The Steep Canyon Rangers are a bluegrass band from North Carolina. They are one of the first strictly bluegrass bands I have blogged about so far. The Bluegrass community doesn't accept bands like The Avett Brothers and even Trampled by Turtles who are often considered "New grass." The Steep Canyon Rangers have five members along with their frequent guest Steve Martin. Steve Martin plays banjo with the Steep Canyon Rangers on various tour dates and festivals along with playing on their album "Rare Bird Alert."
The band has released seven albums since they began in 2001 without Steve Martin, one with him, and have a new album "Love Has Come For You" which is planned to be released April, 23, 2013.
The Steep Canyon Rangers have a sound that ranges anywhere from a Flatt's and Scruggs sound like on "Jubilation Day" to music that sounds like it could be on today's "country" stations like "Long Shot." Long shots lyrics remind me of today's country music while the backing instruments are bluegrass (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, stand up bass, and guitar.) Jubilation day has comical lyrics they sound as if they were from a Steve Martin comedy act with a very old timey Appalachian sound.
Long Shot
Jubilation Day
The band 5 full time members are Wood Platt on guitar and lead vocals, Graham Sharp on banjo and backing vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin and backing vocals, Charles R. Humphrey III on bass and backing vocals, and Nicky Sanders on fiddle and backing vocals. The instruments are fit for a typical bluegrass band. With an always evolving sound, already possessing a Grammy, and the appearances of Steve Martin this is a band that people should pay attention to in the through their career.
Today I will be talking about a less known band that has a lot of potential. Spirit Family Reunion was the opening act when I saw Trampled by Turtles on December 6th. Their band consists of six members that play old timey American music fast or slow. Nick Panken (vocals/guitar), Maggie Carson (vocals/banjo), Stephen Weinheimer (vocals/bass drum/washboard/tambourine), Mat Davidson (fiddle/accordion), Ken Woodward (vocals/bass), and Peter Pezzimenti (vocals/drums).
The instruments consist of guitar, fiddle, accordian, standup bass, drums, banjo, and a washboard. Yes, they use a washboard! Their instrument choice is one of the reasons they have such a unique sound the washboard adds a fantastic rhythm to their music along with the drum and bass while the fiddle and banjo fill the songs in with speedy runs.
Green Rocky Road- Spirit Family Reunion
On top of all of their instrumental talent their singing abilities are phenomenal! Mat Davidson singing abilities and range may be the best that I have ever heard, and the ability of the whole group harmonizing has a true bluegrass feel.
If you were to assume that this group was from Kentucky or West Virginia from their style you would be wrong. They actually started playing on street corners and subways in New York City. With help from other more established bands such as Trampled by Turtles they are finally on their way to getting the recognition they have worked for and truly deserve.
The Dropkick Murphys aren't your typical band with a banjo as one of their instruments of choice. They are considered an American celtic rock band and use a variety of instruments such as guitar, drums, bagpipes, accordian, mandolin, tin whistle, banjo, bodhran, and the bouzouki.
Tin Whistle:
Bodhran:
Bouzouki:
The Dropkick murphys have gone through 14 members in the 17 years they have been a band. They now have 7 members which has remained the same since 2008. Eight albums have been released by DKM since they began in 1996. Dropkick Murphys have a hard rock sound but they use their folk style instruments. I believe this is what makes them stand out from the other hard rock and punk bands.
DKM was able to reach out to a larger audience when their song "I'm Shipping up to Boston" was used in the soundtrack on the academy award winning movie "The Departed"which was filled with famous actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg.
(I'm shipping up to boston above)
Dropkick Murphys featured Mumford and Sons banjo player Winston Marshall on their song Rose Tattoo on their most recent album Signed and Sealed in Blood. Signed and Sealed in Blood peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Album chart.
(Rose Tattoo above)
DKM are the type of band you have to give a chance to grow on you. By listening to full albums and getting to really know their music, songs like "I'm shipping up to Boston", "Rose Tattoo", and one of my personal favoties "State of Massachusetts" attract potential fans but their full albums will show you how great they truly are.
Old Crow Medicine show is unlike many other newer bands around now. With an old timey bluegrass sound that resembles a band from the great depression era they have released eight studio albums and seven eps since their start in 1998.
Old Crow is best known for "their" song Wagon Wheel which originates from Bob Dylans (who is a major inspiration to the band) chorus of a song which was never recorded onto an album being used by Old Crow along with their own versus. But Bob Dylan credited the phrase "Rock me mama" to a blues musician Arthur Crudup. So the song Wagon Wheel was in the making for 85 years before it was ever put on an album. (The copyright of the song is shared 50/50 between Bob Dylan and Old Crows frontman Ketch Secor.)
Wagon Wheel
Ketch Secor, Gill Landry,Chance McCoy, Critter Fuqua, and Cory Younts all play multiple instruments on stage showing there true musical talent while Ben Gould keeps beat with his double bass and Kevin Hayes on the Guitjo. The Guitjo is a banjo crossed with a guitar, it is built like a banjo with the drum head and strings but is tuned like a guitar and has six strings.
(Kevin Hayes on the Guitjo shown above)
On October 26th I was able to see OCMS live at the LC Pavillion in Columbus. The venue was awesome and they put on a great show. Ketch Secor was talking to the crowd the whole time when he wasn't shredding on the fiddle. The banjo player leaned over the audience during a solo and I was less than five feet away. I plan on seeing them again sometime soon.
A band consisting of Seth Avett, Scott Avett, Bob Crawford,
Joe Kwon, and Jacob Edwards that deserve a genre of their own. With Scott’s
crazy improvisational banjo licks filling the openings between the poetic
lyrics and Seth’s inventive guitar rhythm they have truly earned their 2013
Grammy nomination for album of the year (The Carpenter).
Scott and Seth have played together every since they were
children and have made their musical evolution clear throughout their series of
seven albums and four EP’s that have an always changing style. From their first
EP (The Avett Bros.) in 2000 all the way to their most recent album (The
Carpenter) in 2012.
Their best album in my opinion would be Emotionalism which
consists of hits such as “Die Die Die”, “Paranoia in B-Flat Major” and “I Would
Be Sad” which is one of my personal
favorites.
Their most
recent album The Carpenter is a close second, for my favorite Avett Brothers
albums. With songs like “The Once and Future Carpenter”, “Live and Die”, and
“Paul Newman vs. The Demons” which demonstrates their ability to lean more
towards the rock spectrum of music.
Songs such as “Paranoia in B-Flat”, and “Live and Die” are
prime examples of Scott’s crazy improvisational banjo playing style which seem
to have no order or pattern throughout it but couldn’t fit any better
If you are familiar with reading guitar, banjo, bass or any
other form of tablature follow the link below to see for yourself the wild
banjo picking used in Live and Die:
Mumford & Sons are a very popular band consisting of Marcus Mumford (vocals,
guitar, mandolin), Winston Marshall (banjo, Dobro), Ben Lovett (keyboard,
and accordion), and Ted Dwayne (bass).
They have released
two albums and nine eps so far and have only been together since December of
2007. Their first album "Sigh No More" consists of 12 songs and has a slower
tempo then their second album "Babel" which is up for Grammy's Album of the year
at the moment.
The change of style
between Sigh No More and Babel is apparent. Babel is more Rock oriented than
Sigh No More which is more towards a folk style. Both Babel and Sigh No More are
great albums but in their own way. Sign No More has a better flow throughout the
album but less hits, while Babel has more hits and less flow through the album.
A bonus track on Babel is a cover of Simon and Garfunkels song the boxer and
features Jerry Douglas on Dobro.
This along with
the documentary "Big Easy Express" (a documentary of Edward Sharpe and
the Magnetic Zeroes, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Mumford & Sons on tour
across the country) are great examples of talented musicians working together to
create great music.
Between the release
of these two albums Mumford and Sons worked with Laura Marling (member of a band
Marcus and Ted were a part of before Mumford & Sons) and a band from India
on The Dharohar Project. This EP is a great example of a combination of
different styles of music and culture. With an open mind for different music
styles I believe many people would enjoy this four song extended play.
I have been trying
to see Mumford and Sons live for a few years no with no luck. They sell out
every show anywhere near my area in a matter of a couple days or even hours.
Dave Simonett on guitar, Erik Berry on mandolin, Tim Saxhaug on bass, Ryan Young on fiddle, and Dave Carroll on banjo started a bluegrass band in 2003 with a name like no other. Releasing their first album in Songs From A Ghost Town in 2004 and their most recent album Stars and Satellites in 2012 with 4 additional albums in between they have created their own style of bluegrass that I personally cannot stop listening to.
Dave Carroll their banjo player uses a unique, rarely seen style by using a guitar pick on a five string banjo instead of the traditional finger picks. He receives criticism from many older more traditional banjo players that believe the only way to play banjo is their way. Personally i believe having his own style makes it that much more great. By not following the beaten path he has found a sound,and style that he can call his own.
I was lucky enough to get the oppurtunity to see Trampled by Turtles in Cleveland 3 months ago. They put a phenominal show on jumping between fast and slow songs through out the show. The audience was great and I couldnt ask for a better indoor venue. They performed at the beachland ballroom which is a smaller venue which gave me the oppurtunity to stand close to the stage and have a great view throughout the whole show. And I hope for another chance to see them perform live again.
