CORN POTATO STRING BAND -
PUT ON YOUR OLD GREY BONNET
2016 - Self Released
For the sake of the uninitiated who may read this it is necessary to set the scene for this album by trying to explain a little about this incredibly talented trio who are genuinely at the pinnacle of modern 'old timey' music. Aaron Jonah Lewis is a multi instrumentalist, although since I first became aware of him, most of that time he has played fiddle. The first I knew of Jonah was one of the early Maverick festivals when he was a member of the incredible 'Special Ed and the Short Bus.' Since then he has played and continues to play with a large number of other artists as you would expect from someone with his talents and inventiveness. Lindsay McCaw plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, accordion and piano as well as being a square dance caller, pretty much qualifying her too as a multi instrumentalist. Ben Belcher is an incredible banjo player and as well as being a full member of this band is also a regular member of the award winning 'Hot Seats' another band that Jonah has played with. The above is only a much abbreviated summation of the three regular member's talents and qualifications but even in abbreviated form gives a clue to the tremendous range of skills contained within the band. I saw Jonah and Lindsay playing together as two thirds of the band at the start of their tour last year. The venue was the well known Dorset pub 'The Square and Compass' a venue that many touring artists seem to gravitate to and in playing there look on it as a feather in their caps. Needless to say, the pair put on an absolutely storming set to a packed and enthusiastic crowd, several local pub goers telling me they were as good as anything they had ever seen at the pub. They are currently over here on tour and my advice is that if they are anywhere near you go and see them; it will be one of the best and most memorable gigs you will ever see!
This is the third Corn Potato album and certainly maintains the quality set by its two predecessors, both more than worthy of some of your hard earned cash. The playing on every track is virtuosic by everyone involved as are the vocals, all combining to take the listener back in time to those early hillbillies. As we can tell from the old recordings, the old timers put everything into their playing whether recorded or live, knowing that if they couldn't please the listeners the poverty they were currently living in could become even more extreme. The Corn Potato String Band plays in the same way; almost as if their lives depend on it and as if this could be their last gig/album. Hopefully not for the same reasons, but certainly because they are steeped in this music and are as comfortable playing as the musicians of eighty or more years ago were. I should add that the album was recorded live, with no overdubs whatsoever, at Sound of Jura, Scotland in late 2015.
Five of the tracks are instrumentals and the other six contain vocals. From memory I don't remember their first two albums containing as many vocals, which is a shame when you consider the quality and originality that their harmonies in particular contain. Having said that, there are few other bands that can match their virtuosic instrumentals so you will lose nothing of the quality if you purchase the first two albums as well as this one!
The disc opens with Washington and Lee swing county, a well known song even on these shores and one that was murdered many decades ago by one of our middle of the road 'entertainers,' although I think his version had a different title, whilst the Corn Potato String Band bring the warmth of the parlour to their lead and harmony vocals. Put on your old grey bonnet is another tremendous harmony duet, with some incredible banjo playing that flows its way through the song along with the acoustic guitar for support. It is another song that has the enveloping warmth of a parlour song and is latterly joined by the fiddle on the album's title song. The fiddles blaze their way through Andale y vamos, another tremendous performance, with the beautifully blended male and female vocals giving yet more life to the song, with a little steel guitar in the mix that adds a slightly different dimension and a large slice of originality to the song. That hot lick fiddlin' man has a fiery twin fiddle start aided by guitar on a song that has a 'western swing' feel, then Lindsays lead vocal comes in on the verse soon joined by male harmonies and then a male voice on the next verse on this beautifully conceived and arranged tale. Finally, on Listen to the Mockingbird, the slow, mournful fiddle and banjo opens this instrumental that really demonstrates the huge fiddling prowess and the ability to put their stamp on old tunes whilst providing huge entertainment. On this track we go through various tempo's and musical colours as you can expect from playing as virtuosic as this.
As an example of music from the old rural flatlands and to a degree from the high mountains of the Appalachians you will not find a finer modern day example. The instrumentals and the vocals are both excellent as well as being powerfully evocative, allied to a strong thread of originality, particularly in those tremendous harmony vocals that not only provide an original take on the music but bring real and genuine warmth to the album.
Overall 'Put on your old grey bonnet' has both a tremendous good time feel and a genuinely haunting element that is sometimes quite spooky. It would be so easy to imagine these songs and tunes being cleaned up recordings that were originally made and then lost eight or nine decades ago. It is not only the virtuoso playing that sets this trio apart but also that often used, but accurate in this case, word 'authenticity.' You will spend a very long time looking for and will be incredibly fortunate if you successfully find another band that incorporates both of those elements as well as the good time feel that seems to ooze from the pores of the Corn Potato String Band. As I said earlier, buy their albums and go and see them if you can. You deserve the treats that are definitely in store!
http://cornpotato.com/
For people in and around Sussex the trio are playing at the Sussex Ox on Monday 6th June.
I'll see you there?
For the sake of the uninitiated who may read this it is necessary to set the scene for this album by trying to explain a little about this incredibly talented trio who are genuinely at the pinnacle of modern 'old timey' music. Aaron Jonah Lewis is a multi instrumentalist, although since I first became aware of him, most of that time he has played fiddle. The first I knew of Jonah was one of the early Maverick festivals when he was a member of the incredible 'Special Ed and the Short Bus.' Since then he has played and continues to play with a large number of other artists as you would expect from someone with his talents and inventiveness. Lindsay McCaw plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, accordion and piano as well as being a square dance caller, pretty much qualifying her too as a multi instrumentalist. Ben Belcher is an incredible banjo player and as well as being a full member of this band is also a regular member of the award winning 'Hot Seats' another band that Jonah has played with. The above is only a much abbreviated summation of the three regular member's talents and qualifications but even in abbreviated form gives a clue to the tremendous range of skills contained within the band. I saw Jonah and Lindsay playing together as two thirds of the band at the start of their tour last year. The venue was the well known Dorset pub 'The Square and Compass' a venue that many touring artists seem to gravitate to and in playing there look on it as a feather in their caps. Needless to say, the pair put on an absolutely storming set to a packed and enthusiastic crowd, several local pub goers telling me they were as good as anything they had ever seen at the pub. They are currently over here on tour and my advice is that if they are anywhere near you go and see them; it will be one of the best and most memorable gigs you will ever see!
This is the third Corn Potato album and certainly maintains the quality set by its two predecessors, both more than worthy of some of your hard earned cash. The playing on every track is virtuosic by everyone involved as are the vocals, all combining to take the listener back in time to those early hillbillies. As we can tell from the old recordings, the old timers put everything into their playing whether recorded or live, knowing that if they couldn't please the listeners the poverty they were currently living in could become even more extreme. The Corn Potato String Band plays in the same way; almost as if their lives depend on it and as if this could be their last gig/album. Hopefully not for the same reasons, but certainly because they are steeped in this music and are as comfortable playing as the musicians of eighty or more years ago were. I should add that the album was recorded live, with no overdubs whatsoever, at Sound of Jura, Scotland in late 2015.
Five of the tracks are instrumentals and the other six contain vocals. From memory I don't remember their first two albums containing as many vocals, which is a shame when you consider the quality and originality that their harmonies in particular contain. Having said that, there are few other bands that can match their virtuosic instrumentals so you will lose nothing of the quality if you purchase the first two albums as well as this one!
The disc opens with Washington and Lee swing county, a well known song even on these shores and one that was murdered many decades ago by one of our middle of the road 'entertainers,' although I think his version had a different title, whilst the Corn Potato String Band bring the warmth of the parlour to their lead and harmony vocals. Put on your old grey bonnet is another tremendous harmony duet, with some incredible banjo playing that flows its way through the song along with the acoustic guitar for support. It is another song that has the enveloping warmth of a parlour song and is latterly joined by the fiddle on the album's title song. The fiddles blaze their way through Andale y vamos, another tremendous performance, with the beautifully blended male and female vocals giving yet more life to the song, with a little steel guitar in the mix that adds a slightly different dimension and a large slice of originality to the song. That hot lick fiddlin' man has a fiery twin fiddle start aided by guitar on a song that has a 'western swing' feel, then Lindsays lead vocal comes in on the verse soon joined by male harmonies and then a male voice on the next verse on this beautifully conceived and arranged tale. Finally, on Listen to the Mockingbird, the slow, mournful fiddle and banjo opens this instrumental that really demonstrates the huge fiddling prowess and the ability to put their stamp on old tunes whilst providing huge entertainment. On this track we go through various tempo's and musical colours as you can expect from playing as virtuosic as this.
As an example of music from the old rural flatlands and to a degree from the high mountains of the Appalachians you will not find a finer modern day example. The instrumentals and the vocals are both excellent as well as being powerfully evocative, allied to a strong thread of originality, particularly in those tremendous harmony vocals that not only provide an original take on the music but bring real and genuine warmth to the album.
Overall 'Put on your old grey bonnet' has both a tremendous good time feel and a genuinely haunting element that is sometimes quite spooky. It would be so easy to imagine these songs and tunes being cleaned up recordings that were originally made and then lost eight or nine decades ago. It is not only the virtuoso playing that sets this trio apart but also that often used, but accurate in this case, word 'authenticity.' You will spend a very long time looking for and will be incredibly fortunate if you successfully find another band that incorporates both of those elements as well as the good time feel that seems to ooze from the pores of the Corn Potato String Band. As I said earlier, buy their albums and go and see them if you can. You deserve the treats that are definitely in store!
http://cornpotato.com/
For people in and around Sussex the trio are playing at the Sussex Ox on Monday 6th June.
I'll see you there?