Though you might not have noticed them amongst the summer’s constant influx of hikers and travelers, a trio of young film-makers has recently chosen Damascus as base for a forthcoming documentary project exploring traditional southern Appalachian music in the contemporary scene.

Charles Fritschner, Fred Bowers, and Sandeep Prakash were childhood mates, growing up together in Auburn, Alabama, and though the each attended different universities—Charles went to William and Mary, Sandeep to UNC, and Fred (familiarly known as “Rowdy”) to the University of Alabama—they recently joined forces again to begin production of the upcoming film.

Charles and Sandeep began discussions last fall with Paul Wagner, an Academy Award winning director (“The Stone Carvers”, 1985) from Charlottesville, who was looking to produce a film on musicians playing traditional music in the Crooked Road region of Virginia.

“It was amazing, actually,” recalls Charlie. “Paul was really interested in doing a film on southern Appalachian music but was busy with production on a number of other projects; he was looking for a crew of young film-makers to move to southwest Virginia for several months to develop the project and collect footage with a number of groups, and after a few discussions and brainstorming sessions, we all felt great about moving forward. And here we are.”

The trio lived in Abingdon for the first few months of filming, but wanted to move to Damascus to be closer to subjects on Whitetop Mountain and in Galax, VA.

“Well, we feel in love with Damascus. It’s a quiet place that gives us a lot of space and freedom to work and create. The people are so friendly and open; it’s just a fantastic spot to call home,” Sandeep says.

All three rave that between Damascus and Galax you’ll encounter some of the most talented musicians and instrument makers in the business. “Incredible; its overwhelming sometimes—you can’t believe what you’re seeing,” explains Charlie. “We’ve been working with Whitetop Mountain band recently and the wealth of talent up there is so apparent. These are the most talented traditional musicians around; they don’t have Nashville record deals, but it’s because they don’t care to. They’re in another musical world, with different priorities. Of course they want success and fulfillment, but it seems to me they measure these things by the number of folks dancing at their concerts, not by the name of their record label.”

Besides their work with the Whitetop Mountain Band, Charlie, Sandeep, and Rowdy have been working with a group of high school bluegrass musicians from the Galax area called Broken Wire.

“Broken Wire play contemporary bluegrass, which is another scene entirely,” Sandeep notes. “Its great to see the diversity of musical styles across the region, the old-time sound on Whitetop Mountain and bluegrass in Galax share similar roots, but you can really find unique innovations in each style. And that’s part of what we hope to show in the film—southern Appalachian music isn’t just one sound, it comes from a variety of people and places.”

“Just think about the instruments,” says Charlie, “immediately you notice the banjo, which is a West African instrument brought to Virginia by African slaves in the 1700s; the fiddle is a Scotch-Irish modification of the violin; the guitar was developed in Spain and the middle East; the mandolin evolved from the lute in 17th century Italy; and the bass can be found in various forms across musical styles. At heart it’s a fusion music, and its because of this that the sound has such power and appeal.”

Speaking of the trio’s motivations, Rowdy adds, “Though we approach the project from differing perspectives, we all share similar desires. We all wanted to explore traditional bands and musicians playing today, to hear the stories of individuals who have consciously chosen to play in the traditional style. We want to know how music of the southern Appalachians speaks to particular individuals and communities, how it describes the history of a unique region, and how it inspires the musicians themselves.”

Though they won’t have a finished product for some time—they are careful to note how much of a “process” film-making actually is—they’re upbeat about the progress thus far and energized for a productive few months. “We’re in the ideal place,” says Charlie, “and we’re excited for what we’ll see and learn from this community.”