Cast Iron Filter returns to Boone for encore show

Janelle Silverman - Entertainment Beat

Cast Iron Filter, the rock and bluegrass band out of Davidson, will return to Boone once again this year Feb. 21 at 10 p.m. in the Red Room of Geno’s Restaurant and Sports Lounge.

The band has come a long way since their start as an acoustic trio in 1998. Since then they have recorded three albums, developed a good fan base in the Southeast and added two new members to the band.

They got their start in 1998 when Mike Orlando, Dustin Edge and Randy Culbertson, three students from Davidson College, began playing music together around campus and the neighboring city of Charlotte. With Orlando on mandolin and Culbertson and Edge on guitar, they decided to record their first CD, “Paradise in Palestine,” in a garage studio in South Carolina called Hyperactive Studios.

After a year of success and with encouragement from fans and friends, the band decided to continue with their music after graduation with the help of new percussionist Tim Helfrich. Soon after, their next CD, “Further Down the Line,” was recorded at Hyperactive Studios, said Helfrich.

Two new additions have helped the band further their success and original sound. After Culbertson departed, pedal steel and banjo player Jim Ashton, a part-time band member, and bassist Mason Bissett, a Wake Forest University graduate, joined the trio.

This brings the band up to the present day, where the four permanent members are Dustin Edge on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Mike Orlando on mandolin, vocals, banjo and guitar, Tim Helfrich on drums and Mason Bissett on bass guitar and vocals.

Helfrich describes their music as “roots rock and bluegrass, or rock and bluegrass” because of their unique instrumentation. The mandolin is the lead instrument, and they are completely acoustic-based.

The band has been on tour all throughout the Southeast in 10 to 12 different cities. They do really well in Charlotte, Atlanta and Raleigh, with a good turnout in Washington, D.C., as well, said Helfrich.

“It takes four to six times to go through a city in order to build a fan base, since there are so many different bands out there performing,” said Helfrich.

They have even played on stage with several national acts such as Train, Edwin McCain and Blueground Undergrass, according to the band’s overview.

Their last trip to Boone approximately six weeks ago brought a crowd of a couple hundred fans to Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub to see the performance, said Helfrich.

Their driving success so far has been their live performance. “The CD captures the quality of the song, but there is also a lot of energy and extended jamming on stage that can’t be heard on the CD,” said Helfrich.

“We perform with a great deal of energy on any given night,” he said.
Edge writes most of the lyrics for their songs, while Orlando does a lot of the instrumentals. They all try to fit each other’s styles, since they are five different musicians with their own unique element to add to the music, said Helfrich.

Their most recent CD was recorded with the help of Mark Williams, who also helps Hootie and the Blowfish with their music, in a studio in Mebane, said Helfrich.

The band hopes they will be able to take their regional touring national and carry their original sound even further. “We are talking to record labels about the new CD,” said Helfrich.

“We are just proud that we get to do this full time.”