If you're traveling down Interstate 65 in Alabama, turn off exit 114 towards Georgiana and eventually you will reach a section of road dubbed "The Hanks Williams Memorial Lost Highway." But the less traveled route takes you in the opposite direction, westward towards the mostly abandoned community of Starlington, now little more than a collection of old churches and gravestones.
It's lonely rural crossroads such as these that inspire the Starlingtons, a tradtional country blues band based here in Washington DC. Comprised of Shea Shackelford (guitar, banjo, vocals), Lee Benaka (fiddle), John Woolf (bass, harmonica, vocals) and Sarah Nagel (vocals), they hammer out versions of classic country, old time, and gospel favorites as well as originals in the vein of the Carter Family, the Delmore and Louvin Brothers, Hank Williams, and Loretta Lynn.
Shea Shackelford has been playing and teaching music for twelve years. His most recent project, Big Blue Truck, disbanded in 2004 and he mostly played informally with friends until he happened to hear Sarah singing "Coal Miner's Daughter" at a karaoke bar on K Street. Stage fright and laziness had deterred her from pursuing musical projects in the past, but Shea bullied her into admitting she was in a band and gradually they began to accept gigs. In January 2005 they were joined by Lee, who brought 25 years of violin/fiddle experience to the Starlingtons, mostly playing and teaching old time music in Chicago prior to relocating to DC. In the fall of 2005 they self released their debut album with the help of Brendan Canty. John Woolf earned his Starlingtons wings when he answered Sarah's ad for a roommate and let it slip that he played electric bass in several bands in his native Alabama. The Starlingtons had him slapping a borrowed upright with scotch tape frets and piping in third part harmony before he knew what hit him.
The Starlingtons haved performed at local venues such as Iota, Domku, the Warehouse Next Door, as well as the Washington Folk Festival in Glen Echo Maryland.
7/28/06: Starlingtons
