Furnace Mountain

Formed in 1992 as the Furnace Mountain Boys, this Virginia band plays old-style Appalachian folk and bluegrass music with new-style roots sensibilities. Their Shack Album, released on Frogville as Furnace Mountain with Aimee Curl, is a mix of original and traditional music with some Dylan and Yeats thrown in for fun. Furnace Mountain consists of Dave Van Deventer on Fiddle and Vocals, Morgan Morrison on Bouzouki and Vocals, Aimee Curl on Bass and Vocals, Danny Knicely on Mandolin, and includes transient members Zach Lester on Bodhran, and John Flower on Washtub.

Furnace Mountain consists of Dave Van Deventer on Fiddle and Vocals, Morgan Morrison on Bouzouki and Vocals, Aimee Curl on Bass and Vocals, Danny Knicely on Mandolin, and includes transient members Zach Lester on Bodhran, and John Flower on Washtub. The band has graced stages near and far, from the Yangtzee River in China to the banks of the Shenandoah River, where they host the famous Watermelon Park Fest each year. The music of Furnace Mountain is at times lively and raucous, with spirited fiddle melodies weaving in and around the powerful rhythms of the bass and bouzouki. It is at other times poignant and poetic, with sublime vocal harmonies beautifully interpreting some of the oldest songs ever written.

Furnace Mountain also performs a variety of original compositions, such as Scrampwang, Weezer's Dream, and the ever popular Spuds.

About the Members

David Van Deventer aka Fiddlin' Dave has been studying the folk origins of the fiddle for over 25 years. He is a fiddle and mandolin instructor, Organizer of the Watermelon Park Festival, and partner in Shepherds Ford Productions, as well as an active member of Furnace Mountain and the Woodshedders. Other notable artists he has played and recorded with are Keller Williams, Larry Keel, Cracker, and The Country Gentlemen to name a few.

Morgan Morrison began singing and playing guitar with her family at thirteen, and at eighteen took up the bouzouki after becoming interested in old-time and celtic music. She soon began creating her own compositions as well as arranging new versions of traditional folk songs and tunes. Morgan counts her father, John Morrison, Heidi Martin, JohnDoyle, Donal Lunny, Bob Dylan, and Sandy Denny among many who have inspired her. She also sings with the gypsy jazz sensation, the Woodshedders.

Aimee Curl of Loudon County Virginia, her unmistakable breathy sound and sultry style combine in a musician with incredible depth. Original member of the Musemeant, she has toured with bands like Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic, and Blues Traveler on the Horde tour. She is also an active member of the Woodshedders.

Danny Knicely is a fourth generation Appalachian multi-instrumentalist from a Virginia family steeped in mountain music tradition. He has won many awards for both his mandolin and guitar expertise such as the first place in the mandolin contest of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. He has years of experience as a professional musician performing in many bands of varying musical styles. He has recorded and toured nationally and internationally with many groups including the award winning Magraw Gap, David Via and Corn Tornado, James Leva and Purgatory Mountain, and is a musical director for the Mountain Music Project and Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, featuring Mark Schatz and Eileen Carson.