You might call John Showman a West Virginia export. Born to a native of The Mountain State, he was raised in Canada. At just six years old, he picked up the violin, never imagining that the instrument would be propped on his shoulder lifelong or that it would lead him back to his momma's mountains. Today, he's the frontman for New Country Rehab, a Canadian band with wide-ranging influences (Latin grooves to surf-rock) that still holds tight to its bluegrass roots. John and his bandmates have been tearing up Toronto's acoustic scene for years and wracking up accolades on both sides of the border...and beyond. The British magazine UNCUT called them "Canada’s answer to the Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons." Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters said they were the highlight of the 2012 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards in Nashville. Next week, the band heads south again. On Friday, October 11, they take the stage at The Festy Experience, a three-day, twang-laced festival in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. For John, it's a musical homecoming of sorts. He'll be within spitting distance of his mother's home state and playing in the land where bluegrass was born. He's been rehearsing for the show nonstop but took a break this week to talk about mountain music and why he'll be avoiding brisket on this trip. He also shared a toe-tapping backyard session of his band's hit single "Home to You." What do you think of New Country Rehab's sound, and where else should they be playing in the Appalachian South?

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TR: Alright John, let's start with the fiddle. How did a nice Canadian boy like you end up playing such a Southernfied instrument? JS: I started playing violin when I was six and went to Indiana University for classical violin performance. I got sick of it and put it down (I thought!) for good in 1991. Then I heard Irish fiddle for the first time and also bluegrass fiddle. I picked up the instrument again and got a gig with a Montreal band that played both styles. TR: How did fiddling get you to where you are now? JS: I just stuck with it. I stayed with the Irish band until I moved to Toronto, where there was, and is, an excellent acoustic music scene—lots of bluegrass and old-time. I formed a new, acoustic group (Creaking Tree String Quartet) and a bluegrass band (Foggy Hogtown Boys), the latter of which is still going strong. In 2008, I decided to make a group where I could front a band and do all the lead singing. New Country Rehab was born. TR: When I listen to New Country Rehab, I hear a bunch of different influences. How would you describe your sound? JS: We start with a template of a country band—fiddle, electric guitar, double bass and drums, and just take the music into outer space. For every traditional element there is something original and exciting...crazy guitar riffs, Latin-flavoured drum and perc grooves, surf-rock bass lines, big fiddle melodies. The thing that keeps it all together is the intent of the band. We are singing about timeless and time-honoured themes: love, loss, spirituality, crime and redemption, sinners and saints. TR: How has mountain music—old time and bluegrass—shaped the band and your musical life? JS: I was always drawn to the sound of the fiddle played in the southern styles. I don't know why—I never grew up around it—but it just feels like the right way to use the instrument. Once I started getting into the songs and the musicians who were playing it, it was game, set and match. I'm hooked for life. TR: When you've toured around the South, have you found favorite spots to play? JS: Lexington and Nashville are great. Virginia looks like it will be a great place to discover. And my Mom grew up in West By God Virginia, so I'm hoping to play some shows there. We feel like kids in a candy store at this point...American audiences are great, and we are thrilled that we're being well-received. TR: What about favorite spots to eat? I mean good eats is half the reason to go on tour, right? JS: At this point, we're all just trying to stay lean! Southern cooking is a vortex of flavour and fat. I try to get salads as my main course whenever possible and whenever the spirit stays strong, although I'm a sucker for brisket. I'm gonna start writing songs about arteriosclerosis soon. TR: Finally, I have to ask...is Showman your God-given name? It couldn't be more perfect for your chosen career! JS: Yup and yup. I'm glad it suits what I'm doing, because in grade school people turned it into bad things. "Shitshow" and "Showgirl" were some of the funniest. Sometimes I still get "Snowman" from well-meaning and short-sighted hotel clerks. As for the name itself, it's pretty rare. There are only a few of us up in Canada. I think there are maybe a couple hundred in the U.S. though! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiBUrnMY_Qw