Junior Sisk’s new song ‘Up There On The Hillside‘ draws on the darker side of tradition for a chilling recounting of a murder ballad. It’s a song that came together quickly, as Junior Sisk explains “I came up with the tune first, then while we were in the studio, I started writing it and called my buddy Dalton Harper to help me finish it. We thought a lonesome-style claw hammer should be dominant throughout, and Aaron Ramsey worked his magic on the arrangement. We needed a song like this for the new project that was completely different from all the rest. As for how I came up with the words, well, only the blackbirds and the crows know that reason! It’s a haunting story with a too-often life-shattering ending.”
A longtime resident of the Virginia Blue Ridge, Junior Sisk’s bluegrass pedigree runs deep. Influenced by a father who wrote songs and played guitar and a mother who sang, Sisk first learned to play around age 14. He’s been making a mark in the music as a songwriter and a singer for some thirty years. ‘Up There On The Hillside‘ features Junior Sisk on lead vocals; Heather Berry Mabe on guitar; Tony Mabe on clawhammer banjo; Johnathan Dillon on mandolin; Curt Love on bass; and Doug Bartlett on fiddle.
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