Todd Sheaffer - guitar, vocals
Tim Carbone - violin, vocals
Andy Goessling - guitars, banjo, dobro, mandolin, flute, tinwhistle, vocals
Johnny Grubb - bass, vocals
John Skehan - mandolin, vocals
Carey Harmon - drums, vocals
BIOGRAPHY :

Railroad Earth certainly thrives in a live setting – their new live album Elko is easy proof of that – and they can, in fact, jam. Improvisation is certainly one of the RRE’s big strengths, no doubt about it. But what really sets them apart is the strength of their songwriting – it was the strength of their first five songs that got them on the bill at Telluride. And they’ve only gotten better since then.
Indeed, Railroad Earth’s music is driven by the remarkable songs of front-man, Todd Sheaffer, and it’s delivered with seamless arrangements and superb musicianship courtesy of all six band members. As mandolin player John Skehan points out, “Our M.O. has always been that we can improvise all day long, but we only do it in service to the song. There are a lot of songs that, when we play them live, we adhere to the arrangement from the record. And other songs, in the nature and the spirit of the song, everyone knows we can kind of take flight on them.” Sheaffer continues: “The songs are our focus, our focal point, they give the improvisation a starting point. The jams sort of ‘comment’ on the songs, and give them color. Some songs lend themselves to improvisation. They ‘want’ to be approached that way - where we can explore and trade musical ideas and open them up to different territories. But sometimes it is what the song is about.”

Listen to Railroad Earth
Amen Corner (2008)
 Amen Corner, the band's fourth studio album, was written and recorded at Sheaffer's 300-year old farmhouse in the rural New Jersey countryside. In November 2007, the band moved their gear in and started doing what they do best: making music. “We thought, ‘Let's get in there and see what happens,'” says Railroad Earth bassist, Johnny Grubb.

Amen Corner may be the early creative pinnacle of a gifted young band, and has all the makings of an Americana classic. It's a collection of crisp and crafted Americana and acoustic roots sides that resonate in all the right places. Each of the tunes breathe both on and between the notes. They hit you immediately, but then linger like a good buzz.
Elko(2006)
Using bluegrass tradition as a starting point, then exploring various musical idioms ranging from Celtic to Rock and Country to Folk, all infused with enduring lyrical storytelling and innate pop sensibilities, Railroad Earth has unearthed and delivered a truly original Americana sound. Right from their first shows in May 2001, word-of-mouth on Railroad Earth was instant and superlative, as evidenced by their rapidly growing and incredibly loyal fanbase. Driven by the remarkable songs of frontman Todd Sheaffer, and delivered with seamless arrangements and the superb musicianship of all six band members, Railroad Earth’s powerful live experience has finally been captured on their first ever live release, Elko.
Recorded during their 2005 spring tour, this double disc set reveals all these timeless qualities while preserving the unpredictable nature that is at the very core of a Railroad Earth concert