Wake up, throw on a flannel shirt, grab your dulcimer and a can of beer, step out onto the front porch, and strum the first chords of "Red Rocking Chair," a song that's been passed down since the earliest of settlers were strumming banjos and riding in covered wagons.

Welcome to an afternoon of a day in the life of Starlings, TN. These guys are self-proclaimed "hard-working good ol' boys," who revel in learning traditional songs from their dulcimer mentor, David Schnaufer. In fact, "Whiskey Before Breakfast", a track on their Chicken Ranch Records' debut Leaper's Fork, was learned and recorded in one day in David Schnaufer's living room.

Based in Nashville, Starlings, TN is a band of many influences. Actually, they began their musical careers as punk rockers. Sentobia (aka Steve Stubblefield) was in Methadone Actors, whose album Analog Cabin was released to critical fanfare. Formed by four Belmont University students, Methadone Actors started as an experiment to broaden and hone Stubblefield's studio engineering skills. The band evolved into a live outfit, performing at CMJ's New Music Festival and touring the East Coast, opening shows for bands such as The Magnetic Fields and Chavez. Despite excellent reviews and emerging label interest, the Methadone Actors imploded, leaving only Stubblefield and bassist Tim Bryan to soldier on in the aftermath.

"The Tim" Bryan joined Methadone Actors during the last half of their existence. He cut his teeth playing in Louisiana garage-punk legends Habitual Sex Offenders (HSO). Bryan and Stubblefield had toured together when HSO shared bills with Stubblefield's various projects. After HSO's final shows, Bryan accepted a standing offer from Stubblefield to relocate to Nashville and join him in Methadone Actors.

Renowned dulcimer player David Schnaufer, whose credits include Johnny Cash, The Judds, Hank Williams, Jr., Chet Atkins, Emmylou Harris, and more, is a non-touring member of the band and contributes dulcimer, jews harp, and banjimer to Leaper's Fork. Additionally, former members Jose Lovato and TJ Larkin add accordion, bouzouki, and guitar.

The thing that makes Starlings, TN different from other "Americana" groups is that although they enjoy traditional songs and take much of their influence from the oldest type of American music, they want to do something different; they want to record "traditional music in the most untraditional way." Collectively the group takes a very unique approach to instrumentation that gives the genre a new twist. On Leaper's Fork, there are electronic effects that border on psychodelia, including an eerily recorded back up choir, on "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus." A hybrid stringed instrument called the banjimer, aptly named since it is a mix between a dulcimer and a banjo, and violin bows drawn on the dulcimer, create a sound reminiscent of Jimmy Page bowing his guitar.

Starlings, TN is taking an old idea into a new age. Now in the days of the internet and DVDs, it's not just banjos, washboards, and moonshine jugs anymore: it's electro-dulcimers, Irish bouzoukis, and a DAT recorder. Welcome to the new face of bluegrass.