The Stillhouse Bottom Band
AC met banjo player Alan Julich in 1998 and played with him occasionally as he did with many musicians in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina. Alan had been playing with the Porch Climbers. One day Alan phoned and asked AC if he could bring a guitar player, Mark Weems, who had just moved to town from Alabama over to the house. Mark had a great voice and they hit it off. On New Years Day 2000 they formed The Stillhouse Bottom Band. That was their first official day as a band because they had been hired to play a job for the town of Chapel Hill on that day. That morning AC got a call saying that the event had been cancelled, but assured him that they would be paid in full anyway. This seemed an auspicious way for them to start the new millennium and they promptly spent the afternoon playing music for their own personal enjoyment!
Six months later multi-instrumentalist Bobb Head joined the band bringing banjo, bass, guitar and mandolin to the group. The band’s personnel has remained the same ever since.
Bobb currently splits his time between The Stillhouse Bottom Band and Big Medicine, another fine old-time group.
Mark Weems has also sung with Alice Gerrard, a bluegrass pioneer known for her classic recordings with Hazel Dickens. Mark and Alice recorded “Foolish Lover’s Waltz” as the Weems-Gerrard band. Mark also plays with The Cave Dwellers, a country honky-tonk band. In addition Mark and Julee Glaub play as Little Windows; they play a mix of Irish and Appalachian music with a focus on song.
In addition to being active in the area old-time music scene, banjo player Alan Julich also heads up BrightWater Studios. Alan directed the documentary movie “Following the Road” which is included in the two disc CD/DVD “Dancing on the Water”. For more information click here.
The Stillhouse Bottom Band is known for its driving rhythms, hot licks and tasty harmonies. They have played for square dances and contra dances and are well known for their appearances at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC where they have been part of the American Roots Series. They have also performed at MerleFest, North Carolina Public Radio’s outdoor concert series, and for numerous private events.
To book the Stillhouse Bottom Band for your event click here.