Low Water Bridge Band and Ramona & The Holy Smokes

There’s a sound the Shenandoah River makes as it rumbles over old stones in the shallows. It sings songs the way they used to be – plain and honest. No frills, buckle that belt before you head to the hills and hollers. It’s there under a Virginia moon that you’ll find the Low Water Bridge Band.

Forged by firelight picking, the band’s romping, stomping, country-grass Americana ain’t for the faint of heart. Since their founding in 2020, they’ve gone from barnstorming the Shenandoah Valley to festival stages along the East Coast. Venues from the Carolinas to Kentucky and, yes, Nashville, Tennessee ring with their sound and are asking for more.

They’re led by guitarist and lead singer Logan Moore’s searing melodies. The precision thump of brothers Alex and Riley Kerns’ bass and drums and their pitch-perfect vocal harmonies fill out the sound. Justin Carver’s pedal steel and banjo swirl through songs like smoke from the campfire.  And it’s all brought together with the crunch and crackle of James “Chainsaw” Montgomery’s electric guitar riffs.

From the first time you see them, your boots will be worn from kicking up dust. By the time a second chorus comes around you’ll be hooting and hollering their memorable originals alongside their die-hard fans. You’ll join a crowd who travels far and wide, bringing the party to your town. If you’re a fan of good music done right, be sure to keep a lookout for this fast-rising outfit from Clarke County, Virginia. Chances are, they’ll be blowing through your way one of these days soon.

You can check out the latest Low Water Bridge Band news, information, and merchandise at www.lwbbmusic.com. And give them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, and Tik-Tok. Their music is also available everywhere you stream or download your favorite music.

n an era where authenticity in country music feels increasingly rare, Ramona and the Holy Smokes deliver a masterclass in genuine honky tonk with their upcoming EP Til It's Over, released on November 22, 2024. Fronted by Charlottesville, Virginia's Ramona Martinez, whose songwriting has earned her recognition from Wide Open Country as one of the "15 Latino Artists Shaping Country Music," the band crafts pre-1964 country that feels both classic and vitally current.

Martinez channels the spirit of the golden-age country through a thoroughly modern lens. The Holy Smokes aren't playing dress-up – they're breathing new life into time-tested formulas with arrangements that showcase both technical mastery and emotional depth.

Recorded at Richmond's legendary Spacebomb Studio, Til It's Over spans the breadth of classic country styles while maintaining a cohesive sound. The EP kicks off with "I Want You to Be My Man," a train-beat banger co-written with Maddie Mae Martin that perfectly captures the thrilling anticipation of new love. The track's clever progression from "I wanna take you to the movies" to "When we hit the road, dear, you can drive the van" showcases Martinez's gift for incorporating her life as a musician into relatable love songs.

The Neil Young-influenced "Dear Avery" demonstrates the band's range, building from intimate verses to a lush, full-band arrangement featuring Jeffrey Miller's (Dogwood Brothers) masterful piano work. Producer Kai Crowe-Getty (Lord Nelson) and engineer Alex De Jong capture the band's live energy, while subtle touches of analog warmth add to the EP’s classic sound. 

Perhaps the EP's most striking moment comes with "I Love Smoking," a defiantly honest ode to addiction that manages to be both humorous and profound. "It reminds me/Breathe the good life in/Treasure every moment/Treasure every sin," Martinez sings, before promising to "smoke with Jesus/Puffin' in the sky." The title track rounds out the collection with a heart-wrenching exploration of relationship limbo, transformed from a ballad into an infectious shuffle by the Holy Smokes' stellar lineup of Kyle Lawton Kilduff (guitars), Brooks Hefner (pedal steel), Jay Ouypron (bass), and Porter Bralley (drums).

Martinez's path to country music was anything but traditional. Before channeling the Honky Tonk Angels (her term for the celestial source of her songwriting inspiration), she worked in radio production and created religious iconography as a visual artist. In 2021, during a stay at a Maine cabin, she experienced a creative awakening that led to writing 21 original songs in just over a year.

"I joke that if you've had your heart broken enough times, you're actually obligated to become a country singer," Martinez quips. Her influences range from George Jones and Patsy Cline to more surprising sources like Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, whom she discovered through a sympathetic computer science teacher during lonely middle school lunch breaks.

With Til It's Over serving as a pristine calling card, Ramona and the Holy Smokes are poised for an exciting 2025. The band is currently working on their debut full-length album, which will incorporate Martinez's Mexican-American heritage through original Spanish-language material and "Mexitonk" – their unique fusion of mariachi and country western styles. Until then, catch them expanding their touring radius throughout the Mid-Atlantic, the South, and New England, converting skeptics into true believers one honky tonk at a time.

"People tell me they didn't know they liked country music until they heard us," Martinez says. "We are a real 'three chords and the truth' kind of band. We have real sincerity, and I think people are moved by that."

Martinez channels the spirit of the golden-age country through a thoroughly modern lens. The Holy Smokes aren't playing dress-up – they're breathing new life into time-tested formulas with arrangements that showcase both technical mastery and emotional depth.

Recorded at Richmond's legendary Spacebomb Studio, Til It's Over spans the breadth of classic country styles while maintaining a cohesive sound. The EP kicks off with "I Want You to Be My Man," a train-beat banger co-written with Maddie Mae Martin that perfectly captures the thrilling anticipation of new love. The track's clever progression from "I wanna take you to the movies" to "When we hit the road, dear, you can drive the van" showcases Martinez's gift for incorporating her life as a musician into relatable love songs.

The Neil Young-influenced "Dear Avery" demonstrates the band's range, building from intimate verses to a lush, full-band arrangement featuring Jeffrey Miller's (Dogwood Brothers) masterful piano work. Producer Kai Crowe-Getty (Lord Nelson) and engineer Alex De Jong capture the band's live energy, while subtle touches of analog warmth add to the EP’s classic sound. 

Perhaps the EP's most striking moment comes with "I Love Smoking," a defiantly honest ode to addiction that manages to be both humorous and profound. "It reminds me/Breathe the good life in/Treasure every moment/Treasure every sin," Martinez sings, before promising to "smoke with Jesus/Puffin' in the sky." The title track rounds out the collection with a heart-wrenching exploration of relationship limbo, transformed from a ballad into an infectious shuffle by the Holy Smokes' stellar lineup of Kyle Lawton Kilduff (guitars), Brooks Hefner (pedal steel), Jay Ouypron (bass), and Porter Bralley (drums).

Martinez's path to country music was anything but traditional. Before channeling the Honky Tonk Angels (her term for the celestial source of her songwriting inspiration), she worked in radio production and created religious iconography as a visual artist. In 2021, during a stay at a Maine cabin, she experienced a creative awakening that led to writing 21 original songs in just over a year.

"I joke that if you've had your heart broken enough times, you're actually obligated to become a country singer," Martinez quips. Her influences range from George Jones and Patsy Cline to more surprising sources like Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, whom she discovered through a sympathetic computer science teacher during lonely middle school lunch breaks.

With Til It's Over serving as a pristine calling card, Ramona and the Holy Smokes are poised for an exciting 2025. The band is currently working on their debut full-length album, which will incorporate Martinez's Mexican-American heritage through original Spanish-language material and "Mexitonk" – their unique fusion of mariachi and country western styles. Until then, catch them expanding their touring radius throughout the Mid-Atlantic, the South, and New England, converting skeptics into true believers one honky tonk at a time.

"People tell me they didn't know they liked country music until they heard us," Martinez says. "We are a real 'three chords and the truth' kind of band. We have real sincerity, and I think people are moved by that."