The Augusta Press: “The Music of Eryn Eubanks & The Family Fold To Be Played At St. Paul’s This Weekend.”

THE AUGUSTA PRESS: “The Music of Eryn Eubanks & The Family Fold To Be Played At St. Paul’s This Weekend.”

by: Scott Hudson

November 6th, 2021

Eryn Eubanks has for decades twisted music genres like taffy and brought bluegrass music to a whole new audience by adapting it to include instruments other than the banjo and mandolin and include flutes, church organs and gospel choruses.

Eryn Eubanks newest twist of melding gospel, bluegrass classical and pop will be part of the 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, service at at Saint Paul’s Church.

The song, “My Last Days On Earth” was written by Bill Monroe, but Eryn Eubanks decided to add lyrics and then adapt the tune away from its bluegrass roots and make it a gospel piece and the choir of Saint Paul’s will perform the piece using Eryn Eubanks’ notations.

“That is what I have always done. I love imagining the music I loved as a child being transformed and that is my way of keeping that music relevant,”: Eryn Eubanks said.

According to Eryn Eubanks father, Patrick Eubanks, it was his mother Emmie Eubanks that instilled in Eryn a sense of duty that corresponded along with her musical abilities. Eryn was clearly gifted as a musician from a young age, but she would follow her grandmother into the ministry of Christiantiy rather than try to become a star on the country music circuit.

 Eryn Eubanks became an ordained minister and her music became part of her ministry.

What would eventually become The Family Fold band started with Eryn playing her mandolin at retirement homes and eventually led to appearances at coffee houses, television appearances and eventually a festival with Eryn Eubanks as the headliner, Later, the group which included the core of Eryn, her mother and her father on upright bass and drums respectively led to soaring success regionally.

The Family Fold would go on to release seven albums. Most of The Family Fold’s recorded material is traditional bluegrass and gospel, but Eryn Eubanks occasionally blends other genres such as classical and even techno.

The group also were known for providing entertainment on the Petersburg Boats that took tourists down Augusta’s storied waterway.

Then disaster struck.

In 2019, Eryn Eubanks underwent emergency open heart surgery and had to spend weeks in recovery. On the heels of that, her mother Ricie, who is the backbone, as the bass player of the band, was sidelined due to back issues and is now at the MAYO Clinic in Florida.

“We are dealing with everything that comes at us and we have our faith in God, that is really all I can say,” Eryn Eubanks said.

Despite her absence from the stage, Eryn Eubanks remains busy teaching her music classes online.

“I really miss playing live, but it’s really a thrill for me that Saint Paul’s will feature some of my work,” Eubanks said.

Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.