The Blue Ridge Connection

The Blue Ridge Connection, Volume 1 is the new concept album from author/ musician, Shane Wilson, and poet/ percussionist, Neil Ray. The album uses original songs and poetry to tell the story of a young man named Martin who goes into the western North Carolina mountains in search of answers to some of life’s most perplexing questions. 

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Along the way, Martin meets a talking snake and falls in love with a woman named Faith. In the album’s final moments, as Martin and Faith drive an old Chevy into the sky, the album refuses to answer Martin’s questions, implying that asking the questions at all is both a futile act and infinitely more powerful than finding the answers.

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The Blue Ridge Connection is an evolving collective of artists brought together by the magic of the western North Carolina mountains. This iteration is a collaborative effort between Neil Ray (percussion and poetry), Shane Wilson (vocals, guitar, lyrics), Michelle Winfrey (vocals), and Drea Dreiling (violin).

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The Blue Ridge Connection, Volume 1 releases on July 3, 2020 on all major streaming platforms and physical media.