Southeast Ohio has a rich history and culture of folk, Americana and old-time music, and Drawknife is a recent but key part of that landscape.
Drawknife is the current iteration of musical output by banjoist, vocalist and guitarist Kyle Lyons, and upright bassist and backing vocalist George Van Fossen, started in 2022. The duo met at a party while attending Ohio University in 2011 and have been in multiple bands together since, although this is the first time it has just been the two of them.
Van Fossen started playing upright bass in high school, and Lyons was originally influenced by the classic rock of the 70s before meeting banjo players in the Dayton area. Now, the duo pulls influences from a wide array of bands, including The Avett Brothers, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Old Crow Medicine Show and The Black Keys.
While the duo’s sound revolves around folk and old-time styles, it does not fall into one clear genre. Drawknife’s rustic sound pulls from bluegrass, blues, rock and more, with Lyons describing the band as “eclectic folk Americana.” He said the roughness of his playing style lends itself to the band’s music.
“I try to be honest and humble as a musician, that I'm not the cleanest musician in the world,” Lyons said. “I'm dirty and play sloppy and sometimes gritty vocals, makes the song more authentic.”
The name Drawknife came from Lyons’ work as a woodworker and carpenter. A drawknife is a bladed tool with two handles used to shave away bark and shape wood. Lyons said he thinks the name is apt for the band in multiple ways.
“It's very fitting,” he said. “It's earthy. It's old-timey. And I've always thought of our music as being musical shavings. And that's essentially all a drawknife does, is just shaving the wood.”
The band released one EP, “Long Way Home,” in August 2024. Along with that, it is in the process of finishing a new 12-track album, “Off the Cuff,” set to be released in the summer. Both releases were recorded and produced by Bernie Nau at Peachfork Studios in Pomeroy. Lyons said compared to the first EP, the new album will be much more collaborative.
“It's going to be a little different than our first release, because we've brought in other musicians on this album … which we're really excited about,” he said.
Part of the duo’s longevity comes from their ability to bounce ideas off each other and from having a broader musical community in Athens.
“Just play with other people, be it in an old-time circle, in an Irish traditional circle or a jam session,” Van Fossen said. “Playing with other people, it does a lot more … than just playing by yourself.”
Trey Hedrick, a fellow singer-songwriter with roots in southeast Ohio and Athens, performed with the band for the first time in November when they both opened for The Local Honeys at The Union. He said although he has only performed with Drawknife a handful of times since, he has a great amount of respect for the duo and hopes to continue to share the stage with them.
“Sometimes you'll go and somebody will open for you, and they'll try to act like it's just a bravado type of thing, and try to act too cool and not hang around for your set,” Hedrick said. “But those dudes are right up front dancing to the songs. So there's a lot of mutual respect there too.”
To date, Drawknife has played dozens of shows across Ohio. Van Fossen said although he enjoys larger concerts like The Union and Pawpaw Fest, smaller shows at venues like Donkey Coffee are the performances he loves the most.
“I always love Donkey, just because it's a listening room,” he said. “People come to Donkey shows to hear music, whereas a Casa show or a Union show, sure, people come for music, but they're also there to go to the bar.”
Hedrick said he looks forward to Drawknife’s new album and hopes more people in Athens take notice of the band.
“I hope folks in the area pay attention to them,” he said. “They're very versatile; they play a lot of different things. I'm excited to see their sound evolve and where they go.”
Drawknife has multiple shows lined up for the coming months, including Athens Porchfest on May 18 at 4 p.m. at 124 Morris Ave. and Natalie’s Grandview in Columbus on May 30 for the John Prine tribute show “Diamonds in the Rough.”
“The only goal I had for myself when I wanted to be a musician was to be in a band and make a record that's on vinyl,” Van Fossen said. “Already in a different band, we've made a record and it's printed on vinyl. Everything after this is extra. My only goal is to put myself in a position for the rest of my life where music is a big part.”
