Leaving Auburndale
New Book Release December 2, 2015 – Playing bluegrass music in the deep south can be an intoxicating, entrancing experience full of strange people and situations…particularly the Florida peninsula. In a place where people amputate their own limbs for insurance money, a hapless bluegrass band finds itself at a festival in Auburndale, Florida. It’s there they encounter a herd of bison, a one-armed elderly woman, a dance troupe leader and a living legend in the country music world among others. Leaving Auburndale is a glimpse into life on the road in a band and what can happen when fifty years of discarded American culture collects itself in one place for a generation.
About the Author • Hank Smith
Hank Smith lives in Raleigh NC where he makes a living performing and instructing music with a 5 string banjo. He has played in multiple national acts and toured the country playing bluegrass and related music. In November 2013, he decided to give writing a shot when a friend suggested he submit a novel for National Novel Writing Month. This book is the product of that and many years on the road encountering many strange and wonderful people, places and situations. With so much to draw from, “Leaving Auburndale” will be the first among many tales chronicling the not-so-exaggerated composites of band life on the road.