The Backsliders

About

A North Carolina band in the alternative-traditional country-rock style, The Backsliders had Steve Howell on guitar, Chip Robinson out front on acoustic guitar, Danny Kurtz on bass, Jeff Dennis on drums and Brad Rice on guitar. Howell and Robinson formed the band in 1994, taking their cue from Webb Pierce, Buck Owens and honky tonk living. At the time Howell was also in the Shady Grove Band, which played traditional bluegrass. The band built a following in North Carolina and drew comparisons to Los Lobos, Gram Parsons and the Blasters, offering a raw alternative to the polished Nashville sound and outrocking many rock bands. Shows at the Brewery in their hometown of Raleigh drew full houses. Their first release on Mammoth Records was the six-song EP From Raleigh, NC, followed in January 1997 by the full-length Throwin' Rocks at the Moon, produced by Pete Anderson. Personal tensions later broke the band apart, leaving Robinson as the last original member.