Laycee Lee & Granite Station

An old red garage that looks a lot like a barn, has turned into quite the stage for Laycee Lee and Granite Station.

They're a young bluegrass band. With long blonde hair and big blue eyes, Laycee is the group's lead singer. She is the youngest of the group at sweet 16.

She has been singing since she was a little girl.

"Dad used to take me to different churches around the area," she says.

But Laycee wasn't always into what her dad was listening to. She didn't think old country and traditional bluegrass was exactly cool.

"You know how every kid is when they just become a teenager," she says. "They want to listen to whatever everyone else listens to."

"Finally I was like, 'Well I don't want to be on the bandwagon.'"

Instead she wanted to start her own. She discovered an appreciation for traditional bluegrass tunes and the fiddle. That's when she first met 20-year-old Austin Stovall.

"Some guys were like, 'Well, if you're gonna be a lead singer you need to learn how to play the guitar,'" Laycee says.

So she picked up guitar, and soon after that got a shotgun lesson on the bass.

"I needed a bass player actually one time, and I called Laycee at the last minute," 19-year-old Alex Leach says.

It was the night before a gig, and Laycee had never played bass before.

"I asked her if she could come play bass, if she could learn how in one day," Leach says. "So sure enough her dad bought her a bass, and she learned over night."

They did a show the next day, and a few weeks later Leach returned the favor by joining Laycee's band. Leach plays the mandolin and guitar.

Laycee didn't have to play bass again. Instead, she brought on 20-year-old Brannon Hyder. When Laycee needed a banjo player, she remembered 19-year-old Joe Rose, whom she'd met one night at Ciderville in Clinton.

"I just called him and was like, 'Hey can you come play on this CD.'"

"He was like, 'I'll be there in 30 minutes.'"

The band has been picking together ever since. They're young but have old souls.

"We prefer the old traditional style like the Stanley Brothers," Laycee says. "We don't really care for all the melodic stuff. We want to keep it how it came up to be, and be the new generation of it, just not changing any of it."

Laycee and Granite Station hope to make it big. They've performed on a number of shows in Nashville, including SPBGMA, the Bluegrass Music Awards and Convention. They have also played for fiddler Johnny Daniels.

"We'll do whatever it takes to get there, because we really want to make this a profession," Laycee says. "But if it doesn't happen, we can always say at least we went out there, and we did it."

Laycee Lee and Granite Station will release their second CD the end of July. It will be available atwww.layceeleeandgranitestation.com

Posted: 1:07 AM Apr 13, 2008 Last Updated: 11:20 AM Apr 13, 2008 Reporter: Mike McCarthy Email Address: mike.mccarthy@wvlt-tv.com 0 comments ANDERSON COUNTY (WVLT) -- Bluegrass music has struck a chord with one East Tennessee band. At first glance, Laycee Lee and Granite Station appear a little young to be singing the old time genre¿s tunes and praises. But even though all their members are under the age of 21, they¿ve already received worldwide attention. "You don't really find young Bluegrass Bands, especially the traditional ones," said Laycee Lee Mack, the band¿s 16 year old lead singer who has been behind a microphone for the last 13 years. "A man told my dad that if I wanted to sing, I needed to play the guitar. That way, I could keep rhythm." Now, besides strumming, she also co-manages the band and at one point, spent more than scouting for back-up. The band now consists of Laycee on lead vocals, the fiddle and guitar, Alex Leach, 19, on guitar and mandolin, Brannon Hyder, 20, on bass, banjo, Dobro, and the mandolin, Andrew Hamblin, 17, on baritone vocals, bass, banjo, and piano, and their youngest member, Abby Sinders, 14, who also plays the piano. Each is self taught, and they have been playing together for only the last six months. "We picked up on it, we play it, and we do our best,¿ said Andrew, ¿I believe that's what matters." On Saturday night, they took the stage at the historic Ritz Theater in Clinton. They have also played to audiences in Kentucky, Virginia and East Tennessee and sold CDs as far away as Ireland and Japan. "Not one word can describe it, except that it's fun," said Brannon. Andrew may be one of the few teen-bop banjo players in the nation, and he knows all about breaking through the string stereotypes. ¿You mention bluegrass and you think of 80 and 90 year old men," he said. For each member, the genre is not a phase, but rather a professional pursuit. "I really think we can make a difference,¿ said Laycee, ¿Just because we're young doesn't mean we can't play like everyone else." To them, there is nothing cooler than strumming a few bluegrass chords. "I have to keep this great music going,¿ Brannon said, ¿it's the best music ever.¿ Laycee Lee and Granite Station recently auditioned for Dollywood, and they hope to land the gig for the summer. You can read more about the band along with listen to their music by clicking on the links below.

Click the link and see what such a fun time the band had with Allison Hunt on the Early Early Show!

Granite Station has been on numbers of T.V. shows, and now has moved from the Big screen to the air waves. They have been special guests on Radios such as WYSH AM, WDVX FM, and BUSTER TUNERS WQRS FM Radio Shows. BE sure to see where they are next!

     Many people in the East Tennessee area have seen Granite Station on the local News channels in Knoxville, Tennessee -such as Channel 8 and Channel 10-, but now Granite Station has been appearing on local T.V. Shows in Nashville, Tennessee Such as the Legendary Johnny Daniel's Show, and Nashville Spotlight. Also, Vance Smiths Grand Ole Hatchery which airs on week nights in Memphis, Tennessee. So be sure to check in for updates and see where Granite Station will be on T.V. Next!

    Granite Station has been working on their recent album, which is sure to knock people off of their feet. The album name has not yet been relesed, but it is known to be a gospel CD with the traditionl sounds of Bill Monore, The Stanley Brothers, and Laycee Lee's first original that will be published...

    Be sure to check up for more updates!