PAGE 22 THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2013

The Music Is Always There for Stills Family BandBY KATHERINE SMITH

Special to The PilotWhile many mature bands partake in music as anintentional family, the Stills Family Band uses music as“another knot in the bond” of a family related by bothblood and music, band leader and guitarist Edward Stillssays.The Stills Family Band plays a tender rendition oftraditional gospel and jouncy folk songs, and have beenfeatured on Fox 8’s Roy’s Folks and Joy FM. Along withEdward Stills, the band is composed of his wife, LisaStills, on bass, and their children, Kayleigh, 10, on violinand Noah, 6, on banjo.On Saturday, Aug. 3, the Stills Family Band willperform with Mercy’s Well and Trinity Quartet from 6:30to 10:30 p.m. on the Railroad Stage during the RobbinsFarmers Day parade.Edward Stills says that the “tone for the songs we playmost” is usually set by his son, Noah, but some of thefamily and crowds’ favorites are “FoggyMountainBreakdown,” “Elvira,” “River of Jordan” and “I HaveDecided to Follow Jesus,” with which they close a typicalshow.

The band’s motivation verse is Joshua 24:15, the closingof which is printed on their T-shirts — “… but as for meand my house, we will serve the Lord.”Regardless of the genre or setting, “we want people tosense the spirit of God,” Edward Stills says.The day after Edward and Kayleigh Stills caught theSnyder Family Band at Asheboro’s Sunset Theater in2006, “we traveled over three counties looking for afraction-size fiddle for her, until we finally found one inGreensboro,” Edward Stills says.After frustrated attempts on the fiddle and a four-month break, Kayleigh Stills started to pick up somestrains.In the meantime, guitar rhythm continually thwartedEdward Stills. His wife bought him guitar lessons, andeven after a fewmonths, his teacher TimMoon told him,“I can teach you chord shapes, single melodies and songs,but I can’t teach you rhythm, and you don’t have that.”Edward Stills says that changed in 2008, when “I gotsaved.” After requesting prayer and praying himself,“slowly and surely [the rhythm] started coming around,”

see STILLS FAMILY, page 24

COURTESY OF STILLS FAMILY BAND

The Stills Family Band plays a tender rendition of traditional gospel and jouncy folk songs. The family shares their music at Robbins Farmers Day Saturday, Aug. 3.

COURTESY OF STILLS FAMILY BAND

Edward Stills, his wife, Lisa, and their children, Kayleighand Noah, are the Stills Family Band