Acoustic Syndicate is the New Groove of the month for November. Based in Shelby, North Carolina, and with three members that have been playing music with each other since they were 12 years old, this band has been experiencing out-of-control growth and popularity, particularly this year. Their music is as hard to describe as an Appalachian sunrise, so infinitely unique and overwhelming that re-creation by words is next to impossible. This quality has spawned a growing tape trading community, an unofficial fan website, an email discussion group, and a rapidly expanding fan base that can't get enough of Syndicate's funky, kinetic mix of everything.

The current lineup of brothers Fitz and Bryon McMurry (drums and banjo), their cousin Steve McMurry (main songwriter, guitar), and bassist Jay Sanders (formerly of Snake Oil Medicine Show) has been together since the release of 1998's "Tributaries" CD. Before that, Fitz was playing primarily congas and bongos, and there was another guitar player, Roger Padgett. The lineup has also included a flute player, Gaines Post, who appeared on "Tributaries" but has since moved on. The core lineup of banjo, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and drums has allowed them to blossom into one of the most genre-defying acts touring today.

Previously considered to be bluegrass with various other influences thrown in, Acoustic Syndicate has proven that they have more in common with The Who than Bill Monroe, and are finally gaining recognition as one of the most dynamic acts in the nation. Their music incorporates everything from reggae ("Rainbow Roller Coaster") to jazz ("Dancing to the Requiem") to straight up rock ("Brown Mountain Lights"), all with the unique touch of their mostly bluegrass instrumentation, willingness to experiment, and time-tested vocal harmonies. They also perform a disparate collection of cover tunes, like "Love is the Seventh Way" by Sting, "Water of Love" by Dire Straits, and "Squeezebox" by The Who, among many more. That alone signifies the unmatched, indefinable sound that music fans across the globe are starting to recognize.

Perhaps the most revered element of their music, besides the frenzied pickin', is the vocals and lyrics. Steve, Bryon, and Fitz have forged a perfect harmony style that always amazes listeners. Their lyrics automatically draw you in with tales of sunny childhood days, vivid daydreams, heartfelt proclamations, and unmistakable imagery ranging from dark, moonlit peaks to cozy southern towns and the happenings that surround them. With their estimated (and growing) repertoire of more than 60 songs, Syndicate tells it all in a style that is irresistible, thought provoking, and comforting.

The following interview was conducted November 8, 2000, at the Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, NC, just before they took the stage for a sold-out show. Members of the email discussion list submitted most questions.

Why did you start saying "man" instead of "slave" recently in the fan favorite song "Brown Mountain Lights?

Bryon: That is an old song, and we didn't know how the general populous would respond to the word "slave", and it is about a Southern planter, which we say in the song. We just changed it to make sure we don't hurt anybody's feelings or offend anybody.

Fitz: He still says it sometimes though.

Why doesn't Steve ever play the mandolin anymore?

Bryon: We stay on him to play it, and he has written a new song that features the mandolin, a very sultry number that we are going to try and work up soon.

Jay: When Roger (Padgett, former guitarist) left the band, we didn't have two guitar players anymore, and Steve felt like a lot of the body of the sound disappeared when he would play mandolin. The guitar fills in a lot of rhythmic space that the mandolin doesn't.

What ever happened to Roger?

Bryon: He's still in our hometown, playing with a band called Tater, and we still see him quite often. We just wanted to change the direction of the band, ultimately keeping it a core four-man unit. We certainly like Roger a bunch; he is a virtuoso guitar player. But the four-man unit works better for us musically and financially.

Fitz, you used to play congas and percussion. Why did the drum set take the place of the more basic sound?

Steve kept writing tunes, and we all kept hearing a drum kit in those songs, and we talked about hiring a drummer. Then I was like, well why don't I just try it? I like it now, and that's probably the way it's going to stay. I play percussion, congas and stuff overdubbed in the studio, but live I'm going to stick to the kit.

Jay, what are some of the ways that playing with Syndicate differs from playing with Snake Oil Medicine Show?

Jay: I think the basis of it, and I've thought long and hard about it, is the music that Syndicate plays is more solid and consistent in its nature. The spirit of creative anarchy that accompanies all Snake Oil music opens up for a lot more creativity, improvisation, and interpretation, but the direction I needed to go was a place more consistent with what I wanted to play myself. Plus touring around with these boys is a lot more sane than with Warpextor Cosmoverse all the time! You better have your bootstraps and chinstraps buckled when you jump in a van with Warpextor Cosmoverse! (laughs)

Bryon, what's up with the towel in you banjo resonator?

Bryon: I've achieved a unique sound with a special towel weave. It's called the Buggle weave, and its based out of San Francisco, and its been out there for a couple of years now, just like everything else its working its way eastward. He puts a lot of money into backing me up and everything. It's pretty special stuff.

Steve: This is special to Bryon too; he's the only person on the east coast with the Buggle weave (laughs).

What about the all-around road tech and tour bus you want?

Bryon: In all seriousness, a guy that can help you out on the back line, and keep you running when you start popping strings or whatever, it's a nice thing to have. Hopefully in the near future. We've got some folks in mind that we might try to hire on. As far as tour buses, we'll just have to wait and see.

Jay: I think it's very important that the tech is extremely fluent in the Buggle weave, because if something were to happen to the towel, we'd be in trouble.

Steve, do you ever foresee switching to or incorporating electric guitar?

Steve: No. Not with the sound that we want.

Who is one of your biggest inspirations, musically or otherwise?

Steve: Ry Cooder.

Jay: John Hartford.

Bryon: Tony Trishcka.

What musicians have you played with that stand out as special, and which musicians would you like to play with in the future.

Steve: Sam Bush (mandolinist) definitely. We played with him at Merlefest last year, and he's played on our albums.

Bryon: Curtis Burch (guitarist) is always a lot of fun. Tony Trishcka's awesome. In the future, maybe Pete Townsend, and while we're reaching for the stars, I'd say Sting. I'm a big Police fan.

Jay: Joe Craven (violinist). It was mind blowing to see the fluidity with which he played, when you're used to seeing him beating on some hand drums. In the future I'd say Bill Frisell.

What was your inspiration for writing "Marie St. Laureate"?

Steve: That comes from a recent flood of memories I had. In 1986 I spent two months in Haiti on a building mission sponsored by some businessmen in Charlotte and by the Western North Carolina Builders Conference. It was a very eye-opening, culturally shocking experience, and I kind of lost that whole memory, and for some reason about three months ago I was thinking about something completely unrelated and a whole rush of memories came back to me. Fifteen minutes later I had a song. It was easy, it was one of those gifts of God that falls out of the sky sometimes, you know, five or ten minutes worth of writing and you've got yourself a pretty good tune.

Have you ever considered forming a formal fan club?

Steve: Well, I've got my own opinions on that, so someone else can take the question if they want to. (pauses) To me, it just seems a bit presumptuous and a tad cheesy, just personally. If somebody wants to do it, I wouldn't stand in their way or anything, it just seems a little presumptuous, the fact that people think enough of themselves to organize themselves a fan club.

Fitz: We would encourage the fans to do that though.

Will your next CD be the long-awaited live release?

Steve: No, not the next one, but we are going to do a live CD.

Jay: We were working on doing a "Live at Green Acres" CD, but that's going to be a hard thing to call at this point. We're all very proud, honored, and privileged to be a part of the history of Green Acres, but the population thing you were talking about a few minutes ago has gotten a little hard to handle, so we'll have to reevaluate the way to go about doing it if we do decide to do it. But that would definitely be a dream.

How does keeping those harmonies so tight affect your voices? Do you shred your vocal cords?

Steve: (laughs) I do, almost on a daily basis. It depends on what room, sometimes the bars are real smoky, or if it's cold outside, but we are trying to design our music so it's a little less stressful. We sort of have to scream at the top of our lungs every night, and I don't know how long it's going to last, but so far we're doing pretty well.

Bryon: I really have to concentrate keeping my pitch right in general, but it seems like in smoky situations, especially on consecutive nights, it gets kind of rough on the vocal cords.

With the whole overpopulation of your nearest, dearest venue, Green Acres, you guys are growing at an incredibly fast rate. How do you feel about moving into bigger venues that can hold all your fans?

Steve: Bigger venues are the key issue. We've been playing small gigs like this since 1995, one barroom after another, so its kind of refreshing and a bit of a relief to have to move to the bigger venues. Plus we get done a lot earlier and get to bed at 12 instead of 5!

Where do you dream of playing?

Steve: Austin City Limits. I've been watching that since I was a teenager. Overall, their selection and taste in music is really what I like. I made myself a promise that before I die or they go off the air, I'm going to play Austin City Limits!

Jay: I feel very lucky to have played at a lot of the places I've played, but there are some festivals, like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Oregon County Fair, I would love to participate in those experiences. My favorite room is the Down Home in Johnston City, Tennessee. It's considered among the top ten acoustic music venues in the country. It's a small little wooden room with a great vibe and nice people.

Bryon: I'm kind of like Jay, a lot of these places are starting to come around for us, like I think we're going to play the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2001, and Red Rocks would be really cool.

What's the single most fun experience you've ever had playing?

Steve: Well, I can think of a couple I'd like to do over! Replace, you know! But they're all fun, man. I can think of a few milestones, but for me they're all fun.

Bryon: I had a real good time at the Plaza show at Merlefest.

Jay: I have to agree with Steve, I can't really put my finger on one, but the Tributaries CD release party at Green Acres was the first time I played with the band.

How do you feel that the Home Grown Music Network has helped you?

Steve: I know for a fact that Home Grown works their email better than anyone I've ever seen, and I'm on the list so I know when the mail goes out, and they don't discriminate at all about what information comes in. They are ready to turn around and give the info to everyone in their organization, whether it be electronic or otherwise, but they are very good about keeping people informed of what's happening, you know, new radio stations, new venues, new publications that come out, and anything that may be advantageous to the people in the organization. They pump the info out very regularly, and I appreciate that.

Bryon: We have a good many people that buy their CDs from Home Grown, and it's amazing how fast they get them. I know one guy that got his the day after he ordered. Pretty impressive.

Back when you first started playing music at age 12, did you ever dream you might be doing it for a living?

Steve: Well, you always kind of hope that maybe one day it might work out that way, and I always kind of felt like it would, although I wouldn't give it any consideration as far as my immediate plans. When I looked to the future, it was always about getting a job, and a place to live, and the music never really figured into it until about 6 years ago. It's just been an evolutionary process.

Jay: I grew up in Nashville, surrounded by friends and family who were already musicians. One time Jay Krekel told me to never ever become a musician, and I made up my mind that that's exactly what I wanted to do.

Bryon: I didn't honestly think we would be doing it for a living, when we were the Mint Jubilee Blues Band, before Acoustic Syndicate! We had all started careers; it just started out as a fun kind of thing. When we were kids, we'd play all the time, then Steve was living in a different town, and it didn't really come back together until I was in college, in about 1992.

One last question, what's your favorite beer?

Bryon: One of the Sammy Smith Ales I'd have to say.

Jay: Guinness for quality, Budweiser for quantity.

Steve: Same here!

Check out their website at acousticsyndicate.com