Inspired by Our Southern Highlanders, Horace Kephart's classic account of life in the Great Smoky Mountains during the early twentieth century, Ways That Are Dark is an audio CD containing fourteen bluegrass songs, most of which are original compositions. Tim O'Brien and Peter Rowan are among the notable performers appearing on the recording.

Like Kephart's book, this CD celebrates the language, lore, and customs of southern Appalachia. An encounter with a wild pig, the killing of a prohibition agent, a bear hunt, a feud -- the people and events originally described by Kephart come alive in the words and music of these songs. As Daniel Gore, the CD's creator, notes, "When I first read Our Southern Highlanders, music seemed to fill the pages. The dialogue was lyrical, and every story sounded like a song".