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"iBluegrass "  review on "Quicksand"

Reprinted from the March 1999 Issue of " iBluegrass "

"Quicksand"

Tricopolis Records  (TRCD-002)  personnel: Mike Nadolson - guitar & vocals/ Dennis Caplinger - banjo, fiddle & bass/ David Dias - dobro/ Kenny Blackwell - mandolin/ John Moore - mandolin/  Bob Applebaum - mandolin/ Walden Dahl - vocals/ Dean Knight - vocals/ David Richardson - vocals.

Smokey Mountain Home/ I Know My Way To You By Heart/ Nine Pound Hammer/Quicksand/ Muddy Waters/ Kentucky Girl/ You Won't Ever Forget Me/ RedHaired Boy/ Someone Took My Place With You/ Cabin Of Love/ Uphill Climb/In The Gravel Yard.

Bluegrass from the West Coast has a sound all its own.  It's a deeply layered sound that is based more on contemporary vibes than one is bound to find on the right side of the Rockies.  Mike Nadolson takes this approach to his manner of performance to the hilt in Quicksand.

Quicksand is a laid back collection of music that sneaks up on you. Nadolson has a mellow vocal style that brings out the more delicate moods in his music.  Thus, the cream of the crop on this one is found in the slower numbers like "Muddy Waters."  This particular song requires a vocalist who is capable of setting down the lyrics with insight.  Nadolson fits right into this style yet offers a hint of sorrow for taste in the presentation.  But this is a song of several levels.  There are voices of despair in the background.   The moan of the unseen characters in the song are aptly presented by Dennis Caplinger's smooth and sorrowful fiddle work and echoed when David Dias joins in on dobro.  Thus, Nadolson's work is amplified by the voices of the instruments making "Muddy Waters" even more
of a powerful number.  Nadolson's approach to traditional tunes works in a different manner.  He sets down "Nine Pound Hammer" in a swinging manner rather than the abrupt style that usually accompanies the tune.  This alteration of style doesn't take away from the song, rather is gives an old war-horse another color to it's credit.

Mike Nadolson is neither a youthful wunderkind or a self indulgent generation X player pushing the music beyond its boundaries.  Nadolson presents his music as a dreamscape with a folkish twist.  He works with his band for the betterment of the music.  One might say that Mike Nadolson has a knack for picking songs that suit his talent.  I would counter that Nadolson has the talent to bring out the best in the songs he performs. Quicksand doesn't scale any new walls.  It just presents bluegrass as a contemporary vehicle of expression. -Steve Romanoski

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