IM: WHUSDJ
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Hard to believe it, but another year has come to an end. For the last couple of years, I’ve put together a list that includes some of my favorite BG recordings that have been received at WHUS over the previous twelve months. My standard disclaimer for this “Best of” list remains: I am one person with one opinion, and I will admit up front that my ear tends to favor the more traditional sounds in the Bluegrass. Consider this list to be full of listening “suggestions” for you – nothing more.
Of the nearly 90 CDs we received during 2012 at WHUS, here are the ones that I’ve really enjoyed. They are listed in alphabetical order – not by order of preference:
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AMERICAN DRIVE – “American Drive” (Rural Rhythm) : Banjo legend J.D. Crowe announced last spring that he was going to retire from the road at the end of 2012. The members of his band (J.D. Crowe & the New South) decided that they were not really of retirement age, and wanted to continue on the road. The story goes that Crowe told these fellows – Rickey Wasson, Dwight McCall, Matt DeSpain, Kyle Perkins -- that they were quite welcome to keep the New South name and repertoire, but collectively, this group decided to venture out on its own. Thus, this new band – American Drive – made its debut at IBMA in late September, and received a great reception. Their self-titled debut recording on Rural Rhythm was released right around the time of IBMA, and the songs have been well-received. Even though the band isn’t quite a year old, they have already undergone a personnel change: Justin Jenkins played banjo on the CD and at the IBMA showcases in September, but Josh Hymer assumed the banjo duties in late October. We’ll see what 2013 holds for this new band of veterans…
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BOB AMOS – “Borrowed Time” (Bristlecone) : For several years, Bob Amos fronted the Colorado-based, IBMA award winning band, Front Range. In 2005, he moved to Vermont, and put music on the back burner, but the pull of music never completely goes away. This year’s self-produced “Borrowed Time” is a delight, and (mostly) features music that has been written by Bob Amos. We look forward to hearing more from Bob in 2013 and beyond.
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BALSAM RANGE – “Papertown” (Mountain Home) : What a year 2012 has been for this band! After their song, “Trains I Missed,” was named Song of the Year at IBMA in 2011, it seemed like the sky was the limit for this North Carolina-based band. Then, a freak accident in March 2012 left their lead singer/fiddler, Buddy Melton, wondering if he’d ever be able to sing ever again. Fortunately for all of us, Buddy made a terrific recovery, and “Papertown” is likely the band’s best recording yet. So far, it’s made several Top lists for 2012, and you can be sure you’ll keep hearing plenty of music from this band on our airwaves at WHUS. One of these years, I’d love to see this band perform in New England, but for now, I’ll just enjoy their records.
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CHRIS BRASHEAR – “Heart Of The Country” (Dog Boy Records) : Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/veterinarian Chris Brashear released this terrific recording back in August. While Chris does a lot of touring with Robin & Linda Williams, as well as in an occasional duet with guitar picker, Peter McLaughlin, this Jim Rooney-produced record lets him shine in his own right. An all-star cast of sidemen includes Tim O’Brien, Mike Compton, Peter McLaughlin, Todd Phillips, and Chris’s daughter, Hollis. Great stuff.
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FREEMAN & WILLIAMS – “Freeman & Williams” (Mountain Roads Recordings) : Husband and wife Johnny & Jeanette Williams joined multi-instrumentalist Scott Freeman to form this trio whose record was released very early in 2012. All are wonderful singers and performers, no doubt about it.
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MERL JOHNSON – “A Better Man” (Patuxent Music) : This fine recording features both instrumental and vocal numbers from a Virginia-born fiddler/mandolin picker. For a time, Johnson worked with Travers Chandler & Avery County, but clearly, he has the talent to lead his own band, as well.
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CHRIS JONES & THE NIGHT DRIVERS – “Lost Souls & Free Spirts: The Rebel Collection, Old And New” (Rebel) : Songwriter/bandleader/DJ Chris Jones has been in the BG business for a long time, and early in 2012, Rebel Records released this compilation that includes cuts from three of his previous Rebel CDs, as well as a couple of new songs. The older songs are great, but it still stymies why “Final Farewell” (co-written by Chris Jones and Night Drivers’ bass man, Jon Weisberger) was not nominated for IBMA Song of the Year in 2012. This is a great song, and you need to hear it…often.
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KATHY KALLICK BAND – “Time” (Live Oak Records) : Another fine recording from one of the most unique voices in BG. Kathy’s a great singer, but she lets her other band members shine, too. Mighty fine!
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LONESOME RIVER BAND – “Chronology” [3 volumes] (Rural Rhythm) : 2012 marks 30 years of the Lonesome River Band, and while none of the current band members were part of the group when it made its debut in 1982, current front man/banjo picker Sammy Shelor has been with LRB since 1990. To celebrate their 30 years, the current members re-recorded a bunch of tunes from the band’s song catalog on these three CDs; one song from Volume 1 (“Angeline The Baker”) was named IBMA Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year in 2012. What a great way to mark an anniversary!
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JOE MULLINS & THE RADIO RAMBLERS – “They’re Playing My Song” (Rebel) : Winners of the 2012 IBMA Emerging Act of the Year, this band released their third record for Rebel in October. So far, it’s been doing very well on the various BG charts – look for them at Vermont’s Jenny Brook BG Festival in June.
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DANNY PAISLEY & THE SOUTHERN GRASS – “The Road Into Town” (Patuxent Music) : Perhaps one of my personal most-anticipated recordings in 2012, and this latest record from Danny Paisley just doesn’t disappoint. If you’re a fan of straight ahead, traditional BG, you can’t go wrong with Danny – end of story.
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JEFF PARKER – “Go Parker!” (Lonesome Day Records) : While Parker generally gets to cut up a teensy bit in his “regular gig” with Dailey & Vincent, this CD lets him shine on his own.
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MARTY RAYBON – “Southern Roots & Branches” (Rural Rhythm) : Lots of country singers have tried to make BG records when their country sales have started to slip (or totally dried up years ago). Marty Raybon is able to make the transition to BG, though, as he seems to be the “real deal.”
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LOU REID & CAROLINA – “Callin’ Me Back Home” (KMA Records) : This has been a super-successful recording for Lou & Carolina – both the record and the single (“Carolina Moonshine Man”) have hit the #1 position on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey. Nice.
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KARL SHIFLETT & BIG COUNTRY SHOW – “Take Me Back” (Pinecastle) : To my mind, KSBC has always been more enjoyable as a stage band than as a recording band. This CD, though, is really very good – and even more notable to us in eastern CT, as our own Dany Bureau is featured on the record playing the scrub board – a nice, scratchy rhythm, in the best way possible.
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SPECIAL CONSENSUS – “Scratch Gravel Road” (Compass Records) : A Grammy nominee in the “Best Bluegrass Recording” category, and very enjoyable.
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SPINNEY BROTHERS – “Memories” (Mountain Fever Records) : If you listen to the show on a regular basis, you likely know we’re pretty fond of these Canadian brothers. While Allan and Rick Spinney have been making records for nearly 20 years, this is their American, major label debut, and they’ve had great success with it…if you count having a #2 song on the National Bluegrass Survey as “success.” I sure do.
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VARIOUS – “Close Kin” (Mountain Roads Recordings) : The subtitle of this record is “A Reunion of Bluegrass and Old-Time Music,” and that is a perfect description. There are both BG and old-time performers, and the music is very infectious.
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VARIOUS – “Life Goes On” (Rural Rhythm) : This is the second 2-CD recording featuring performances from the annual Musicians Against Childhood Cancer Festival that's held in Ohio every July. These CDs feature LOTS of great songs and groupings, and both discs are well worth a listen, if only for the fact that there’s a version of “Goodbye To The Blues” attributed to the well-loved and fondly-remembered Johnson Mountain Boys in this set.
Special mention goes to a couple of recordings from musicians who were former bandmates: Massachusetts native David Peterson has a new recording he’s self-released late in 2012 called, “Simplicity.” As the title implies, this is a bare bones CD – just Dave, his guitar, and very few other instruments (and only then on a couple of cuts). The song selection is a mix of gospel and more traditional tunes, and if you like good singing without a lot of fancy instrumentation, this is the recording for you. Meanwhile, the former mandolin player in David’s band, 1946, has his own CD now, too. Technically, Mickey Boles released his gospel recording, “Let My Feet Go Runnin’,” in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2012 that we received it at WHUS. Mickey’s a fine singer, and has written a couple of the songs found on this CD, too. Both discs are very enjoyable, and do well to round out our year-end list.
In the Bluegrass world, 2012 was a year to say goodbye to some terrific performers we can never forget, including Mike Auldridge, Doug Dillard, Andy Griffith, Everett Lilly, Earl Scruggs, and Doc Watson, as well as New England Bluegrass legends, Sam Tidwell and Allan “Mac” McHale. But it wasn’t all bad news in 2012, either. Jim and I both got to talk to some really great musicians and personalities on the air during the year, including Eddie & Martha Adcock, Fred Bartenstein on Josh Graves, Travers Chandler, Eric Gibson, Doyle Lawson, David Peterson, and Rick Spinney, and Jim welcomed a few in-studio guests in the form of a few local musicians, including, Nick Anderson, Monty McLanahan, and Dick Bowden.
In 2013, we look forward to a lot more great moments and great music at the Bluegrass Cafe (new CDs from both the Spinney Brothers AND the reigning IBMA Entertainers of the Year -- the Gibson Brothers -- early in the year!), and we sure hope you’ll make a resolution to join us whenever you can.
Happy New Year!
Amy