Atlanta has given the world some fine bands and artists over the years, encompassing every music genre imaginable and, in some cases, blending a few.

The Villain Family was born from the collaboration of banjo picker and slide guitarist Lawson Wright, and vocalist and ukelele player Rachel Simpson's success at local open-mic night performances starting back in 2007. Over the next four years, they brought in mandolin player Philip Roy, keyboardist Michael Gilreath, bassist Douglas Rolph, guitar and vocalist Jake Mason and drummer Justin Mullinix to form the band.

The Villain Family has now released their first album, a five-song EP titled “The Beatin' Horses EP,” and the band packs a big wallop in a short 15+ minutes of music. Blending old school country, southern blues, bluegrass and old-timey vaudevillian music, the band scores big on every song.

Opening with the infectious “Downtown,” a banjo-driven toe-tapper, the listener is immediately drawn into the family. “Day to Day” swings with a little jazzy beat, recalling a “Roaring ‘20s” feel, which leads to the up-tempo bluegrass of “The Devil Begs.” “Opportunity” is a cute little ditty-bop that leads to the country bluegrass stomper “Yuma,” which caps off this fine debut.
The players all put in fine performances and one can't help but smile listening to this album, as there is a palpable level of fun emanating from the speakers. There's an old saying that “big surpises come in little packages,” and “The Beatin' Horses EP” is testament to that.

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