On souvenir mugs in an airport shop I once saw an engraved inscription: “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Rick Sichta, apparently, saw the same mug and took the advice with surgical seriousness. With a backpack on his back, he traveled to China, Tibet, and climbed Everest. The brainchild of Asheville singer and songwriter Rick Sichta is the band Mt. Kili. The name is a dedication to Mount Kilimanjaro, which Sichta is only planning to reach. For now, he did what he does best: took a classical guitar, sat down at a microphone at home, and wrote songs for his six-year-old twin daughters. The entire project grew out of these home recordings – warm, alive.
The debut album “Ten Songs for my Girls” was called a “gem” by critics. Now, on March 7, 2026, “The Noticer” has been released. And the mountain calls again. The album was recorded at the legendary Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, where it seems even the coffee is served with a taste of folk. Production was handled by Grammy winner Julian Dreyer, mastering by two-time award winner David Glasser. All of this sounds impressive – and it really does sound good: not sterile, but with a living breath and slight roughness.
The lineup has grown. Laney Barnett joined Sichta and drummer Matt Shepard – violin and voice. Her presence is felt on the album: there is more space. The violin envelops, keeps the temperature in a constant mode. The album title – “The Noticer” – speaks for itself. “The one who notices.” Not a prophet, but a person who looks more attentively than others. This is exactly the kind of observer Sichta remains throughout the ten tracks. The music holds on soft dynamics: the movement is smooth, without sharp turns – like climbing a mountain, when you breathe evenly and walk. Do not add or change anything
“Don’t Start a War” and the title track “The Noticer” are tracks that linger longer than others after listening. Sad, slightly theatrical tracks: Sikhta’s voice hovers on the stage like clouds at the summit of Everest. “Kyle” and “Strawberry Fields”: chamber-like, fragile, with tender violin, soft percussion and trembling vocals.You listen and feel that someone is very carefully holding something valuable in their hands.
The band Mt. Kili has a clear line of development: it combines the musicians’ mastery and a love for roots – both instrumental and folk.
Rick Sichta never made it to Kilimanjaro. But it seems he found his mountain.
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