Who we are and what we do
We’re a group of college students having the time of our lives jammin’ together. Our purpose is to make good music, lasting memories, and glorify God in all that we do.
If you have a gig for us, we’ll do everything we can to make it happen!
Current Members
Gabe Collier is the triple computer science major who had a dream and ran with it. He came to his college roommate one day with a strong, newfound love for bluegrass music, strong enough to convince his friend to start a band with him.
Gabe has played guitar for 7 years and now acts as the visionary, genius, producer, and slave master of NNS. Gabe is a hopelessly single native of Brevard, NC, who built swgalaxyproject.com (which is probably why), this site, is learning 3 other instruments in addition to guitar, and enjoys building and configuring networks for fun.
His favorite song is Snow by Alison Krauss & Union Station.
John Cassidy or “Jack” was the roommate and first unsuspecting recruit who helped Gabe piece the band together.
He is a Jack-of-all-trades with a background in national political campaigns, private aviation, and mounting and performing theatre shows across the US. Jack is a Florida man who grew up in the Granite Falls, NC foothills listening to the likes of the Rochester family, Daily & Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. He first picked up a guitar after learning how to walk, and was one of those kids every teacher likes who would not stop hummin’ and drummin’ in class. He now spends his time reading a good book, writing poetry, spending alone time in nature, learning banjo, doing dirty jobs, playing percussion, and assistant managing NNS.
Instagram won’t allow Nothing Beats a Family by Ricky Skaggs or Against the Grain by Clay Hess to be played for some reason, so Jack chose Dive by Steven Curtis Chapman and Ricky Skaggs as his favorite song.
This is Luke. Luke loves music. Luke loves his friends. Luke loves Jesus. Luke drops the bass, and when Luke drops the bass, Luke drops the bass.
Luke Bomar has played bass since he was 12 years old and grew up learning classical music. He learned bluegrass in the Steve Pettit Band in 2023 and was diligently taught by Carson Aaron and Jack Ritter. He is now studying classical music at university.
Luke is a powerhouse to NNS both in talent and energy. He brings a lot of joy to our group. A bona fide southern boy from the sweet state of South Carolina, Luke loves to play in bluegrass jams. However, his favorite style is a mix of bluegrass instruments with a more classical style song writing. Examples of his choice artists are The Arcadian Wild, The Punch Brothers, and even the Lonely Heartstrings Band, but he also loves more unique or traditional sounding bands like Blue Highway, Balsaam Range, the Hillbilly Thomists, and Special Consensus.
Luke’s favorite song is Blue Eyed Girl by The Arcadian Wild.
Our first fiddler to join was the lovely Sydney Apperson, and boy does she fiddle! 🎻 More than talent, Sydney brings a bright and thoughtful spirit to the team, and we’re blessed to have her.
A Las Vegas native, Sydney spends her free time finding new crafts to half-finish, endlessly discussing philosophy, and adding to an ever growing list of lakes to kayak on.
Sydney’s choice song is Autumn in Tennessee.
Erika McGonigal is a guitarist and vocalist with New Nantahala Strings. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, she began performing with her sisters in the group @hiddencreek_trifecta , sometimes playing Celtic music around the city. Classically trained in guitar for five years, Erika now enjoys applying her skills to the bluegrass genre alongside the band.
When she’s not skipping homework to practice with the band, Erika’s probably skipping homework to act in a show, to ride her horse Thorin, or to look for a new Celsius to try. Her favorite song is (have to specify bluegrass otherwise it could be Highwayman by the Highwaymen or Who’s the Batman from the Lego Batman depending on the day and the vibes) is Keep on the Sunny Side.
The man, the myth, the maestro, Lincoln Buchanan Ladies and Gentleman. With chill attitude and perfect pitch, anything Link touches comes to life. He is an incredibly versatile talent and wonderful friend, and NNS would not be the same without him.
Link is an instrument collector (11 so far) and a Florida man who got into bluegrass/country three-ish years ago.
His favorite artist is Ricky Skaggs, and his favorite song is I Corinthians 1:18. He’s also a huge nerd.
Our final member is something else. Macy Skillman has been playing bluegrass since she was old enough to hold a fiddle. Before joining New Nantahala, Macy played with her family band, @blkberryblossomfarm , where she sang with her sisters and played the mandolin.
One of the first names suggested by Jack, the ball was dropped until Link and Jack heard Macy playing around a society bonfire a few months later and just knew she had to join. So they asked again, and balance was restored… all within two weeks of our first recording! 😂 A huge asset and amazing member of the NNS family, Macy really is a true joy to work with.
Although a born and raised hometown girl from beautiful Northern California, Macy is currently working on her undergraduate and masters degree in biblical counseling at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Apart from bluegrass, Macy is a nationally licensed Pygmy goat judge and breeds and travels with her show herd. She enjoys sports, outdoor recreation, the farm life, and most of all, friends and family.
The bluegrass band that inspired her was Nickel Creek and her choice song is He Knows My Name by the Rochesters.
Past members
While Luke is dropping the bass, Anna is casually shredding the banjo. 🤘🪕
Anna Dionne played a crucial part in NNS as one of the most experienced and chill members. When everyone else was running around like a headless hen, Anna was quietly plucking away with a smile on her face. She brought a sense of calm and cool to the band, all with strength and humility. We will miss her a ton as she takes on a job teaching music at a school in Michigan. Anna will always be a member in the NNS family.
Anna recently graduated with a bachelor of music in piano pedagogy and teaches piano, guitar, and banjo. She is a South Carolina native with five siblings and is currently on a missions trip in the Netherlands. You can pray for her as God uses her in serving others in Europe.
Anna chose Be Assured as her favorite song because it helped her get through a difficult time in her life.
As we continue on in our band introductions, our next one is Jackson Rohrer!
Jackson is a diehard bluegrass and country fan from PA. He helped start a bluegrass band “The Haycreek Gang” in 9th grade, at his high school. Jackson is a landscaper and loves to make the outdoors shine.
Jackson brings a lot to NNS – he is one of the lead singers in the band and you will hear a lot of him in our upcoming album! He is also one of the three mando players in the group and plays the harmonica – an awesome little instrument that adds so much to the band. He is also a longtime guitar player and although he doesn’t play it as much in this group- it is his main instrument.
One of Jackson’s favorite bluegrass songs is Blue Ridge Mountain Girl.
Our third fiddler, Charisse McGonigal brings a Celtic flair to the group. She has lived in South Carolina her whole life and has been playing violin for many years. She’s always enjoyed playing Celtic jigs and tunes with her sisters in their own group @hiddencreek_trifecta (shameless plug).
Her choice bluegrass song is Crooked Tree by Molly Tuttle.