Joe Val Showcase

The Rhode Island based band Southern Rhode showcased to a nearly full room at the recent Joe Val Festival in Framingham, Mass. The band of veteran bluegrass artists consists of Alex MacLeod singing lead and harmony and playing guitar, Monty McLanahan, lead and harmony vocals and picking the mandolin, Mike Kropp on banjo, and Greg Badigian on fiddle and guitar, with Tom Bowman on bass. Southern Rhode's music ranges from traditional to newgrass with some originals included in the mix. They're very tight musically and the lead vocals shared by Alex and Monty are done with feeling and sincerity, especially Rodney Crowell's "Song for Life," that song really got the audiences attention and brought forth loud applause. The group can be heard at the Wood River Inn in Carolina, R.I. on the fifth Sunday of the month. Hopefully, after the showcase exposure, they will be able to generate more gigs.

Southern Rhode

Alex MacLeod

Monty McLanahan

Mike Kropp

Greg Badigian