Show Me the Way Home, Honey

The Howlin' Brothers - Trouble

Size: 80,7 MB
Time: 34:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Country Blues, Bluegrass, Americana
Label: Continental Europe
Art: Front

01. Pour It Down (2:39)
02. Boogie (2:12)
03. Night And Day (2:17)
04. Monroe (3:10)
05. World Spinning Round (2:53)
06. Troubled Waltz (3:40)
07. Sing A Sad Song (2:53)
08. Pack Up Joe (2:29)
09. Love (2:46)
10. Hard Times (2:41)
11. I Was Wrong (2:44)
12. Louisiana (2:37)
13. Yes I Am! (1:21)

Often, progressive bluegrass gets mired in its own ambition, seeming affected whenever it asserts its roots or tackles the present. That's not the case with the Howlin' Brothers. How does this Nashville trio sidestep such pitfalls? It's through sheer kinetic joy, a quality that was evident on their 2013 debut, HOWL, but thrives on its 2014 sequel, Trouble. Once again, Brendan Benson -- a colleague of Jack White who is known for his exceptionally well-crafted power pop records -- produces the band and he favors a crackling live feel, emphasizing the Howlin' Brothers' loose, natural chemistry that, in turn, suggests their versatility. Unlike so many bluegrass groups, chops aren't the priority for the Howlin' Brothers -- they prefer groove and feel, to bounce ideas off each other and their various guest musicians. This doesn't mean they can't solo -- they can and they do often throughout Trouble -- but Benson and the band accentuate interplay, which means this is a visceral record, engaging just as music. Also, this emphasis on instrumentation allows the band to wander away from bluegrass -- "World Spinning Round" is straight-up honky tonk, as is "Troubled Waltz," while "Louisiana" brings the group down to the bayou and the opening "Pour It Down" would be a blues-rocker with other instrumentation -- and it also gives it a tangible, pleasurable quality as a record that demands several listens. Those revisits reveal that in addition to sounding good, Trouble is exceptionally well constructed, with the group crafting roots songs that allow the trio to casually showcase its knowledge and skill. Those songs provide the structure for the album and, presumably, a killer live set, but the nifty thing about Trouble is that it swings and sparks like a concert and it retains that energy on repeated plays. ~Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Trouble

---

Posted by kamane

Oznake: Howlin' Brothers, Country, Bluegrass

James King - Three Chords & The Truth

Size: 95,6 MB
Time: 40:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Country, Bluegrass
Label: Rounder Records
Art: Front

01. The Devil's Train (3:16)
02. Jason's Farm (3:37)
03. Chiseled In Stone (4:07)
04. Highway To Nowhere (2:35)
05. Talkin' To The Wall (2:46)
06. He Stopped Loving Her Today (3:54)
07. Blue Blue Day (2:03)
08. Riding With Private Malone (4:31)
09. Things Have Gone To Pieces (3:55)
10. Sunday Morning Christian (2:59)
11. Shadows Of My Mind (3:16)
12. Old Five And Dimers (3:11)

All Hail King James

The title of bluegrass storyteller James King’s latest disc comes from a quote by the legendary country songwriter, Harlan Howard. A good country song, Howard explained, was “three chords and the truth.” Now that’s just bullshit. Country music has always been as authentic as a three-dollar bill. Johnny Cash did not really served time in prison. Tammy Wynette never stood by her man. The lack of reality is a good thing. A good country song requires magic and imagination. King takes on 12 solid country tunes from the past written by masters such as Hank Williams and Billy Joe Shaver and originally recorded by mavens as George Jones and Vern Gosdin, and King does them bluegrass style.

The results showcase King’s vocal talents. He has a warm tone that sounds a bit smoky, as in the Great Smoky Mountains. Okay, so technically he’s a Virginian, but the results are pure Appalachian. Remember, there’s no reason to get too hung up on bona fides. He sings in a quiet manner, pronouncing each word carefully and with a slight twang. He’s ably aided by his pals Dudley Connell and Don Rigsby, who are also members with King in the group Longview.
The bluegrass musicians behind him—fiddler Jimmy Mattingly, banjoist and harmony fiddler Ronnie Stewart, mandolinist Jesse Brock, bassist Jason Moore, and guitarist Josh Williams—make sure not to step out in front of him. They propel the music without getting in King’s way.

While the similarities between country and bluegrass are clear, King and company illustrate the differences in their delivery. Consider their superb rendition of David Ball’s ghostly “Riding with Private Malone”. King emphasizes the details of the tale such as “had her shining like a diamond” or “the buttons on the radio didn’t seem to work quite right” to embellish the narrative. The backing vocalists take on the chorus and let their voices ring together like a bell to add beauty to the simple tale. The instrumentalists keep the pace moving forward like a steam train, fast enough to propel the listener without ever being a distraction. Compared with Ball’s original which was more in a country singer-songwriter vein, King’s version sounds almost like chamber music.

King and company turn all of these country classics into sweet bluegrass. Some, like Don Gibson’s “Blue Blue Day” and Cal Smith’s “Jason’s Farm” seem born to be turned into bluegrass. They fit the new form like a glove. And while some, like Shaver’s “Old Five and Dimers” may seem more forced, King’s rendition reveals the Georgia side of the Texan Billy Joe’s past. King slurs the lyrics into two-word phrases so that “good luck” becomes “gooluk” and such, which suggests the meanings of the terms lie in their Southern geography.

Although modern country audiences probably won’t enjoy this album, “the old farts and jackasses” Blake Shelton famously referred to certainly will. The takes the old school back to an older school to a tradition that hearkens back to the Scotch-Irish music of King James’s time. James King’s melodious bluegrass honors its folkloric roots. ~Steve Horowitz

Three Chords & The Truth

---

Posted by kamane

Oznake: James King, Country, Bluegrass

David Grisman Quintet - Dawgnation

Styles: Progressive Bluegrass
Label: Acoustic Disc
Released: 2002
File: mp3 @320K/s
Size: 152,8 MB
Time: 66:13
Art: full

1. Citizens of Dawgnation - 0:24
2. Slade - 6:51
3. Mellow Mang - 6:29
4. Why Did the Mouse Marry the Elephant? - 3:47
5. Cha Cha Chihuahua - 6:21
6. Desert Dawg - 3:35
7. Twin Town - 4:11
8. Vivace - 5:08
9. Mr. Coolberg - 4:30
10. Dawgnation - 5:43
11. Bluegrass At the Beach - 6:08
12. Argentine Trio - 5:10
13. Dawg After Dark - 7:49

Notes: 25 years ago the David Grisman Quintet's first album revolutionized the world of acoustic string music and inspired a new generation of musicians. Now the David Grisman Quintet brings their imaginative blend of acoustic "dawg music" into the 21st Century with the genre-bending brilliance of Dawgnation. Opening with the powerful show-stopper "Slade" (dedicated to the late Charles Sawtelle), the DGQ is a lean and mean greyhound machine, putting all their musical expertise, passion and road-tested diligence into extreme focus.
From there the pace elegantly weaves a groove into the upbeat rock-samba "Mellow Mang," the Latin-laced "Cha Cha Chihuahua," the bluegrass-tinged "Twin Town," the dawg anthem title track from the Garcia-Grisman repertoire,the sly swing of the "Dawg After Dark," and seven other new Grisman originals.
Dawgnation celebrates the enduring quality of this longstanding Quintet. Bassist Jim Kerwin, multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven, flutist Matt Eakle and guitarist Enrique Coria each pair up with mandolin maestro Dawg in a series of duets showcasing their individual styles. ~ Acoustic Disc

Dawgnation



• John Sebastian & David Grisman - Satisfied
• The Even Dozen Jug Band - Jug Band Songs Of The Southern Mountains

Oznake: David Grisman Quintet, David Grisman, Bluegrass

John Sebastian & David Grisman - Satisfied

Styles: Contemporary Folk, Contemporary Bluegrass, Old-Timey
Released: 2007
Label: Acoustic Disc
File: mp3 @320K/s
Size: 137.6 MB?
Time: 55:15
Art: front + back

1. I'm Satisfied - 2:41
2. Strings of Your Heart - 3:22
3. EMD - 4:02
4. Deep Purple - 4:39
5. John Henry - 5:03
6. Walk Right Back - 4:47
7. Passing Fantasy - 4:10
8. Coffee Blues - 2:53
9. Dawg's Waltz - 4:21
10. Lonely One in this Town - 3:58
11. It's Not Time Now - 3:20
12. Harmandola Blues - 2:38
13. Coconut Grove - 5:19
14. Jug Band Waltz - 3:56

Personnel:
David Grisman - Banjo, Mandolin, Vocals, Mandola
John Sebastian - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals, Guitar (Baritone), Whistle

Notes: The newest release from David Grisman’s Acoustic Disc label is a duo project featuring he and John Sebastian. Entitled Satisfied, it features these two on acoustic guitar, mandolin family instruments and harmonica on a mixed set of songs and tunes. The 14 selections are taken from the repertoire of blues, folk and traditional music, plus a couple of Dawg tunes and a few from the great American songbook of show music.
This is by no means a bluegrass recording (obligatory disclaimer), but fans of the music of these two genre-defining acoustic artists are sure to be satisfied with the result. My own bias towards this project comes from the twin facts that I was a huge Lovin’ Spoonful fan as a young boy in the 60’s, and the impact that Grisman’s first Quintet album had on me as a young student of bluegrass and acoustic music in 1977.
The Spoonful was a pop sensation at the time, with Sebastian front and center, the group’s name having come from a Mississippi John Hurt song, Coffee Blues, which is included here. Grisman, of course, charted new territory with his Dawg music, but has always betrayed the heart and soul of bluegrass in everything he has done.
John Sebastian and David GrismanOne of the great treats upon opening the CD case was finding photos of both Sebastian and Grisman from their “early days” not long after they met as students at New York University in the early 1960s. Grisman was deep into a study of bluegrass at the time while Sebastian was immersed in Delta blues, but the two became friends and even performed together as members of The Even Dozen Jug Band.
Though their careers went in different directions after college, they found themselves performing an impromptu duo set at a concert in 2005, an event that led directly to this new collaboration.
The tracks were cut a la Grisman’s Acoustic Disc formula – meaning everything was recorded live in the studio, sans overdubs. There is a very raw, and ultimately satisfying appeal to this CD, and this may be a big part of it. ~ from The Bluegrass Blog, John Lawless (10.31.07)

Satisfied



• Le Chat Mort - Le Chat Mort / Roses
• Mike Dowling - Beats Workin'

Oznake: John Sebastian, David Grisman, Contemporary Folk, Bluegrass

Various - White Country Blues 1926-1938

Styles: Country Blues, Old-Timey, String Bands, Traditional Country, Acoustic Blues, Traditional Bluegrass
Label: Legacy
Released: 1993
File: mp3 @320K/s
Size: 167,4 + 153,1 MB
Time: 73:07 + 66:54
Art: front + back

Disc 1
1. Frank Hutchinson/K.C. Blues - 3:04
2. Frank Hutchinson/Cannon Ball Blues - 3:23
3. Charlie Poole With The North Carolina Ramblers/Leaving Home - 3:04
4. Charlie Poole With The North Carolina Ramblers/If The River Was Whiskey - 3:07
5. Cauley Family/Duplin County Blues - 2:40
6. Tom Darby & Jimmie Tarlton/Sweet Sarah Blues - 3:01
7. Tom Darby & Jimmie Tarlton/Frankie Dean - 3:13
8. Riley Puckett/A Darkey's Wail - 2:55
9. Clarence Green/Johnson City Blues - 2:59
10. The Carolina Buddies/Mistreated Blues - 3:09
11. Tom Ashley/Haunted Road Blues - 3:15
12. Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseans/Steel Guitar Blues - 2:52
13. Carlisle & Ball/Guitar Blues - 3:01
14. Carlisle & Ball/I Want A Good Woman - 3:21
15. Cliff Carlisle/Ash Can Blues - 2:58
16. Val & Pete/Yodel Blues (Part 1) - 3:14
17. Val & Pete/Yodel Blues (Part 2) - 2:51
18. Mr. & Mrs. Chris Bouchillion/Adam & Eve (Part 2) - 3:16
19. W.T. Narmour & S.W. Smith/Carroll County Blues - 3:01
20. Charlie Poole With The North Carolina Ramblers/Ramblin' Blues - 2:59
21. Frank Hutchinson/Worried Blues - 3:22
22. Frank Hutchinson/Train That Carried The Girl From Town - 3:01
23. Roy Harvey & Leonard Copeland/Lonesome Weary Blues - 2:53
24. W. Lee O'Daniel & His Hillbilly Boys/Bear Cat Mama - 2:19

Disc 2
1. Blue Ridge Ramblers/ Jug Rag - 2:52
2. Prairie Ramblers/ Deep Elem Blues - 3:19
3. Clayton McMichen/ Prohibition Blues - 3:03
4. Larry Hensley/ Match Box Blues - 2:55
5. Callahan Brothers/ Somebody's Been Using That Thing - 2:48
6. Homer Callahan/ Rattle Snake Daddy - 3:04
7. Homer Callahan/ My Good Gal Has Thrown Me Down - 2:42
8. W. Lee O'Daniel & His Hillbilly Boys/ Dirty Hangover Blues - 2:20
9. W. Lee O'Daniel & His Hillbilly Boys/ Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues - 2:32
10. Asa Martin & His Kentucky Hillbillies/ Lonesome, Broke And Weary - 2:28
11. Cliff Carlisle/ Chicken Roost Blues - 2:32
12. Cliif Carlisle/ Tom Cat Blues - 2:52
13. Bill Cox & Cliff Hobbs/ Oozlin' Daddy Blues - 2:55
14. Bill Cox & Cliff Hobbs/ Kansas City Blues - 2:47
15. Ramblin' Red Lowery/ Ramblin' Red's Memphis Yodel No. 1 - 2:48
16. Anglin Brothers/ Southern Whoopie Song - 2:26
17. Allen Brothers/ Drunk And Nutty Blues - 3:08
18. Allen Brothers/ Chattanooga Mama - 3:35
19. Smiling Bill Carlisle/ String Bean Mama - 2:25
20. Smiling Bill Carlisle/ Copper Head Mama - 2:26
21. Bill Cox/ Long Chain Charlie Blues - 2:47
22. Bill Cox/ Georgia Brown Blues - 2:47
23. Al Dexter/ New Jelly Roll Blues - 2:33
24. The Rhythm Wreckers/ Never No Mo' Blues - 2:39

Notes: White Country Blues 1926-1938: A Lighter Shade of Blue is an excellent, revealing 48-track, double-disc collection culled from the Columbia, American and OKeh vaults. All of the material on this double-disc set was recorded by country artists that drew heavily from the blues, whether it was incorporating the genre into their own compositions or covering blues and hokum songs. Though there are several stars, such as Roy Acuff, many of the performers on White Country Blues are obscure, especially for listeners whose knowledge of country music stops at Hank Williams. That is one of the many reasons why White Country Blues is invaluable. It's a thoughtfully compiled and thorough historical reissue that presents a wealth of rare, fascinating material. While it might not always be an easy listen, it's remains an essential purchase for any comprehensive country collection.

White Country Blues: 1926-1938 A Lighter Shad of Blue, Disc 1
White Country Blues: 1926-1938 A Lighter Shad of Blue, Disc 2



• Various Artists - Fonotone Records 1956-1969
• Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher

Oznake: Acoustic Blues, Country Blues, Old-Timey, String Bands, Bluegrass, Traditional Country, Various

David Grisman Bluegrass Experience - Muddy Roads

Styles: Bluegress
Label: Acoustic Oasis
Released: 2013
File: mp3 @320K/s
Size: 142,8 MB
Time: 61:53
Art: front

1. Muddy Roads (Old-Time) - 1:59
2. The Train That Carried My Gal - 2:21
3. The Lone Pelgrim - 4:21
4. Walkin Boss - 4:30
5. Handsome Molly - 2:58
6. Willie Moore - 3:51
7. The Cuckoo Bird - 3:09
8. I'll Rise When the Rooster Crows - 3:51
9. Omie Wise - 6:21
10. The Roving Gambler - 3:04
11. Crawdad - 3:44
12. Trouble in Mind - 5:03
13. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues - 3:25
14. Shady Grove - 4:13
15. Your Long Journey - 5:59
16. Muddy Roads - 2:58

Personnel:
The David Grisman Bluegrass Experience are
David Grisman - vocals, mandolin and mandola
Samson Grisman - vocals and bass
Keith Little - vocals, banjo, mandolin and mandola
Chad Manning - fiddle
Jim Nunally - vocals and guitar
Tracy Bigelow Grisman - vocals

Notes: “I've had a musical love affair with bluegrass music for over 50 years now,” David Grisman told me during a recent interview. “I also have my own concept of what bluegrass music is, and perhaps what people now refer to as that particular genre may be completely different than my definition, which would be the music created by Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise and other "first generation" musicians — the Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Jim & Jesse, Jimmy Martin and the Osborne Brothers.”
Nevertheless, the legendary mandolin player has some reservations about how the genre seems to have strayed from its seminal style. “Recordings, live performances, and the ever evolving exposure process (from television to the internet) has certainly attracted more listeners, but what are they really listening to? Not ‘Molly and Tenbrooks’ by Bill Monroe or ‘Little Glass of Wine’ by the Stanley Brothers or ‘Someday We'll Meet Again Sweetheart’ by Flatt & Scruggs or countless other bluegrass masterpieces from the ‘golden era’ I'm afraid.”
Not surprisingly, Grisman is a purist when it comes to his particular passion. “Bluegrass is a perfect blend of many influences and innovations, which should be extremely appealing to any music lover,” he suggests. “Instrumentally you have the amazing 5-string banjo style of Earl Scruggs, combined with several unique approaches to mandolin playing developed by Bill Monroe, Bobby Osborne and Jesse McReynolds, plus the smooth bluesy fiddling of Chubby Wise and Vassar Clements, as well as numerous approaches to vocal harmonies which evolved from the Carter Family, the Monroe Brothers and others to the classic bluegrass artists of the first, second and even third generation. Then you have the songs themselves, many of which are grounded in the traditional folk music of England, Ireland and Scotland. Add a bit of swing, blues and country and you have a pretty heady musical brew.”
Grisman’s touting a forthcoming release recording from the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience), entitled Muddy Roads - Old-time Music of Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson, as well as a deluxe remastered edition of Doc & Dawg with many alternate previously-unissued tracks and a live recording from his archives, Doc & Dawg - Live in Watsonville (California.) In October, Grisman will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Old & in the Way with the complete Boarding House Tapes, from which all three of the band’s original releases were extracted. These albums and others can be found at AcousticOasis.com.
By Lee Zimmerman (the bluegrass situation)

Muddy Roads



• Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back
• Vassar Clements - Grass Routes

Oznake: David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, David Grisman, Bluegrass

Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher

Styles: Contemporary Folk, Neo - Traditional Folk, Neo - Traditional Bluegrass
Label: Nettwerk
Released: 2008
File: mp3 @320K/s
Size: 122,3 MB
Time: 53:00
Art: folk + back

1. Alabama High-Test - 2:25
2. Highway Halo - 3:42
3. The Greatest Hustler of All - 7:04
4. Methamphetamine - 5:27
5. Next Go 'Round - 3:38
6. Humdinger - 2:29
7. Motel in Memphis - 4:25
8. Evening Sun - 3:43
9. Mary's Kitchen - 2:43
10. Crazy Eyes - 4:17
11. Tunnessee Pusher - 5:30
12. Lift Him Up - 3:57
13. Caroline - 3:33

Notes: Old Crow Medicine Show release in 2008 their third Nettwerk album called Tennessee Pusher. Produced by the legendary Don Was (Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones), the album features the first single "Caroline" along with 11 other Old Crow originals and an American standard called "Lift Him Up" by Blind Alfred Reed. Having sold over 290K albums, OCMS can attribute much of their success to their relentless touring schedule. Between headlining shows and countless festivals (Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival, etc), the band lives on the road - they thrive on the communal experience of the live shows. OCMS have made a name for themselves as energetic performers with an unbridled spirit."as musicians, songwriters and singers, they are the smartest and finest purveyors of American music to come down the pike in decades." ~ Don Was

Tennessee Pusher



• Le Chat Mort - Le Chat Mort / Roses
• Old Crow Medicine Show - Old Crow Medicine Show

Oznake: Contemporary Folk, Old Crow Medicine Show, Traditional Folk, Bluegrass

Le Chat Mort - Le Chat Mort / Roses

Album: Le Chat Mort
Size: 60,7 MB
Time: 26:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Bluegrass, Blues, Swing
Label: EmuBands
Art: Front

01. Foggy Mountain Top (3:08)
02. Junco Partner (2:58)
03. Weeping Town (2:55)
04. Been All Around This World (4:32)
05. Careless Love (4:15)
06. Diamonds (2:59)
07. I Get Down (2:33)
08. Bloodshot Eyes (2:54)

Band:
Camilla Neideman – Lead vocal and snare drum
Bror David Nilsson – Banjo
Peter Strömquist – Guitar
Matti Friberg – Upright Bass

"It sounds strange, but maybe it was pure luck that few young musicians to his horror found a dead cat in the freezer, where the fall of 2007.
Shaken by his discovery wrote the song "Dead Cat Blues," and excited about how much fun it was to play together, so formed "Le Chat Mort"
Le Chat Mort's music quickly became too large for the small collective, it was born in and the short time the band began heard at clubs and festivals around the country.
Le Chat Mort has now, after over 5 years of playing in Sweden with trips to the United States, France, Germany, Holland and Denmark, earned a reputation as one of the country's most exciting and catchy bands on the label bluegrass / blues. There are many great bands in the style of American roots, but nothing that sounds like this "

Le Chat Mort

---

Album: Roses
Size: 73,7 MB
Time: 30:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Bluegrass, Blues, Swing
Label: EmuBands
Art: Front

01. Shoot Me Down (3:06)
02. Roses (2:51)
03. Didn't He Ramble (2:42)
04. Dinah (2:41)
05. Mama's Got A Baby (2:11)
06. Poor Me (2:22)
07. Eyes Closed (3:18)
08. Bye Bye Baby Bye (1:50)
09. Don't You Just Know It (2:35)
10. Fun Fun (1:51)
11. Hurt Me Too (2:45)
12. Iko Iko (2:33)

In spring of 2013, we stepped into the studio and recorded our second album, “Roses”.
This time we got a lot of inspiration from Django Reinhardt, 19302s swing music and Mardi Gras.
Even though this album is very “Rootsy,” a majority of the songs are originals written by our selfs!

Roses



• Vassar Clements - Grass Routes •
• Mike Dowling - Beats Workin' •

---

Posted by kamane

Oznake: Le Chat Mort, Sweden, Bluegrass, Swing, Blues Jazz

Various Artists - Fonotone Records 1956-1969 (5 Disc Box set)

Styles: Folk, Blues, Gospel, Traditional, Old-Time Music, Country, Bluegrass, Spirituals, Jug Bands, String Bands
Recorded: 1956-1969
Released: 2005
Label: Dust-to-Digital
File: mp3; 320 Kbps
Size: 886.0 MB
Time: 354:00 min.
Art: full


Joe Bussard (born Joseph E. Bussard, Jr. in Frederick, Maryland, July 11, 1936) is an American collector of 78-rpm records.
Based in Frederick, Maryland, Bussard maintains a collection of more than 25,000 records, primarily of American folk, gospel, and blues from the 1920s and 1930s, believed to be the largest in the world.
He was the subject of a documentary film, Desperate Man Blues, and his collection was mined for a compilation CD, Down in the Basement. He has gleefully shared his collection, which includes many only-known-copies of records (not to mention best-known-copies) with numerous reissue labels as well as with individuals for whom he has taped recordings from his collection for a nominal sum for decades.
From 1956 until 1970, he ran the last 78 rpm record label, Fonotone, which was dedicated to the release of new recordings of old-time music. Among these were the first-ever recordings by guitarist John Fahey, as well as hundreds of other performers.

In 1956 teenaged record collector Joe Bussard decided to track some of his guitar-playing National Guard buddies in his parent's basement in Frederick, MD, and Fonotone Records, America's last operating 78 rpm label, was born. Deliberately anachronistic, Bussard sought to emulate the jug band, blues, and early country 78s that he so treasured (and collected) from the 1920s and 1930s, and he and his friends took on pseudonyms that echoed the names of the artists who recorded during that fabled era at the very dawn of the American recording industry, essentially creating a mythical musical landscape that was stubbornly (even defiantly) out of touch with the technology and musical trends of the 1950s. Part hobby, part hoax, and partly a statement on what Bussard saw as the ongoing degradation of pop music, Fonotone released an impressive number of handmade 78s before Bussard finally officially folded the label in 1969. This elaborate five-disc box set, it comes housed in a cigar box with postcards, an extensive booklet, and even a Fonotone church key bottle opener, finally brings the work of Bussard's little lost label into the digital light of the 21st century. It has to be viewed as a little ironic, given Bussard's aversion to the technological advancements of the recording industry and his complete disgust at almost anything recorded after 1934, but here you have it, all laid out in zeros and ones, and what emerges is an at times brilliant facsimile of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. But where Smith's anthology, which collects actual 78s from the 1920s and 1930s (the 1997 reissue of the anthology on CD actually drew on nearly pristine 78s from Bussard's vast personal collection), shines with the mysterious glow of a half-remembered vernacular past, the Fonotone set, which attempts to re-create that era, replaces the mystery with what amounts to cleverness and creative mischief. That doesn't mean that the music presented here isn't interesting, it frequently bursts forth with a wonderfully chaotic energy, but it is a bit like building a scale model of the Grand Coulee Dam out of Popsicle sticks. The end result is fascinating to look at, but being a re-creation, it lacks the intangible presence (and no doubt the utility) of the original. Still, the Fonotone records were a lot of fun, and discovering the real identities behind the pseudonyms is a big part of that fun. Birmingham Bill is actually Mike Seeger. Kid Future is a young Stefan Grossman. B. Sam Firk is Mike Stewart. Blind Robert Ward is Bob Coltman. And the first recordings of iconoclast John Fahey are here, under the name Blind Thomas, in what is a sort of dress rehearsal for his Blind Joe Death persona. Bussard himself appears as part of a whole range of jug and string band groups with names like the Mississippi Swampers, the Tennessee Mess Arounders, the Back Alley Boys, and so on. There are some actual field recordings here, as well, including a pair of tracks from black Appalachian banjo player Clarence Fross that could slip undetected into any Alan Lomax collection. There is also a good deal of bluegrass music, the only postwar musical style ever allowed on a Fonotone record, which is a further irony, since bluegrass probably did more than even rock & roll to kill off the jug and string band tradition that Bussard so admired. Arguably the most effective cuts are a trio of songs that drop the old-time façade long enough to comment directly on contemporary events. Bussard and Bob Coltman's "The Death of John Kennedy," recorded immediately after Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963, is particularly arresting, as is Bussard's "The Flight of Astronaut John Glenn" and Coltman's (as Blind Robert Ward) "The Voyage of Apollo 8" (which Bussard mischievously couples with "Don't Ask for the Moon" on the flip side). By stepping out of the 1920s and addressing the present (yet in a manner and style that mimics the past), Bussard and company actually accomplish what they had been after all along, making the old-time music speak in a contemporary context. In the end, though, most of the music in this fascinating box fails to match its template, but as a stubborn attempt to turn back the musical hands of time, Bussard and Fonotone Records created a brilliant faux universe that works much like that replica of an 18th century schooner perfectly re-created to scale inside a clear glass bottle. The marvel is in the attention to detail, and by default, the imaginary sea it conjures. So here you have it, a mythical 78 rpm universe that mimics a real one, all set forth under the glass of 21st century digital technology. Just suspend belief, add some imagination, and sail away. Don't expect sonar, though, or, heaven forbid, an electric guitar. Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Booklet

Oznake: Bluegrass, Gospel, Jug Band, Old-Timey, String Bands, Traditional Country, Traditional Folk, Various

Mike Dowling - Beats Workin'

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 34:24
Size: 80.9 MB
Styles: Contemporary bluegrass, Acoustic blues
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Police Dog Blues
[3:08] 2. The Train That Carried My Girl From Town
[2:53] 3. Beats Workin'
[2:44] 4. D.W. Washburn
[2:46] 5. Ace In The Hole
[1:45] 6. Jan's Song
[3:03] 7. Louis Collins
[3:56] 8. Lonely At The Bottom
[3:18] 9. Jitterburg Waltz
[2:25] 10. Bottleneck March
[2:42] 11. Nothin' Could Be Better
[2:54] 12. Jump, Children


Personnel: MIKE DOWLING (guitars, vocals), MARK SCHATZ (bass), BOB HOBAN (piano), PAUL ANASTACIO (fiddle). VASSAR CLEMENTS (fiddle), BEATS WORKIN' MEN'S CHOIR (background vocals).

Masterful, versatile guitarist and singer songwriter Mike Dowling is truly a player's player. Dowling's new CD release was recorded with a band of Nashville pickers including Mark Schatz on bass and fiddling great Vassar Clements. Bluegrass Unlimited, while issuing a disclaimer that "Beats Workin'" surely isn't bluegrass... "It's not even close, except that it swings, it's jazzy, it's bluesy, it jumps, strides and rags and it reaches right out and grabs you..." pronounced the album a 'pure delight'. When you've experienced this lively mix of Dowling originals and country blues and swing classics, you will too.

Beats Workin'

Mo' Albums...
• Errol Linton - Mama Said
• Herb Ellis - Thank You, Charlie Christian

Oznake: Mike Dowling, Bluegrass, Acoustic Blues

Vassar Clements - Grass Routes

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 33:21
Size: 76.4 MB
Styles: Traditonal bluegrass
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Beats Me
[2:07] 2. Westport Drive
[2:15] 3. Come On Home
[2:34] 4. Florida Blues
[3:51] 5. The Other End
[2:41] 6. Rain, Rain, Rain
[2:41] 7. Ramblin'
[3:01] 8. Rounder Blues
[2:44] 9. Fiddlin' Will
[3:33] 10. Non Stop
[2:56] 11. Flame Of Love
[1:38] 12. Turkey In The Straw


Vassar Clements is considered one of the world's finest and most versatile fiddle players. His career began at a very early age. His phenomenal ability to virtually play any kind of music (bluegrass, country, pop, rock, jazz and swing) has garnered him various awards, including five Grammy nominations and a track record that involves multitudes of recording performances.

This album shows why Clements is one of the greatest fiddlers in modern country music. ~Mark A. Humphrey

Vassar Clements - Fiddle, Lead Vocals; Jesse McReynolds - Mandolin; Roy Huskey, Jr. - Bass; J.D. Crowe - Banjo; David Grier - Guitar; Buddy Spicher - Second Fiddle (some cuts); Harley Allen - Harmony Vocal; Jim & Jesse McReynolds - vocals on "Fiddlin' Will" and "Flame of Love".

Grass Routes

Mo' Albums...
• Jimmy Reed - 2 albums: The Legend-The Man / Blues Is My Business
• Back Porch Blues - Back To Basics

Oznake: Bluegrass, Vassar Clements

Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back

Notes: With the upcoming release of their new album, Carry Me Back, it looks like Old Crow Medicine Show have retaken the mantle of American roots music superstars, and they’re doing so by going back to their roots as a tough-as-nails old-timey stringband. After 2008?s disappointing Tennessee Pusher, and after a hiatus from touring over band members leaving and returning, it’s about damn time! The only downside to the new album is that it doesn’t really reflect the current lineup of the group. Since Carry Me Back was recorded, founding members Critter Fuqua and Ketch Secor have been reunited after years of separation. Founding member Willie Watson has parted ways with the group, as has mandolinist Cory Younts, and though you won’t hear him on this album, old-time fiddle prodigy Chance McCoy has now joined the band. But so what? We’ll be happy when a newer album comes out with the current lineup, of course, but this one will tide us over nicely until then.
Newer member, songwriter Gill Landry, remains on Carry Me Back, and on the new album has more of a hand in the songwriting, which is good news. Landry was an amazing signing for the group, though it went largely unnoticed by national press. Originally Cajun, Landry should be well known to any roots music fan in the Northwest from his solo work and his work with the legendary street performing jugband The Kitchen Syncopators. Their last album, Underwood, now sadly out of print, is one of my favorite roots music releases of the past decade. Hands down. It’s that good. Check out this interview by Chris Mateer of No Depression to get a better idea of who Gill Landry is. On the new album, Gill takes on the beautiful and rather sad song “Genevieve,” and I believe brings in a Syncopators song, “Steppin’ Out.” Anyways, I’m not clear on all the politics behind these changes, but it sure looks to me like Old Crow’s circling the wagons and focusing inwards on what they do best: punked-out stringband music.
On Carry Me Back, the group sounds more acoustic than ever, focusing on the hordes of banjo, guit-jos, and banjo-what-have-yous that gives them much of their rhythmic punch. Ketch Secor’s rough-as-fuck fiddling is back, which was always one of my favorite parts of the band. In truth, this album is seriously folkie. It sounds like a 21-st century version of Woody Guthrie’s vision, all hopped up on populist pride and pissed-off that times they aren’t a-changin’. “Half Mile Down” sounds like a 70s folk stringband, but the lyrics rage against flooded valleys from government dams. “We Don’t Grow Tobacco,” one of the best tracks on the album, sounds like a drunken barroom brawl and focuses its energy on out-of-work farmers. “I will chop that wicked weed/til my hands and fingers bleed/Workin’ like a mule/maybe more... And I sure am sad to say/We don’t grow tobacco ‘round here no more.” But it’s not all working-class politics. Old Crow Medicine Show cut their teeth on slice-of-life Southern folk songs and there’s plenty of that too, from the title track “Carry Me Back” which sounds like an Appalachian old-time song to “Steppin’ Out,” which could have just as easily been recorded by the Memphis Jug Band back in the day. On other bands, this kind of Southern nostalgia would come off as a bit forced, but the beauty of Old Crow Medicine Show is that they’re having too much goddamn fun to care, and their infectious joy in their own music swings the listener along with them. It’s good to have you back, boys!

Oznake: Old Crow Medicine Show, String Bands, Americana, Contemporary Folk, Bluegrass