Jim Van Cleve
Interview by Scott Preston
Mountain Heart
Tuesday August 9, 2011
Fraze Pavilion
695 Lincoln Park Boulevard | Kettering, Ohio 45429
8pm, Buy Tickets
Mountain Heart is the band that has been fearlessly revolutionizing the way acoustic music can be presented and played. The band’s name has been synonymous with cutting-edge excellence in acoustic music circles since the group’s creation in 1999. Widely known throughout the music industry for continually redefining the boundaries of acoustic music, the band has gained legions of loyal fans both as a result of their superlative musicianship, and more notably, their incomparably exciting live performances.
As one of the most highly awarded ensembles ever assembled, Mountain Heart, or members of the band, have either won or been nominated for Grammy’s, ACM, CMA, and multiple IBMA Awards. They have appeared on the revered stage of the Grand Ole Opry in excess of 125 times and have shared the stage with acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Montgomery Gentry, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Brad Paisley to Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, The Avett Brothers, Yonder Mountain Stringband, Levon Helm, John Fogerty and Patty Loveless.
Cincy Groove: Didn’t the band have a great run of sold out shows around the time you released “Things Just Happened” back in January of this year?
Jim Van Cleve: We ended up having a run of 9 straight sold out shows. That was unprecedented for us, so we were obviously pretty stoked about it. Ever since that run of shows we have had quite a few exciting things happen. Earlier this year we signed with The Roots Agency and also became involved with the Boots Campaign, which helps to raise money to help support returning troops in need. We also ended up signing a deal with The French’s Shoe and Boots Company. We have had some great shows this year and this year is probably the best year the band has ever had. Read more
