Now Playing: Charlie & Jensen (2020)

The sophomore, self-titled album from Charlie & Jensen is now available. Just as with their first album this one blends original and classic tracks. Hunter Beasley (Charlie) and Luke Wright (Jensen) switch between Mandocello, Guitar, Mandolin and Tenor Guitar combos to give each track a bespoke feel. 

The second track, a cover of Richard Thompson Bee's Wing is more sublime than the original. 

Their cover of Bill Monroe's Jerusalem Ridge is traditional where is counts but just clean enough to make it seem fresh. 

The third cover song, Leonard Cohen's Tonight Will Be Fine, is melodious and wistful in a way the original never was. 

The remaining tracks, all originals, are all worth the price of admission. 

The Standouts tacks:

• Oxley Park Reel (Track 10) -  which starts out kind of underselling itself before letting it all hang out.   
• Breakfast (Track 1) and Mandolin (Track 7) - The fun tracks
• Beyond Braidwood (Track 3) - of all the tracks this seems the most emotional. 

There is a lot to love on this album, have a listen at bandcamp:

Live Music: Knott Family Band

Well my steak was overcooked and the atmosphere was far from the best but at least the band more than made up for the mediocre venue.

The guy I was camping next to at Dorrigo mentioned seeing the Knott Family Band and really liking them. So when I saw that they were playing a Sunday afternoon gig within cooee I headed out for some lunch and music.

It was one of those pub gigs that I guess all bands have from time to time, where the crowed was bigger than the audience and only a handful of those were intentionally there for the band. There was a big 21st birthday group in and lets just say some of them needed to go home. The band however, did a great job of getting on with the job and most of those drinking, eating and listening got a good show.

I has happy to have made the drive when the second or third song was personal (and traditional) favourite Whiskey Before Breakfast. The rest of the gig was a mix of old and new tunes and one improvised Wiggles tune for an enthusiastic toddler who was showing an interest in the band. The 21st birthday party was propitiated with a bluegrass rendition of Happy Birthday. In a serendipitous moment I was just thinking I'd like to hear their take on Hang Me (or I’ve Been All Around This World) when that was the exactly next song they played. I'll certainly be following the band online in case they pop up nearby again soon and can hopefully catch them in a better environment like a festival or the like sometime.

I grabbed the band's self titled EP during one of their breaks and its well worth a listen (See below).
I particularly like tracks 4 and 6 Bury Me Beneath the Wiloow and Two Wrens.

 

Banjo 365 - Lets give it a year...

Lets give it a year and see how it goes. Twelve months ago I got a Banjo and other than the occasional strum and pluck its not really come out the case all that much. So today I'm starting what I'm calling Banjo365, a little project to see how far I can get with clawhammer banjo in one year.

I'm starting from more or less nothing, not even a bum ditty, I'm aiming for a, somewhat passable, rendition of Cripple Creek and similar.

I've worked on it a little in December but with New Years Day approaching it seems time to fish or cut bait.

T-minus 365.

Task 1 - Putting the bum into bum ditty.

Now Playing: The East Pointers - What We Leave Behind (2017)

I first LISTENED to The East Pointers on Youtube, I first HEARD OF the East Pointers in the newspaper. I just happened to read an article in passing about a then upcoming gig at Lizotte's so googled them to see what they were like. What I found was two great sets on YouTube from the Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2017. That was enough for me to book a table and shlep to Lizotte's to see them live.

As we do at such events, I grabbed their most recent album What We Leave Behind after the show. As it was available I grabbed the vinyl LP (with code of free digital download). I recently got a new needle for my record player and to test it out I picked this LP for a spin. Naturally this reminded me I had not posted about the The East Pointers here yet.

This is their second album and like their first has a decent bit of Australian inspired music considering the Canadian origins of the band.

I can't imagine how a TV producer for Channel 9 has not yet discovered the track 82 fires and used it as the backing for an emotional montage of bushfire footage at the end of the news. This song is the most Folk Pop track on the album which is an otherwise celtic infused contemporary folk record. The best word to describe the album as a whole is emotional. Indeed that is the first word that comes to mind when attempting to describe any individual track. What changes from track to track is the emotion being expressed.  Tanglewood, Party Wave and Pour Over are joyful instrumentals. Two Weeks is a lament. What We Leave Behind is the contemplative instrumental as is, to some extent, The Crossing.  John Wallace tells a sad tale and Hid In Your Heart is a sad parting.

Musically there is so much to love here. Tim Chaisson (Fiddler and singer), Koady Chaisson (Tenor Banjoist) and Jake Charron (Guitarist) have created a wonderful blending of instrumentals and poignant lyrical tracks.

Check it out online, listen to short samples below or on the spotify app for the full tracks.

More Than Twice 55 Community Songs.

Picked this up in an antique shop this weekend. 

Originally published in the early 20th century (maybe in 1917) the forward makes for interesting reading.

The song list includes an eclectic range of music that includes some old time and folk tunes from America and Britain.

Now Playing: Get up in the Cool Vol. 1 (2017)

I posted about the Get Up in the Cool podcast already. When I caught host Cameron DeWhitt playing at a pub in Newcastle I grabbed a couple of copies of the related CDs. This CD (Vol.1) is more or less a mixtape featuring the show's best performances from 2016.

The tracks are edited together so that, much like the podcast itself, you feel a bit like the fly on the wall at an old time jam. The eclectic nature of the podcast means this album is full of variety with different styles, voices and instruments taking the spotlight from track to track. That said, the presence of Cameron's particular style of banjo playing gives the album a unified quality.

Top tracks Hang Me (with Luke Chohany), Billy in the Lowground (with Brad Kolodner) and Rolling River (with Jake Blount).

It's possible I got one of the last physical copies (or at least one of the last physical copies he had in Australia).

It is however available online or listen here below:

Dorrigo Top 10

I intend to make more posts about individual acts from the 2018 Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival but as I intent to space those out I thought a quick Top 10 post, while my memory is fresh, might be a good idea.

#10 - Honey and Knives  - 5-piece folk band. I caught the end of a set. If I had the chance I'd have liked to hear more so they sneak in at number 10.

#9 - Fireside Celts & Friends - “Fireside Celts” are a seven piece group that interweave Scottish Smallpipes with guitar, keyboard, fiddle, cello, whistles, harmonium, banjo, vocal and a variety of Celtic percussion to voice Scottish and Irish melodies. A highlight of their set was a reading of Henry Lawson's Scots of the Riverina with accompaniment.

#8 - Bluegrass Junction - South Australia's premier bluegrass band. Full post may follow.

#7 - Cameron DeWhitt - Clawhammer banjoist and Old Time musician living in Philadelphia. He hosts the weekly podcast Get Up in the Cool which I Posted on already.

#6 - Liam Gerner - More of a blues and country musician but, as I'll post about sometime, he earned this spot in the list with just one song. Watch this space. 

#5 - Hoot and Holler - Guitarist Mark Kilianski and fiddler Amy Alvey. Like Liam Gerner they won me over with one song and then kept it going with some great traditional tunes.

#4 - Jeff Scroggins & Colorado - Appalachian vocals, solid and energetic rhythm, and a fun stage banter that delighted the crowd (as advertised). Full post to follow.

#3 - John Reischman & Eli West - John is the best mandolinists I've personally seen live and Eli complements him so well. Full post may follow.

#2 - Dosca - Posted about already Sixpiece ensemble of bagpipes, flute, fiddle, guitar, bass and drums. A fine Scottish folk acts. 

#1 - Charlie & Jensen - Posted about already. They really made my weekend so get the top spot on this list.