Tricopolis Records-November CD Reviews

Walkin' In My Shoes
I Won't Do It Again
Rocky Road Blues
Don't Mind Me
Tomorrow's Breakdown
I'd Jump The Mississippi
Dark Moon
When I Wake Up To Sleep No More
Who's Goin' Down To Town
Neon Chief/Fire In The East
Moods Of A Fool
Wings
After All

Click on CD cover to purchase this CD...

Walkin' In My Shoes is a marvelous Kellogg's Variety Pack of musical styles and emotions. You prefer Bill Monroe's High Lonesome Sound? Or the jazzier end? How about an old country or swing piece from maybe 30-40 years ago? They're all here and they're good! You want originals? This lady writes lyrics and music that will have you chuckling one minute, shedding tears the next, and shuddering in sheer wonder at where her mind is at still the next. Two more are red-hot instrumentals by band members Avram Siegel (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Tom Bekeny (mandolin, fiddle, vocals).

The Kathy Kallick Band is one of those wonderful, rare breeds whose tastes and talents range from the traditional bluegrass and Gospel all the way to country, swing, and progressive. And though you can be downright dogmatic in your own musical preferences, you're amazed to find each selection a true gem. You're left breathless, heart-pounding, champing at the bit for their next recording or live performance. You don't listen to them; you experience them.

This band is instrumentally and vocally one of the cleanest and tightest, not to mention most innovative bands anywhere. Their musicianship is flawless and creative. They can blow you away one moment with a hard-driving solo, then pull the same thing on you again with a simple, well placed turn-around or tacit. Their lead and harmony vocals: breath-taking.

Their selection of songs shows imagination and thoughtfulness. Eight Kallick and Company original selections are beautifully woven around their own stirring arrangements of traditional, country, swing, and Gospel.

Kathy plays guitar and displays beautiful vocal range on harmony and lead. She and bassist Amy Stenberg swap lead vocals beautifully on a number of pieces. Kathy and Jim Nunnally do a very fine job producing the CD. Jim also sits in on guitar along with Ed Neff and Darol Anger on fiddles.

This band even looks good! This is one of the more photogenic bands ever to have their picture grace an album cover. And Kathy is as generous with her music as she is talented, providing the lyrics and enlightening comments on all the music in a very attractive liner booklet.

With all the tools and energy this band possesses, it would be no surprise at all to watch them go all the way to the top. Musically and more, it just doesn't get any better than this.

top...

Laurie Lewis Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals

Rounder Records ROU-0461

By: Tim O'Brien
Tricopolis Staff Writer
November 15, 1999

Playing time: 46:10

Tall Pines
Stepping Stones
Blow, Big Wind
Going to the West
When I Get Home
Black Waters
Big Eddy
Acony Bell
Wind at Play
Weevily Wheat
Hard Luck and Trouble
The Wood Thrush's Song
Beyond the River Bend

Click on CD cover to purchase this CD...

Laurie Lewis was always a "must see" at the local festivals and venues over the the last decade or more here in Southern California where she displayed tremendous energy and love for her music. I must admit though, that despite my familiarity with her music I don't actually have any of her recordings in my music collection. Beyond the obvious impression this may give the reader, to me it means I must judge her latest offering on its own merits.

Laurie has assembled, along with her constant collaborator Tom Rozum, a few bluegrass pals from her years living and playing in Northern California. Craig Smith has played banjo in numerous groups and I was lucky to hear him when he lived in Southern California almost twenty years ago. He has played in relative anonymity but is highly respected among other banjo players for his ultra solid rhythmic playing. Todd Philips, though, is no stranger to most having played in the original David Grisman Quintet, the Bluegrass Album band, and many other respected groups. The last member may not have a long resume but Mary Gibbons provides strong harmony vocals along with rhythm guitar chores.

The liner notes portray this recording as a "kind of homecoming" or a return to roots for Ms. Lewis. The listener should not expect to be treated to a high energy toe-tapping bluegrass workout. With a generous serving of thirteen songs on this CD, only three or four could be classified as up-tempo. Ms. Lewis has chosen songs from such respected writers as Hazel Dickens, Jean Ritchie, and Gillian Welch and includes four of her own.

The CD begins with the familiar tune, "Tall Pines", and features one of this release's strong points, the impeccable vocal blending and phrasing in the trio harmony singing of Lewis, Gibbons, and Rozum. On "Blow, Big Wind", Craig Smith creates ample tension and drive and Tom Rozum uncorks a nice mandolin break. "Going to the West" is a ballad that features the great duet harmony singing of Lewis and Tom Rozum, no doubt honed over the many years they have played together.

There is a gospel tune with four part harmony and nice fingerpicked guitar by Craig Smith on "When I Get Home". Songs with an old timey feel include an instrumental, "Big Eddy", and the traditional tune, "Weevily Wheat".

It does not seem that the bluegrass pals finally start to gel rhythmically until the last cut, "Beyond the River Bend". What is lacking in this CD is the solid rhythm that I've grown to appreciate especially on recordings by some of the current top bands. For my taste, the bass and mandolin rhythm chop are mixed too low.

All in all, fans of Laurie Lewis should welcome this new recording into their music collections. As for me, I've now reserved a spot for her in my own CD rack.

top...

High Hills "Coming Home"

No Label Samples

By: Dale Desmuke
Tricopolis Staff Writer
October 10th. 1999

Playing time: 40:39

Grandma's Farm
Sleepy-Eyed John
I'm Leavin' Now
Who Will Watch The Home Place
Gypsy Hoedown
Point Me In The Right Direction
Lift All My Burdens
Ain't Gonna Take Your Lies No More
Waltz With Me Darling
Alabama Jubilee
High Hills
Cowboy Sweetheart

Click on CD cover to purchase this CD...

I first saw and heard High Hills a couple of years ago at Southern California's Norco Bluegrass Festival. At the time I was impressed with their energy and brightness. They were obviously a new band but showed already showed a good sense of what performing is all about. Over the last two years I've seen their growth as performers and really enjoyed how the band has come together. This recording documents that growth quite accurately.

High Hills covers standards such as "Sleepy-Eyed John" and "Alabama Jubilee" with style. Each of the members contributes vocals and/or lead instrumental work. Virginia Starling does a great job covering "Who Will Watch The Home Place." In fact, the whole band vocal really shines on this cut. It would be hard to single out a specific performer in the group as instrumentalist; they all do a great job. They have all grown leaps and bounds over the last couple of years and are developing as a unit.

Another of the bright points on this recording are the originals. Virginia Starling and Karen Brodleit wrote some nice songs. I won't tell what they are. Listen to the album and see if you can pick them out. I think you will have a problem, these ladies have really polished their writing skills and put together a great album.

While still a young band, High Hills has racked up some great accomplishments and I expect we will hear a lot more from them.If you are a fan of High Hills already, grab this recording. You know you won't regret it. If you haven't heard them, this is a nice introduction to a band that takes the business of performing music seriously and has a great time while they do it. This recording is available from the Tricopolis Records.

top...

Ginny Hawker and Kay Justice "Bristol"

Copper Creek Records CCCD-0176

By: David Richardson
Tricopolis Staff Writer
November 5th. 1999

Playing time: approx. 47 minutes

I Loved You Better Than You Knew
Gently Lead Me
I Never Loved But One
Amber Tresses
Walking in the King’s Highway
Midnight on the Stormy Deep
Look Away From The Cross
The Birds Were Singing of You
Broken-Hearted Lover
On the Rock Where Moses Stood
Happy or Lonesome
Waves on the Sea
Grave on a Green Hillside
Evening Bells are Ringing
Sunshine in the Shadows

Click on CD cover to purchase this CD...

As the liner notes suggest, “It’s been nearly 75 years since A. P. Carter, his wife Sara, and sister-in-law Maybelle Carter met recording pioneer Ralph Peer in Bristol on the Virginia/Tennessee line, and the impact of that meeting is still felt today.” There is no doubt that the original Carter Family left its mark on many music genres, including what we call modern country. It is also amazing to learn how popular the Carter Family really were in those early years!

First of all, I consider this album “essential reading” for anyone associated with bluegrass or old time acoustic music. This is where it all began, folks, and the primitive tones and storytelling of the Carter Family have been wonderfully reproduced in this album by the true duets of Ginny Hawker and Kay Justice.

All of the selections on Bristol are performed with minimal instrumentation. There is no bass: only guitars, autoharp, and old time banjo. Joining Ginny and Kay are Mike Seeger and Tracy Schwarz who have been playing in various combinations for more than 40 years including The New Lost City Ramblers. This combination renders an extremely airy quality, which is further enhanced by the techniques used at Classic Recording Studio of Bristol, Tennessee. It sounds like they are singing and playing right in your living room!

Great verbal and pictorial detail has been given to each of the 15 selections in the CD liners. Here is a one of the smaller examples:

“’Evening Bells Are Ringing’ - Every time I listen to recordings of the Carter Family I find a new gem; this is one of many. I love the rhythm and the words. We recorded our version with period guitars; I am playing a 1927 O-18 Martin and Tracy is playing a 1929 Martin OM-28 - Kay. (This appears to be an A. P. Carter original composition. It was recorded by the Carters on December 11, 1934.) recorded: January 30,1999 Kay - guitar and lead vocals; Ginny -harmony vocals; Tracy - lead guitar.”

There’s a lot to be said about today’s bluegrass and old time music including learning techniques like tablature, theory, flashiness and other mental approaches. Bristol, on the other hand, represents the subconscious side. There are undercurrents here, that cannot be taught in any music school or by any teacher; it simply must be felt. Listen to this album, and you’ll hear many wonderful things that are invisible and quite beautiful. I will be playing Bristol a lot.

top...