Missy Raines

When Missy Raines and the New Hip opened their set, swapping leads on stringed instruments, the music seemed closer to European Gypsy than America's blended bluegrass. Her bass flowed beneath it all like an underground river. The audience was heated, then cooled by the careful selections and meticulous, impassioned playing. Raines, Dillon Hodges (guitar), and Ethan Ballinger (mandolin) played together, appearing to be dancing on a soul-lift elevator. Michael Witcher completes the New Hip with resonator guitar, lap steel, and vocals. Guests sat in: Matt Flinner and Roland White with their mandolins, Megan McCormick on tremolo electric, and Robert Crawford on drums. The bass never faltered.

Co-producer (and husband) Ben Surratt said, "She pulls out the best tone in a bass that I've ever heard -- and the best from people, too."

Others agree: Raines was awarded Bass Player of the Year seven of the last 10 years by the International Bluegrass Association. "I'd been nominated so many times. But when I won it that first time [1998], it was an out-of-the-body experience. I remember what I didn't say -- I forgot to thank my husband!"

That's hard to imagine. Raines, who is characterized as "the nicest person you'd ever want to meet," looks like the sweet girl-next-door -- and acts like her, too. She's left music only once in her life, to help an ailing, terminally ill brother. "She worked at a cafeteria in food service so she could care for him," said Claire Lynch, " 'cause she's a real people person. She has fortitude, knows what she wants, and is not afraid to move ahead. But I've not seen her offend anyone. When she approaches another person, it's with kindness and acceptance." Lynch is a renowned bluegrass vocalist and bandleader, and Raines was her bass player from 1995-2000 and again from 2005-2008.

"In my band she had a supportive role and she would opt to play something less fancy in order to support what was going on around her, rather than play something that would show how fancy she could be," Lynch continued. "And a team player, in my circle, is who you want to play with. She would choose that over her own desires as long as she was in the Claire Lynch band." Raines began working on her new band while she was still with Lynch, and when Raines made her jump with New Hip, Lynch hired Mark Schatz to replace her. "I'm thrilled with Mark -- and for Missy," said Lynch.

Just as the economic recession was hitting, Raines quit her job and announced the formation of the new band. "Landing a fulltime agent, manager and label deal at the beginning of a recession -- I feel like that was quite a feat. It was really hard to give up my gig with Claire, 'cause it was fantastic. Claire's great. But I knew I wanted to do this, so I knew I had to go full into it. It was risky, and the economy was beginning to fall apart, and I put this band together. But I had faith, and my husband did. We had eternal faith, but I swear it was frightening!"