Music That Feels Like Home — WoundTight Comes to Bath County

For Chris Martin, bluegrass didn’t start on a stage.

It started at home.

“My dad played music and taught us how to play,” he said. “So we’ve been around it most of our lives.”

That foundation still shapes WoundTight today. What began as a group of musicians playing together locally has grown into something more defined over the last decade — a band built not just on shared sound, but shared history.

“We started just kind of playing together… and it spread out across the region,” Martin said. “It’s been fun.”

WoundTight has now been together for more than 12 years, but the structure of the band hasn’t drifted far from where it began. It’s still a family operation at its core — Martin alongside his brother and nephew — carrying forward something that was passed down rather than picked up.

That sense of continuity shows up in their music.

When asked what audiences can expect at the 24th Annual Bath Bluegrass Jamboree, Martin didn’t point to one defining sound. Instead, he described something more intentional — a set built around balance.

“You’ve got to give people something they know,” he said. “Something they can relate to.”

That means traditional bluegrass. Songs people recognize, even if they’re not singing along out loud. But it doesn’t stop there. WoundTight weaves in original material, gospel influences, and even touches of more progressive styles — not to shift away from tradition, but to keep the room engaged.

“We like to mix it up so it’s entertaining,” Martin said.

That approach reflects the range of influences behind the band — from gospel groups like the Primitive Quartet to bluegrass staples like Lonesome River Band and Quicksilver. It’s not about choosing one lane. It’s about understanding where each piece fits.

And just as important as the sound is the setting.

While WoundTight has played across Virginia and beyond, Martin made it clear there’s a difference when the music comes back to places that feel familiar.

“This kind of music is home music to us,” he said. “We enjoy playing for people that are like us… people from the country, from the mountains.”

That connection — between music and place — is part of what gives the Bath Bluegrass Jamboree its identity.

This year’s event, set for April 11 at Bath County High School, brings together WoundTight, Franklin Station, and headliner Nothin’ Fancy. It’s a lineup that reflects different paths through the same tradition, each one grounded in the same regional roots.

And like everything else surrounding the Jamboree this year, it carries a little more weight.

After the 2025 federal rescission that cut funding to public radio stations like Allegheny Mountain Radio, events like this have taken on a larger role. They’re not just gatherings — they’re part of how the station continues to operate, connect, and serve the communities that rely on it.

WoundTight’s role in that night is clear.

A band built on family, shaped by tradition, and focused on delivering a set that people can feel connected to the moment they hear it.

“We’re going to play music that’s relatable,” Martin said. “Music you’re familiar with.”

The full interview with Chris Martin is available now, and it gives a deeper look into the band, their influences, and how they’ve built their sound over time.

And on April 11, that sound comes to Bath County.