Eleanor Underhill

Eleanor Underhill & Friends creates sonic landscapes like you've never heard before. Fronted by a banjo-wielding, soulful vocalist, the band is rounded out by an all-star cast of Asheville musicians drawing from backgrounds of jazz, rock, world, Ameriana, and soul. Launching from well-crafted original songs to fun upbeat cover tunes results in a captivating--sometimes dizzying--but always inspiring experience. 

Eleanor Underhill's debut effort, Navigate the Madness (2018), was named one of the Top 10 Releases of 2018 by Bill Kopp (Musocribe) and voted in the Top 100 International Releases by WNCW radio listeners. Asheville Citizen-Times called it “…a stunning work of a gifted, visionary singer-songwriter. With her open-back banjo, soulful and luminous vocals as the common thread, there isn't a cliched lyric anywhere among the collection of playful, sublime and deeply affecting songs.” (Jim Simpson)

The sophomore release, Land of the Living (2020), digs even deeper into Underhill's psyche and reaches farther into new musical landscapes. American Songwriter premiered the track “Strange Chemistry” and said the album was “…Tales told in motion, with dynamic harmonies.” PopMatters weighed in, saying that it was, “…An emotionally powerful collection that inspires repeated listens.”

In 2021, a live performance by Eleanor Underhill & Friends was featured on PBS-syndicated Echo Sessions along with a cover story in CenterPiece Magazine. 2022 was another hallmark year with the release of the group's third album Got it Covered, packed with sixteen tracks of fan-favorite cover songs. Stay tuned for new music slated for release in 2024.