The latest album from Nefesh Mountain, Beacons emerged from a bold and wholehearted attempt to transform the world around them. Soon after wrapping up a whirlwind tour booked with the mission of spreading their newfound message of radical love, co-founders Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg immersed themselves in the feverish writing of songs that turned their frustrations and fears into irrepressible hope, all while reaching far beyond their bluegrass roots and forging a fiercely joyful sound unbound by genre convention. By the time they’d completed that process of musical alchemy, the New York-based husband-and-wife duo had profoundly refined the band’s vision and voice and arrived at the unfettered radiance of Beacons: an epic double album affirming Nefesh Mountain as a singular musical force—one whose deeply impassioned songwriting awakens us to new ways of navigating an endlessly troubled world. Self-produced and mainly recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Beacons expands on the soulful intentionality Nefesh Mountain has brought to their music since forming a decade ago. “We live in such strange and divided times, and while we wanted this album to be a full-on celebration of American music, one of our main goals was to bring love, hope, and positivity into a world that sorely needs it,” says Lindberg. “In the end we made a choice: instead of getting angry, we just made music.” Although much of the album stemmed from their rumination on the political landscape (political polarization and division throughout the U.S., the Israel–Hamas War, and Russo-Ukrainian Wars), its spirit of purposeful optimism is made all the more potent by Nefesh Mountain’s willingness to speak about their most intimate struggles and triumphs, including the birth of their now-three-year-old “miracle baby” Willow, and Zasloff ’s journey with sobriety. “This is definitely the most revealing and personal album we’ve ever made, which was a big leap for us,” says Zasloff. “At some point it became obvious that if we’re going to really open our hearts, we need to talk about things we’ve never shared before, with the hope that it will end up helping others.” The result: a selection of lived-in and truly revelatory songs, each providing a beacon-like transmission of uplift and light. The follow-up to Songs for the Sparrows—a 2021 LP praised by Rolling Stone as a “master class in string music”—Nefesh Mountain’s fourth full-length effort, encompasses two distinct discs, the first of which blurs the lines between Americana, blues, country, and psych-folk, offering up an electrified sound created with the help of their longtime live band and guest musicians like pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Beck, Joni Mitchell, Ray LaMontagne, Willie Nelson). Meanwhile, the second disc to Beacons finds the duo working again with legendary roots musicians Jerry Douglas (on Dobro), Sam Bush (mandolin), Rob McCoury (banjo), Cody Kilby (guitar), Mark Schatz (bass), and Stuart Duncan (fiddle), and serving up an all-acoustic lineup of songs spotlighting their boundary-pushing form of bluegrass. “Bluegrass has an energy that’s so intense and invigorating, and for this album we wanted to take that even further,” says Zasloff. “There’s a whole ocean of sound styles that we’ve always loved but denied ourselves for so long,” Lindberg adds. “Finally we decided to throw out the rulebook and play whatever we felt like playing, as long as it’s true to us.” One of the first songs penned for Beacons, “This Is Me,” graces the album’s second disc with a wildly galloping, harmony-fueled anthem that captures the pure glory in fully owning your truth. “Over the years I’ve had a lot of people ask me how a Jewish kid from Brooklyn ended up loving bluegrass and country music, but there’s really no answer—you just can’t help but be who you are,” says Lindberg. “This album is in many ways a new coming out for us as a band. We’re playing and writing in so many different styles that are all organic to us as musicians, and ‘This Is Me’ is a reminder that we should embrace ourselves, and all be able to unapologetically live and love freely in this world.” Lindberg adds. “We’re all about Radical Love these days, and trying to bring people together and finding some common ground at a time in history where there is so little tolerance or empathy toward each other,” says Zasloff. Another song celebrating the beauty of carving your own path, “Race To Run” takes the shape of a magnificently rambling piece of country-rock laced with plenty of fiery guitar riffs. “This song came from feeling like we’re all part of this rat race and competing against so much noise out in the world and on social media,” says Lindberg. “It’s about remembering what’s really important for each of us—and once you realize that, you’ve already won.” From there, the first disc to Beacons shifts into the soul-soothing grooves and spellbinding fiddle melodies of “Another Way,” an emphatically hopeful track threaded with Nefesh Mountain’s fable-like yet true-to-life storytelling: “I come from ‘cross the ocean/Lost my earthly goods to the waves/Couldn't tell if I was drowning/Or if I was being saved/Good thing the sea ain’t whiskey/And I’m not a diving duck/Those days are long behind me/Thanks to grit and a little luck” “This album is the first time I’ve ever shared the fact that I’m 20 years sober,” says Zasloff. “It was scary to open up about a moment when I was in real trouble, but it felt like it was finally time to talk about it.” In the process of embracing their most adventurous instincts and charting new sonic terrain, Nefesh Mountain also dreamed up tracks like “Heaven Is Here”—a fast-stomping and free-spirited number that taps into their blues and gospel influences, unfolding in luminous piano lines, exultant harmonies, and a bit of scorching slide-guitar work from Lindberg. “‘Heaven Is Here’ is another song that is a beacon, and speaks to the experience of living in this moment and in this world,” says Lindberg. “It’s suggesting that while maybe there’s a heaven or an afterlife, it’s also possible that we have all that we need down here on Earth.”

Quattlebaum, Southern Gent and Banjo Slinger, brings more to the table than just music. With his infectious smile and weird antics, he brings people together; encouraging camaraderie and building community. The singer-songwriter, currently based in Bend, Oregon, tours the country picking and strumming indie-folk songs that are spacious and emotive, and have an implicit groove. When he plays, you can hear the reverberations of the rustic mountains clashing with the breezy ocean. Like a willowy heron, Quattlebaum struts around on stage as the music moves through him, evoking a range of emotions from laughter to longing.  He shares tender moments, where one can almost hear his banjo breathing, then erupts into raucous peaks of unbridled energy—his captivating solo performances take his audiences on a ride. Quattlebaum’s playing style is rooted in traditional southern bluegrass, but his stage presence and improvisational nature have morphed his sound into something all his own. He’s developed his show to be a more complete live experience, switching instruments around on stage from banjo to cello banjo to guitar, and incorporating comedy and funny stories in between songs. After college in Asheville, NC, Quattlebaum hit the road, rambling the countryside in his Volkswagen camper, armed with his banjo, eventually landing in the Sierra foothills near South Lake Tahoe. There, he recorded his first solo album, 2013’s The Ghost Tangled in the Oaks, which has prominent country and bluegrass elements in it. His childhood home of Savannah, GA shines through in the swampy tones and sleepy southern lilt of his banjo.   After its release in 2014, Quattlebaum started the Portland band, Crow and the Canyon, which achieved many accolades, notoriety, and big festival plays in their short history. In 2018 they were selected as Cultural Ambassadors for the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad Program where they traveled across Africa teaching at music universities, hosting workshops, entertaining diplomats, and collaborating with African bands.   Quattlebaum released his follow-up album, EP Vol. 1, in October 2018. The bluegrass and country influences are softly buried underneath the surreal and lonesome, almost vintage folk sounds. Played with sparse instrumentation and a hypnotic air, this new album holds space for his gritty and raw vocals. Fresh on the heels of his new release and 100+ shows played in 2018, he shows no signs of slowing down. Whether taking the stage with one of his projects or all on his own, Quattlebaum isn't shy and always brings a good time.