Concert Preview: The Wood Brothers At the Parish

The Wood Brothers first made their way into my ears after my mom saw them at Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY a few years back and subsequently played them nonstop. These brothers weave folk, roots, blues and other influences, creating a fun, sometimes bluegrassy sound. They are all kinds of awesome and will be playing this Saturday night at The Parish. I will be the girl dancing right up front!

New Video from Pert Near Sandstone

I haven't featured a band for my Over The Hillbilly Wednesdays series in a while and this is a perfect video to get you over the hump of this week! It's fast paced and shows off what a great sound a set of strings can make. Also, their percussionist is a tap dancer. Brilliant!

Sometimes a Monday morning in October is better than Christmas!

It's hard not to love everything about life when an outrageously awesome new bluegrass album appears in my inbox on a Monday morning. The album is Paradise Hop, the newest out from Pert Near Sandstone, a bluegrass band out of Minneapolis. Heralded by the likes Garrison Keillor and Trampled By Turtles, this group represents everything that is great about bluegrass! They are fast paced, twangy in the great hillbilly way (as opposed to the melodramatic country way), crisp on harmonies, rich in instrumentals.

Their album has the great ability to be both progressive and current, while still transporting me back to a barn raising party on the prairie as moonshine is passed around in an old jug.

Listen, love, and mark your calendar for November 15 when Paradise Hop drops!

Packing for Utopia Fest: Dancing Shoes

Utopia Fest is less than 2 weeks away, and being the organized, planning, list maker that I am, I have already started packing. First thing on the list, before camping equipment, notebooks and my camera is an extra pair of shoes. Why? I received the following e-mail from my brother:

"At Utopia Fest you will see a band called Cornmeal. They ARE in fact the cat's pajamas.

Bring an extra pair of shoes, you may wear through a pair dancing to these guys(and girl)."

Cat's pajamas? Dancing?? In my head, I've already proposed to the fiddle player of this upbeat, rousing, dance-my-shoes-off band They are bluegrass, folk, Americana, and awesomeness.  They have been on the scene for the past 10 years, long enough to solidify their sound. They will be starting the fest off at Utopia Fest and no doubt setting the bar high.

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays: The Punch Brothers

Perusing the interweb one day, I came across the term 'newgrass' which I can only assume is a way of describing progressive or new age bluegrass music. I'm not sure I how I feel about the term, but when I realized it was used in reference to The Punch Brothers I couldn't help but thinking that maybe this new word was on to something.

Chris Thile is the catalyst of Punch Brothers, leaving his days as a mandolin prodigy with Nickel Creek to start his own blend of this great hill country sound. They recently released their newest album, Antifogmatic, an old slang term “for a bracing beverage, rum or whiskey, that one would have in the morning before going out to work in rough weather, to stave off any ill effects.” 


That's exactly what the Punch Brothers are. They are the perfect blend of stings and vocals that are sure to stave off any ill effects of any day. 

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays; Railroad Earth

Railroad Earth at La Zona Rosa 2010

Nothing says hillbilly quite like Railroad Earth. With their long, scraggly hair and back country beards, half of the members look like their were born with mandolins and banjos in their arms. The other half, especially lead singer Todd Sheaffer, look like the guys who show up when I call tech services, but their bluegrass sound and talent is unmistakable.

I saw Railroad Earth last fall when they came through Austin. My friend laughed at the way their fiddle, mandolin, banjo trifecta turned me into a melting, giddy, foot stomping fan. Sheaffer’s voice lends a distinctive sound, while the trifecta of strings delicately support him.

I love Railroad Earth not only for their jam sound and instrumental talent, but for their poetic lyrics. My favorite song off of their Black Bear Sessions is Seven Story Mountain, an allusion to Thomas Merton’s autobiography. If you haven’t read it, it is a must. In the meantime, here is the bluegrass take on it.

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays; Steve Martin

It seems only natural that a man with so much comedic creativity would thrive in the world of bluegrass, a fast paced genre built on the foundations of improv. Steve Martin picks a mean banjo, channeling the traditional styles of Earl Scruggs. With two Grammy’s to his bluegrass name, Martin gets at the heart of this Appalachian sound. Here is is performing with Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka.

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays: Trampled by Turtles

Trampled by Turtles is bluegrass on speed. If I hadn’t seen them performing live at SXSW, I’d swear that their instruments were smoking by the end of a show. They are everything I love about bluegrass. It’s foot stomping, fast paced, and the fiddle goes straight to the strings of my heart. (I also might have a mild crush on the lead singer). TxT has all of the elements of a traditional bluegrass string band, but they are hardly traditional. Each member pushes his instrument to a new level while gracefully blending harmonies.

Here is their video for Wait so Long, my favorite song off their album.

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays: Hot Buttered Rum

Originally a string band, today’s bluegrass group is now known simply as Hot Buttered Rum. And like the drink of their namesake, this group goes down smooth and livens the soul. With strings still at their root, this group refuses to be strictly defined in one genre. It’s what makes them so great. . Here is a sweet song about a girl named Amanda Lynn (which they sing while playing a mandolin!), 
who when there was nothing left to lose 
She put on her walking shoes…

Road to ACL: Abigail Washburn

There is so much great bluegrass music happening at this years ACL! I’d love to get a count of how many banjos end up taking the stage because I imagine it will be an impressive number. Today’s ACL preview is Abigail Washburn, banjo player and wife of banjoist, Bela Fleck. She is inspired by traditional Appalachian sounds, but also infuses east Asian sounds to create a unique blend. She will be a great act to catch at the festival, especially if her husband is along and feels compelled to jump on stage with her on Saturday.

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays: The Infamous Stringdusters

This weeks bluegrass group is the Infamous Stringdusters, a well rounded group out of Nashville, TN. While keeping their roots of bluegrass tradition, this skilled group knows how to push the limits of this genre in all the right ways. Their jams and riffs will sure to get your toes tapping. You can find them this summer touring with groups like Trampled By Turtles, Yonder Mountain String Band and Railroad Earth all over the US, including appearances at festivals like Telluride Bluegrass Festival in CO and All Good Festival in WV.



Infamous Stringdusters by spencer4linn

Over the Hillbilly Wednesdays: Carolina Chocolate Drops

Todays bluegrass band was recently recommended to me by a friend from high school. Carolina Chocolate Drops are an old time string band out of North Carolina whose most recent album, Genuine Negro Jig won a Grammy for best traditional folk album. While strings are the centerpiece of this band, they also use harmonica, bones, snare drum, jugs and kazoo to create a full and delightful sound. Then again, when isn’t a kazoo absolutely delightful!