"Live at the Cellar Door" - one of Bluegrass music's great albums?

When I try and figure out how I got so involved in traditional music, and the albums (yes all vinyl in those days) that led me down that road there are a few that stand out.   It was a slippery slope from The Doors, Beatles, Alice Cooper, and The Dead to Bill Monore and Uncle's Earl and Dave, and beyond to Irish Trad.   Some of the early influences after the Dead were David Bromberg, The Flying Buritto Brothers, Gram Parsons, and the New Riders.    They all drew heavily from traditional music.    Then came "Will the Circle be Unbroken" which opened many doors.    But one album stood out back in then - the Seldom Scene's "Live at the Cellar Door".   I wore that one out from 100's of plays.   It led me to many other bands and musicians and gave me a footprint for how I would want to perform and play.



 If you didn't like Bluegrass before listening to this, you will after.    I don't think there has been a more perfect blend of musicians performing bluegrass since this band.  Most studio recordings never have the same energy and intimacy as a live performance, and this album catches the band at it's peak.   Unlike many other Bluegrass performers (if you have ever sat through a Doyle Lawson sound check you know what I mean) , they come across on this album as a great group of funny guys.    You want to hang out and listen and get to know them better.



John Duffy was just beginning to become known to me as a mandolin player, via Jack Tottle's instruction book "Bluegrass Mandolin"  so I had to find a recording and this was it.    On the recording one of band members calls him Eric Clapton of the mandolin and the title fits.   He is not a traditional player, although solidly in the Monroe school, he picks up influences from all forms of music.   His high tenor was one of the best in Bluegrass - and the choice of "It's all over Baby Blue" by Dylan is the perfect blend of modern material in a traditional setting, with a vocal interpretation that Dylan could never achieve.  It's still one of my favorite all time tracks.  



Mike Auldridge really brought the Dobro into the Bluegrass setting - although he'll never match Jerry Douglas for lifetime recordings, he set the standard as to how to use the Dobro in Bluegrass and is in top form on this album.  His tasty intro's and the beautiful backup fills show how the Dobro was meant to be played, not to mention the breaks.



Ben Eldridge has to be the most underrated banjo player in Bluegrass, but stands tall on this album.    He is present, yet not the overbearing, dominating type of player that many Bluegrass banjo players have come to be.   I love the fact that he keeps the part in where he loses a pick during his break on "Hit Parade of Love" and comes back and nails it.   In fact, not many  bluegrass bands were doing songs like that back then - the Seldom Scene were among the pioneers of  the trend.



John  Starling also was also and underrated member of the group, and contributes fine leads and harmony vocals throughout, especially on "The Fields have turned Brown".   A surgeon by day, one wonders how he found time to play with such a hot group but I'm sure glad he did.



Tom Gray was the most well known bluegrass bass players of his day, and shines on this album.   His solo on "Grandfathers Clock" set the standard for bass players, and probably is why that tune has become a jam standard - so the bass player can get his licks in.



What really set them apart was their choice of material - a healthy respect for traditional bluegrass - numbers like Monroe's "Rawhide" (the bluegrass mandolin players "Stairway to Heaven") and "Will the Circle be Unbroken" - with a heavy infusion of modern material - Steve Goodmans "City of New Orleans", "Baby Blue", and maybe the first bluegrass jam song recorded - the Dead's  "I Know You Rider".    This album was perhaps the first and best to bridge the divide and show that good music is good music and can be performed and played in any style.    They blazed the path that many of today's performers - Alison Kraus, Chris Theile, the Grascals, et al.  are now on.   



If you don't have this in your collection get it - even if you are not a fan of Bluegrass!

Oh Danny Boy - or how I now love a song I used to hate?

St Patricks day is almost upon us and I've been filling my head with Irish music and playing a lot of Irish gigs lately, with plenty more to come.   One thing that always annoys me about this time of year is all the play the "Irish Tourist" music seems to get - the "Tu Ra Lura Lura",  "Molly Malone" and worst of all the ubiquitous "Danny Boy".    All get played way to much and real Irish Music doesn't get the play it should.

I was practicing for one of the many upcoming gigs our local Irish group "Craobh Dugan" was playing, and wanted to see if I could come up with a mandolin solo - a nice air with lots of double stop and tremolo, and started to noodle around a bit.   The tune to Danny Boy came right out!   It was so ingrained in my brain that I played it well after just a couple of times through.  And I started to like the way it sounded on the mandolin.   So I kept at it and soon had a nice little solo going in C, then modulate up to D, and finally A that I was real happy with.  

What I did not expect is what a hook that tune put in me!  I can't stop playing it now - every time I pick up the mandolin (which is usually at least once a day) I have to play it, and I'm having fun doing it!!!

So being the musical historian that I am, once the thing hooked me I wanted to learn more about the song and tune and it's roots.    It may be old fashioned, but I went to the library and found an excellent book -  "Danny Boy - the Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad" by Malachy McCourt.   I read it in one sitting.   It's a nice history of the tune and where it came from (the tune is the Londonderry Air - and many attribute it to an unknown blind fiddler - but it was published in a tune book in 1855 so it could have been composed) and how an English lawyer (Frederick Weatherly) used that tune with words he had already written. He had actually written the words several years before he had heard the tune, and his sister in law suggested he try Danny Boy with this tune.   The rest is history - and if you like this sort of stuff the book is an excellent and fast read.

I also wanted to see if I could catch a nice instrumental version on youtube and Danny Boy has to be the most covered song on the site.   There are 100's, if not thousands of versions and though I went looking for an instrumental (and found a great one in Maynard Ferguson's version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4EAqOBt8f0 ) I did not expect the vocal versions to grab me so.  After all, it was the tune that had the hook in me........

I listened to the Johnny Cash version (I would have this one played at my funeral), Eva Cassidy (what a voice, so sad), Joan Baez (Great voice, annoying piano), Elvis (Did he cut this in Vegas a year before he died - what a voice - but too much clutter on the track), Judy Garland (its worth the wait to hear her hit the high note), Bing Crosby (The perfect Irish Crooner version - you can almost see Barry Fitzgerald and Bing in Going my Way), Roy Orbison (you have to wait a bit, but worth it), Colm Wilkenson (a nice soft and smooth version), George Benson (tasty guitar), Eric Clapton (very very tasty acoustic guitar), and on and on.

My favorite versions were an odd couple - Sinead O'Conner and Slim Whitman.  Sinead sings it acapella and softly forcing you to pay full attention. She feels this one, and shows respect for the song and tune all the way through.   Might bring a tear.     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSjvLG7IJAI

Slim - well I did not expect Danny Boy to a country rhythm would be worth a long listen, it works and give a totally different feel to the song and tune!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KL-B-qB_rY

So I'll be playing the Londonderry Aire a lot this month, and also diggin for more versions of a great song!!

The Rockridge Brothers CD - "No Sleep Till Rockridge"

Claire and I had the privilege to host the Rockridge Brothers ( The Rockridge Brothers are: Peter Frovik on guitar, Ralf Fredblad on the fiddle, Kristian Herner on the banjo and Pontus Juth on double bass) last summer, and we had a wonderful time getting to know Kristian, Ralf, Pontus, and Peter.   The visit was way too short, but we packed a lot of music in with a great garage concert that was highlighted in one of my earlier blogs.   Here's a link if you are interested

http://billfahys.blogspot.com/2012/01/summer-2011-rockridge-brothers-hit-town.html

However, they left us with a gift - their just released CD "No Sleep till Rockridge" which we have been enjoying ever since.  I've also loaded it up to my ipod, and it gets heavy rotation there.    An old time band from Stockholm Sweden playing traditional American music as good as many of the masters - how cool is that?

Recently, I received a copy of the Old Time Herald and there was a review of the CD.   It was mostly favorable, but I felt a lot of the reviewers comments perhaps a bit harsh and that overall the review did not do justice to the CD.

First - this is one very talented group of musicians.  The level of skill they have attained on their instruments is as good as any of the top touring US Old Time Bands I've heard.   I'm not comparing them to Bluegrass Acts, though they would hold up well compared to most, because the Brothers choose to present their music in the traditional Old Time Style.

  

What sets them apart from many Old Time Bands is the energy level they push out to the listener.   They don't sit back and play - when necessary they attack the song or tune in a manner that forces attention.  They draw you in.    They have the energy level of any Bluegrass band I've heard.

I also like the fact that they are not slaves to tradition - they respect the music form, but do not feel the need to copy note for note how the old timers played a tune, or sang a song.   To me the mark of a truly great musician is the ability to make a song or tune their own, even if they have not written it.   (Bob Dylan lamented on his radio show recently that most songwriters today do not write for others to interpret, and we are losing a lot of great music).   The Rockridge Brothers know how to interpret the music so it's still not just  Old Time, but Rockridge Old Time.   Check out their version of "Wild Bill Jones" - that is now the standard for me.

The vocals are tight and the harmonies perfect - which is welcome to me,  as I can't say that about most Old Time vocals.   You can tell these boys have played together a long, long, time.    I like the fact that they don't go for the High Lonesome Sound.   The lower range makes them sound raw and pure, not strained falsetto.   Most Old Time Bands working the circuit would love to be able to put our vocals like this.   If more did I think Old Time Music would draw more fans.

The cuts range from the high energy opener - the classic "John Henry"  to the thoroughly enjoyable ballad "Wayfaring Stranger"  (my favorite on the disc)   showing their range from hard driving in your face, to a slow peaceful ballad.   Most of the songs and tunes are real toe tappers though.   

If you are a fan of Old Time or Bluegrass I think you'll like this CD!   My only complaint was that I could not find it on CD Baby, but we are living in a digital world, so you can go to itunes and get it there.   Plus itunes has a bonus track - Tamlin - love the slow guitar banjo intro!!!! (Rachel did you have anything to do with that?)

Old Time Music need more bands like the Rockridge Brothers!!!!!!!