Lost State of Franklin has has the priviledge of performing in concert with George Jones, Ralph Stanley and Eileen Ivers. Although Lost State of Franklin doesn't play as much as they used to, they are beloved wherever they perform. LSF is centered around Scott's original works in the Rockabilly/Country/Bluegrass styles, yet they still incorporate jazz. They have a storied history spanning nearly 20 years. It all started Thanksgiving Weekend 2005 in a living room in Erie, PA with a trio of Matt Texter, j Scott Franklin and Rob Muzick. But it really started before that, at Mike's Barn in Elyria, OH.
In September 2005 Scott's entire family (minus him) was living in Nashville. Scott was tying up loose ends in Cleveland preparing to make his way to Tennessee. One Sunday, he played his first ever Mike's Barn performance. After Scott's performance, the weekly jam session took place and 19 year old Rob Muzick blew him away with his honest mastery of traditional country guitar playing. The two were introduced and Scott thought, “If I ever start a band, I want him in it.”
Then, in November, Scott was going to Erie to possibly start a collaboration with a songwriter he deeply admired. That songwriter was Matt Texter. Scott saw this as the perfect oportunity to bring Rob into his musical life, so he called half expecting that Rob would say he wasn't able. But, Rob was in. They drove to Erie, barely knowing each other but soon discovered how much they had in common. The session with Matt Texter was magical, but having a band living almost 2 hours apart was not practical, so the immediate future involved Scott and Rob.
That Christmas (2005), Scott was visiting his parents who now lived in Jonesborough, TN. He saw a street called State of Franklin and thought it would make a good name for his new band. Scott's father told him to go look up the story of State of Franklin. The story was even more interesting and was about a lost State of Franklin. Rob was on board with the new name and it stuck. Lost State of Franklin was named on Christmas Eve 2005.
In those first few years, many people came through that roster and a lot of them have reappeared since. But the one key performer whose dedication helped to create the band's longevity is Tyler Postma. About two months into the band's formation, she began performing with LSF as a vocalist but stated up front, “I'm not going to be a tamborine girl”. They were searching for something she could play to avoid getting on and offstage between the songs she sang. After a little trial and error, they settled on a washboard with brushes. The sound of LSF is built on the “train roll” and this was what she played, doubling the feel of the drummer. And there were MANY drummers at the beginning. But then came a show when LSF had to perform without a drummer and the sound of Tyler's washboard was the perfect compliment to the band's sound.
This lasted awhile, but Tyler slowly started experimenting with a snare drum and would mix that with her washboard. Over the next few years, a bass drum was added, then a cymbal and finally a high hat. She sang played drums standing up at the front of the band for most of her 10 years in Lost State of Franklin. When her and Scott finally married, they had a daughter. Tyler chose to embrace a role as mother above musician and stepped back from performing. She still makes occasional appearnaces and does a lot of work behind the scenes.
The core of the band during most of Tyler's years consisted of her, Scott, Jeremy Cottrell (Bass/Vocals) and a slew of standout guitarists. Since 2015 the band has consisted of Scott, Jeremy, Dan Morris (Steel Guitar) and Dan Allie (Drums). Each of the band's incarnations have made a deep impact on the audiences they've played for. This is probably because of the spirit that was never lost and that new and visiting members have always adopted easily. Lost State of Franklin is a dirt road put into lyrics. It's a farmer hoeing the field through the slapping of a bass. It's a steam train carrying the rhythm of a song that needs no chorus, even though there's one around the curve. It's the joy of struggle put into the pick of a guitar. Lost State of Franklin was never about hooks and pickup trucks. It was and is about the honesty of the human body touching the earth and longing for the sky. In an era of digitally altered and refined music, Lost State of Franklin is “Music Made with our Own Hands”