Every Monday evening, The Depot on Main Street in Marshall comes to life with the sound of string instruments marking the start of the weekly Strictly Bluegrass jam session hosted by celebrated Asheville fiddler Branson Raines.
Musicians walk up, grab a chair, and find themselves a spot in the circle where tunes are shared across generations. Those that attend the jam range in age from kids to seniors with one thing in common: a love of bluegrass music. Participants play an assortment of instruments including fiddle, banjo, bass, and guitar at a variety of skill levels.
The jam welcomes people of all ages and abilities.
“We have people who are older that are just getting into the music that are wanting to learn to play with others,” Raines said. “You can only do so much playing by yourself.”
Offering an inclusive environment that Raines describes as a “family,” the ‘Strictly Bluegrass’ jam began in the winter of 2022. Raines modeled it after a jam session he attended when he was a teenager first learning to play the fiddle.
“I started it because a lot of what I owe to my playing and how I play, from the people I’ve known and met, was from this jam session on Brevard Road called Mrs. Hyatt’s Music House,” Raines said.
Nelia Hyatt, who hosted the jam, became known as a bluegrass matriarch through the informal musical gatherings she and her husband hosted at their home beginning in the 1940s. The sessions took place until her house was torn down in 2012.
Over the years, the Hyatt’s jam would connect amateur pickers with distinguished Grammy-award winning players.
Mountain musician and educator Carol Rifkin frequented Mrs. Hyatt’s Music House many times over the years. She called it “the center of the universe.”
“If you were a famous musician passing through from Nashville, you knew about the Hyatt’s,” Rifkin said. “People would come in, and I wouldn’t even know they were famous. It was a tight-knit community of people that I could have asked anything of, and they would have helped me.”
Raines’ Strictly Bluegrass jam not only carries forward the hospitality of Mrs. Hyatt’s Music House, but also the jam’s layout of a layered circle positioning the more advanced players in the middle.
During his formative years as a young musician, Raines took inspiration from the community around Mrs. Hyatt’s Music House and now does his best to offer a similar outlet for musicians of all ages.
“Everybody is just encouraging everybody and cheering them on,” Raines said. “If they get bashful, we try to encourage them to just try anyways, and if they mess up, it’s okay.”
Much like the jam at Mrs. Hyatt’s Music House, the Marshall Depot’s Strictly Bluegrass jam attracts notable musicians from all over the country and links them with local talent.
Rudy Cortese, who attends the jam, was invited to play shows with International Bluegrass Association Male Vocalist of the Year Award winner Greg Blake after the two sat in the circle and played together at Raines’ jam.
“It helped me out because I knew him, and I didn’t know he was moving to the area,” Cortese said. “He’s had a couple of gigs that he’s hired me on for so far, so that was really helpful because in the bluegrass community he’s a star.”
Pat Franklin, a board member at the Marshall Depot, attends the Strictly Bluegrass jam regularly. She said she is proud that the facility is used in a way to nurture community around local music traditions.
“For people to have the opportunity to learn to play and be part of a group and not feel self-conscious — that’s what we are trying to do, and so far, it’s worked out really well.”
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the name of Mrs. Hyatt's house.