Press Release Kit

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Press Release Write-Up

Gap Civil is an Appalachian Mountain Music band built on their motto of honor and innovate.  They honor the mountain traditions that have shaped and rooted their music, and they take great pride in innovative and exciting original songs and tunes and arrangements.   Fluidly blending the genres of oldtime, country, bluegrass and Americana, their music is sure to make you want to dance - whether that's hitting the floor with a driving flatfoot or pulling that special someone close with a honky tonk two-step. 

Gap Civil was formed in 2017 based in Sparta, NC and features Todd Hiatt on guitar, Chris Johnson on banjo and bass, Lucas Pasley on fiddle and vocals, and Kyle Dean Smith on bass and lead guitar.   

When they're not making music (which is not too often) Chris is pursuing his business career, Lucas is teaching English at Alleghany High School in Sparta, Kyle is wheeling and dealing on Facebook marketplace (check out his records), and Todd is keeping the roads safe with the NCDOT.   But they try to keep that kind of work to a minumum to focus on the important things in life...dancing to fiddle tunes! 

Quotes about the Band

"Gap Civil brings to the table a cornucopia of musical delights-old time fiddle tunes, mountain ballads, honky tonk country and original material-wrapped up in instrumental and vocal excellence." - Emily Spencer, Whitetop Mountain Band

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"I have always loved their hard driving old time and early country music - along with fresh originals.  Gap Civil is not only a great band, but also a great group of people! I highly recommend you take a listen!" - "Fiddlin" Billy Hurt,  Five Mile Mountain Road

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"From their home base in Alleghany County, North Carolina, the Gap Civil Old-Time String Band excels at the old originals--songs and tunes that have been played in these mountains for generations--as well as the "new originals"--songs band members have written that share the joys and trials of the human experience. " - Trish Fore, Blue Ridge,  Blue Ribbon Banjoist- Galax, VA

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"Gap Civil is a go-to band for The Floyd Country Store. Lucas Pasley and Gap Civil deliver high-quality, high energy dance music that keeps the audience engaged, entertained and up on the dance floor all night. I love that they bring a unique repertoire including original music to their performances. Gap Civil is a great band for any dance hall, concert hall or festival. I would highly recommend them!"  - Dylan Locke, Floyd Country Store & County Records owner

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"Keeping the gap civil in the expanse between musical traditions and life in the 21st century is a hard line to tow. Luckily for us, Gap Civil, named for the mountain township around their home in Sparta, Alleghany County, North Carolina, know exactly how to present their take on old-time string band sounds. This is not traditional music delivered as something precious or sacred but as high-energy dance music that still brings dancers to the floor with a blend of fiddle tunes, thoughtful original songs, and covers of popular country and bluegrass classics. This is regionally-rooted music that sustains the strong traditions of dance and storytelling in communities right here in the Blue Ridge. Gap Civil bridges old songs and tunes with the modern realities of mountain life in a way that is all their own. Give them a listen and catch them at a festival or dance hall. You won't regret it!" - Trevor Mckenzie, Director for Center of Appalachian Studies, ASU

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"Fine-tuned and hard-driving, Gap Civil is the most versatile band of its kind in the Blue Ridge mountains today. They’ve been moving hearts and feet at dance halls and festivals across the mountains for the last five years, winning fans and blue ribbons along the way. They’re four veteran musicians, each with deep roots in mountain music, and each with enough talent, skill and insight into the music to lead their own band. Expectations for their latest album were high, but with Edward Crossroads they’ve set new expectations not just for themselves, but for what traditional mountain string band music is capable of." - Wes Freeman, Field Recorders Collective 

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"The dangedest racket I ever heard.  All hours of the night too."  -Lucas's neighbor, Sparta, NC

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