Tricopolis Records-CD Reviews

Carry Me Across The Mountain
Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere
I Dreamed Of An Old Love Affair
Greens Fees
Think About You Every Day
Praise The Lord
Tiny Broken Heart
Please Dear Mommy
Be Assured
Faith Is A Mystery
Sunny Side Of The Mountain

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On both the front and back cover of Dan Tyminski’s new CD, Carry Me Across The Mountain, there is a picture of him grinning. Not a ‘look nice for the camera” smile, but the real thing. The kind of grin that says, “I haven’t had so fun since the hogs ate the neighbor’s cat”. You’ll understand why he’s grinning when you listen to his music. You’d look the same way if you could pick and sing like he does. Instrumentally, he’s crisp and smooth, equally at home on guitar or mandolin. His vocals stylistically range from ultra traditional to contemporary and he’s convincingly comfortable with all. Darn right he’s grinning.

Dan has been on the front lines of bluegrass for years, having been a member of The Lonesome River Band and Allison Krauss' Union Station. He’s also done session work for more big names in country and bluegrass than we have time to list. In addition to performing and recording, he’s an accomplished recording engineer and producer too. A lot of people in the music industry have looked forward to this release, knowing full well in advance that it would be a highly desirable production. They were right.

If I didn’t know anything at all about Dan Tyminski, I would still have been tempted to buy this CD because of the sidemen listed. How can anything be less than great with Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Allison Krauss, Ron Block, Jim Mills, Aubrey Haynie, Adam Steffey, Ron Stewart, and more. Everyone contributed fine performances.

The last song on the disk is “Sunny Side Of The Mountain” and it may possibly come the closest to actually defining the bluegrass sound as any music I’ve heard. Play it for those friends who ask, “What’s bluegrass music all about?”

If you’re a fan of the old time “brother” duets in the absolute rock solid traditional style, there is a treat for you on this CD in the cut “I Dreamed Of An Old Love Affair.” Dan sings tenor to his older brother Stan’s lead, their voices are genetically linked, it just may be the high point of the collection, and it left me grinning just like Dan.

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Ron Rigsby "Banjo On The Run"

RRRainbowRecords RRR 0210

By: Dale Desmuke
Tricopolis Staff

Desmuke@hotmail.com
July 10, 2000

Playing time: 35:53 Minutes

Banjo On The Run
Ghost Rider's
Blue Fiddle Waltz
Cumberland Gap
Blue Kentucky Mountains
Miss Amy
Haley Bird
Standing On The Mountain
The Price Is Right
Train 45 "Jumped The Track"
Taking The Backroad “JD’s”
The Young Man That Wouldn’t Hoe Corn
Mandolin Rain
Love There (While I’m Gone)

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Ron Rigsby does definitely play some serious banjo. And he is one fine singer.

There, now lets talk. Being a niche music, Bluegrass has seldom been able to support a musician in the way your typical everyday folk might like to live. For that reason alone, there are many talented musicians who never break out onto the national stage, choosing to have the day job and play locally. Then there are others who try reach beyond to other musical styles in search of acceptance or trying to use their talents to their fullest.

Bluegrass is a jealous parent wanting her children to hew to the family line and as divergent as the family tree may be it always is connected to the true vine. Ron Rigsby is one of those children with an exceptional musical talent who most of us outside of the inner circle have never heard. After trying for years to maintain a decent lifestyle for his family and also break into the country field, Ron gave it all up ten years ago.

Fortunately, he decided to come back. Here is an album with one idea – to display the talents of Ron Rigsby. It has two focal points though, there is the very smooth country-politan Ron and there is the straight ahead banjo picker Ron. If you lean towards the country in your bluegrass, you will definitely enjoy the vocal stylings, ably assisted by brother Don of Lonesome River Band fame. If you enjoy some fancy banjo picking you will enjoy Ron’s take on “Ghost Riders.” If you want some bedrock bluegrass banjo picking, you can’t beat “Cumberland Gap.”

I mentioned the inner circle who know how good a picker Ron is: Randy Howard, Rob Ickes, Ron's brother, Don Rigsby, Randy Barnes, Jason Carter and others.

Although Ron has been out of the bluegrass mainstream for a while he certainly hasn’t lost his touch .We can only hope that he will assemble a band and tour to support this recording.

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