It all started with the discussion of whether a band that had only been playing together for a year and half should even attempt to compete in one of the most recognized bluegrass band competitions in the world, otherwise know as the SPBGMA International Band Competition held in Nashville, TN.  The topic of competing had come up in conversation a few times throughout the year and it was either ignored or changed almost as if we didn't want to think about.  There were some in the band that knew in their hearts that we were good enough to win and others that weren't so sure of success.  We knew that the competition would be tough and that we would have to perform at our best against some of the best bands the nation and world had to offer.
     There were a lot of obstacles in our way that we had to overcome before heading to Nashville to compete.  We had to prove to our fans we were good enough to compete among the best, we had to have some great songs picked, and we had to convince ourselves we could do this.  For the fans watching all of this happened in one night when we hosted the "New Years Eve Bluegrass Bash" in Clarksburg.  We had no idea of the turnout we would have or even if anyone would show up.  They did show up that rainy evening thankfully, and were they ever excited and thrilled to hear what we performed that night.  It seemed like they cheered on every break and at the end of every song.  A reaction we had only experienced a few times throughout the time we have been together.  This proved to us that we were ready and so the practices for the competition began.
     As the time approached for us to depart to Nashville we were very optimistic of what the judges would think of our music.  We had picked some of the best songs that we knew inside and out, and of course we managed to convince ourselves to change those before we competed in the first round.  As we arrived at our hotel in Nashville the sound and atmosphere that only bluegrass music can create filled the air and there were hundreds of people gathered around the hotel to watch the shows, hear some music, and lets not forget to pick a little tuneage in the lobby....and all of the other floors in the hotel.  This atmosphere really got us pumped and we then headed to the rooms to check-in and practice a little before the competition started the next day.
     The practice went well and the next day we reported for roll-call, to hear the rules, and to draw for a placement in the first round.  There were many discussion of the number we wanted to performed at from first to last to number five or fifteen.  The truth was we had no idea of what number we would actually draw, but we did know we had to play well if we wanted to run with the big boys in bluegrass.  The first round began and we were second on the list.  We played our hearts out and played well for a performance that early in the morning.  Of course the standard we hold ourselves at when we perform is never reached and the two songs we had to perform were no exception.  They weren't the cleanest and they weren't the best, but we still thought out of the twenty bands we would make it to round two.  The first round had ended and the first real amount of pressure other than performing started as we waited for the results of the first round.  As they placed the results on the stand our stomachs were turning as we asked ourselves yet again "I wonder how we did?"  At the end of the first round to our astonishment we placed second out of the twenty bands fighting for the top fifteen ranks.  We knew at this point that the bar was raised and were weren't going to drop it now.
     The second round put the same amount of tension in the air as we performed the music we love to perform for our fans.  Of course, nothing goes as we plan it and the snap of string is heard as we start one of our songs.  Thankfully, when this happened we were allowed to stop and start the song again.  Even after we re-started the song and played it to the end we knew that it had to have hurt us when it came to the judging.  Nobody wants to break a string when the tension is as high as it is in a competition.  Once again at the end of the second round we found ourselves waiting for the infamous results to be posted again.  Tick-Tock as we watched the time move along and our hearts beating harder and harder for the results.  Once the results were posted nobody wanted to go see where we had placed because of the fear of what happened on stage.  We sent the bravest we had, Don, to read the results and he didn't have to read far as we finished the second round in first place.
     For the third and final round we knew we had to pull out all of the stops and play the best songs we knew how to play and that would make us stand out the most.  This round allowed us to play three songs which meant we could give them a taste of everything we had from Don's music, to Rachel's music, and some great old traditional bluegrass.  The third round came and went and the crowd really started to enjoy our music as they cheered through the three song show.  The third round wasn't nearly as tense as the first two for us personally, we knew we had to go out play and have some fun doing what we love.
    We had all thought that waiting for the results were tough enough before, but this time we had to wait for hours that seemed to us like days until the awards ceremony that evening.  At the start of the ceremony we sat nervously and a little anxious in the back row of the band section.  We knew that there were twelve bands that played and they were going to announce the top ten.  Nobody in the group really knew where we finished in the standing we just knew tenth place through fifth place seemed to take forever as we hoped that our name wouldn't be called.  Forth place was called and it was the band that we were competing against for first.  This really made our hearts drop as we wondered what had happened in the judging.  Third was called and thankfully it wasn't us.  At this point the thought always goes through your mind to whether or not we even placed the final round.  We listen intently as they announced second place hoping that it isn't us as we wanted to win.  Our hearts and stomachs couldn't take much more and by the time they announced our name the crowd was quiet.  Almost as if the same though went through everybody's mind.  The crowd seemed so quiet as we walked to the front to get our award.
     The competition came and went and we had placed second in a competition of the best band in the world.  We knew we could play and we knew that people loved our music, and thanks to this competition it gave us an assurance that No One You Know can compete with the best.  Thats our story and we are thankful to SPBGMA and all of the bands that competed for a wonderful weekend of music.  We hope that you enjoyed our story and maybe the next time you'll get to experience it with us.

If you would like to see some pictures or videos of us performing just click on the links provided.