written by David Bradley For The T. Times
Oct 9, 2024 -- Original Article Here
The anticipated release of Woody Platt’s first solo album, “Far Away With You,” on Friday, Oct. 11 has a new component: a fundraiser for hurricane Helene relief.
The Rescue Carolina Benefit concert at 185 King Street will be live streamed, and viewers anywhere can use links to a Rescue Carolina GoFundMe page to make donations. All merchandise and ticket proceeds will also go to the relief fund.
Information can be found at gofundme.com and 185kingstreet.com. The GoFundMe page called the Transylvania County area “… a resilient region, a community bolstered by our bond with the land and our collective restoration.” The concert will come to the aid of “entire communities (that) are experiencing hunger, thirst, and homelessness, often in areas not reached by news cameras.”
In the immediate aftermath of the generational storm, Platt was conflicted about a performance given the enormity of post-Helene destruction and he briefly considered scrubbing the show altogether.
“(There) was some uncertainty about doing a show that focused on a record release when there’s such a disaster and so many people are hurting,” Platt said. Platt and his five-man band, Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen, quickly pivoted to the idea of raising both awareness and money.
Platt’s first foray into solo work comes after he retired from full-time band work with Steep Canyon Rangers saying it was time to “take the foot off the gas and focus on other things.”
For Platt, the upcoming performance in his hometown is somewhat overdue. “Usually when I play locally it’s a pickup show,” he said. “I’ve never done a show in Brevard under my own name. It carries some pressure. It is just something I’m taking a shot at. The fun part about it is it’s music for music’s sake.”
Many of the 10 featured songs on the new album are composed by several Brevard-area musicians including Cody Siniard, Barrett Davis, Josh Carter and Platt’s wife Shannon Whitworth.
The assemblage onstage will be a who’s-who of area musical might. Joining Platt are Casey Driessen of Asheville on the fiddle, Daren Shumaker on mandolin, Buddy Melton on bass and Bennett Sullivan of Pisgah Forest on banjo.
“The band is just a collection of musicians I love,” said Platt.
For now, their performance schedule is best summed up as now-and-then but their first real work together was cutting their first album in Candler at the Shop Studio of Compass Records.
“The only goal was to make 10 good songs and enjoy making them. It wasn’t part of any giant declaration; it’s really a free feeling. There is something about the freedom of this,” he said.
The group had rehearsed but had never been on stage yet quickly found their sea legs backing up Steve Martin and Martin Short in Connecticut and Boston. That the band hit the ground running was a good feeling for Platt.
“There’s something about working with a collection of material with the same people,” he said. “We’ve worked together a lot in different capacities. So it’s fun to be doing that. I’ve enjoyed it a lot. It’s been very relaxed.”
Driessen said he was “really excited” when he got Platt’s recruitment phone call. “He’s a fun guy to make some music with,” Driessen said. “(The band) got a great energy and the chemistry musically and personally is very easy and that’s one of the things we really enjoy about it. We talk about how easy it is.”
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