Flatt Lonesome Looks Forward to a New Season of Life
After an incredibly successful career of touring and recording that has
resulted in becoming one of bluegrass music’s most talked about bands of
the last decade, Flatt Lonesome
has decided to take an indefinite hiatus from professional touring to
focus on the wonderful life changes happening for them personally. The
band will honor their scheduled commitments through 2019 but will not
accept any additional dates at this time.
What began as a family band with their parents in Florida when the Robertson siblings—Kelsi, Buddy, and Charli—were
just teenagers, soon morphed into an exceptional ensemble of singers
and musicians. Flatt Lonesome was formed with the addition of Paul Harrigill, Dominic Illingworth, and Michael Stockton specifically to compete in the SPBGMA
Band Competition in 2011, their first time ever on stage. After placing
3rd that year, they returned the following year and were awarded
1st place, which helped solidify their first record deal with Mountain Home Music Company. They went on to record four highly-acclaimed albums for the label leading to several nominations and accolades including the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) Emerging Artist in 2014, Album of the Year (Runaway Train) and Song of the Year (“You’re The One” ) in 2016, and Vocal Group of the Year in 2016 and 2017. A debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry
in 2015 resulted in nearly 30 performances on country music’s most
hallowed stage. 2018 marked the band’s “dream-come-true” year when they
inked a deal with Rounder Records, resulting in the release of a new single, “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” a fan favorite recorded by request.Flatt Lonesome also appeared on King of the Road: Tribute to Roger Miller alongside
many of their music heroes such as Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Kris
Kristofferson, and others. The band will also be featured on an episode
of Bluegrass Underground on PBS in November.
Undeniably, their impact on the genre has been extraordinary, helping
foster growth in the number of youth drawn to bluegrass music. And in a
genre of music that most often takes decades to see these kinds of
career milestones, Flatt Lonesome has experienced it all in a relatively
short amount of time. The teenagers that were once performing alongside
their parents, have grown into young twenty-somethings who are
incredibly grateful for these many opportunities, but have discovered
the importance of life beyond a music career. With Kelsi and Paul
Harrigill marrying in 2013 and welcoming their first child, Carter, to
the family in 2017, the announcement of Buddy’s engagement and marriage
this fall, Charli’s recent engagement and impending marriage, and the
engagement of bassist Dominic Illingworth, Flatt Lonesome has made the
decision to take an indefinite hiatus from full-time touring so that
they may enjoy this wonderful season in their personal lives. Never ones
to shy away from professing their faith in God, Flatt Lonesome are
entering this new chapter with an attitude of gratitude: grateful to an
industry for its support and looking forward to seeing the many friends
and fans they’ve made throughout their illustrious career.
Regarding Flatt Lonesome’s decision, Kelsi Robertson Harrigill says:
“The
Bible says, in Psalms, ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall
give thee the desires of thine heart.’ God has given us the specific
desires of our hearts and so much more! We have enjoyed the past eight
years and love all of the friends and fans we have made along the way!
Right now is a busy time in all of our lives and it is time for us to
shift our priorities a bit as we enter new seasons of life with new
families, spouses, and children. We are so blessed and want to thank all
of the promoters, radio programmers, fans, and our families for making
this an incredible journey. We love you all!”