one ton pig. @onetonpig #honkytonk #country #bluegrass #music #americana

I've been good friends with Michael Batdorf, One Ton Pig (OTP) primary singer/songwriter, for quite some time.  Having first met in Morgantown, WV nearly 13 years ago, we've been friends ever since.  We've featured a lot of Mike's work in our work thus far and Episode 4 featured three OTP songs.

"It’s hard to believe a band that’s released three acclaimed records, played hundreds of shows, appeared at festivals, and topped regional polls began as an accident.  But eight years ago, Americana visionaries OTP was just two guys with no band contracted to play a bluegrass night at a local watering hole.

'We started with no expectations,' says Michael Batdorf, 'we made a pact for it to be a fun project, and to stop when we weren’t having fun.'"

OTP primary singer/songwriter, Michael Batdorf

Every year my wife and I head back to Teton County, ID for a week of snow and escape.  Mike's typically at our side for the entire visit and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mike is just a piece of this band; each of the band members bring talent and a unique vision.  The bands unmatched sound brings people to Jackson, WY every year so they can catch the band at the Wort Hotel on Tuesday nights.

"'Songwriting is first and foremost,' Batdorf explains of the band’s chemistry. 'The guys all come from different backgrounds musically and geographically, but they know how to support a song and tie into a cohesive sound.'"

To learn more about the OTP's musicians, check out their website. To hear some OTP, check out "Episode 4 - overland appalachia" or tune in to OTP on iTunes.

Referenced from One Ton Pig and BHP Imaging.