perceptiveness that accompanies his talent. “Bluegrass takes the simplest form of music and does so much with it,” he said. “Playing rhythm guitar with these guys has been a big challenge‚Äîit always seemed almost obsolete in the other bands I’ve played in; it was like, I’m just trying to fill a hole here, who cares what it sounds like. But here, it’s very important. You either do it right or don’t do it at all. It’s got to lock with everything else. And the music is so organic that it’s almost like creating something from nothing. You don’t have to have every piece of technology in the world to make it happen.”

Barry summed up the band’s thoughts about their new member this way. “The first time I heard Josh I knew that that’s the person I wanted to see if he would be interested in doing it. Not that he couldn’t do it, but I don’t really hear Josh singing “Sunny Side Of The Mountain.” He’s not that type of singer. But for what we do, I could hear him fit real well; I heard something that I think can really click. We had two or three people in mind that we knew could do the job, but I just felt like this would be special.”

“I’ve been telling people, you’re going to love it. If you don’t, you don’t like music. And that’s pretty much the way I leave ‘em.”

The group promises to record some songs at rehearsal soon and post them online, but in the meantime, Mountain Heart fans who want to get a taste of the group with Josh Shilling can listen to the Grand Ole Opry tonight (1/6) – they’ll be on the 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm segments (all times CST) – by tuning into WSM (650 AM) or visiting the station’s website at http://www.wsmonline.com.

The Opry show tonight is streamed live on WSM, and excerpts from both the Friday and Saturday Opry shows will be posted on the WSM Archives page by early the following week if you miss the live stream. There’s no guarantee that the Mountain Heart shows will be included, but with an encore on Friday night, one suspects that they will be featured.

Mountain Heart invites all their friends and fans to give a listen to the Opry this weekend, and share your thoughts about the new sound in their online forum.