Last year, The Corduroy Road died.

Now it’s back: same name different band. With three new members out of five, more has changed than has stayed the same.

While some members of the band moved on to different goals, the passion for playing never left Drew Carman, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, and Elijah NeeSmith, its vocalist and bassist. The two continued to play together at small local get-togethers of friends and fellow musicians.

Corduroy Road has changed over the past year. While the name remains, some members have not. EVAN STICHLER/Staff

So, with the makings of a band stuffed in the closet and a couple of friends who already enjoyed each other’s company, the new The Corduroy Road was formed.

Slowly and organically the members of The Corduroy Road began to play like a band.

“It seemed natural to have all these guys around,” Carman said.

The guys of The Corduroy Road have a scene.

It usually begins with a simple passing word from a friend: “Oh, so-and-so is having a potluck this Sunday.” These small town parties happen frequently, and The Corduroy Road is always down to play.

Usually around a campfire with a home-cooked meal accompanied by fellow musicians in the backyard of a friend, late nights are spent sharing songs new and old.

“That’s what we do,” Carman said. “We are always playing at these campfires.”

The community of campfire musicians is a fitting home for the band as a place providing inspiration and education.

“I’ve learned most of what I know about playing music directly from people in Athens,” Carman said.

Even before coming together as a band, the musical influence of the Athens community left its mark on The Corduroy Road.

“All the way back from the times I used to sneak into the [Georgia Theatre] just to sit in the front row and watch the drummer,” said drummer Garrett Chism. “That’s how I learned to play drums.”

Like the history the band harbors from its past material and members, Corduroy Road also draws a lot inspiration from the traditional songs of the country genre.

The band enjoys using traditional themes as a basis to build onto, much as it enjoys building off its basis of campfire fans to play larger shows.

“It’s nice to play traditional songs because there’s not as much ego around,” NeeSmith said. “Because we don’t know who wrote them.”

While playing tribute to the past, The Corduroy Road is also working on material for the future.

The band is in the process of recording a new album, but that won’t take away from its live performances. After all, improvisational, on-the-go performances are a specialty of The Corduroy Road.

“It’s like having a potluck,” Carman said. “And we’re inviting all these people … except we’re making them pay.”