FOGHORN STRINGBAND - DEVIL IN THE SEAT
2015 - Foghorn Music
‘Devil in the seat’ is a genuine throwback to the 1920s and 30s in both atmosphere and style, something that comes completely naturally to this always impressive and hugely talented band. There are no extraneous contrivances, just pure and simple music that they have a huge depth of feeling for and that the listener can submerge themselves in. It is as if a series of old time recordings have somehow been cleaned up and raised to modern day standards. That makes it seem as if their attempt at creating that old timey sensibility is false but this and their preceeding albums have a genuine and heartfelt authenticity to them.
It would be so easy to say they and other bands like them are aping the old musicians but it is important to 'roots music' to keep these old songs alive and to hear them performed in a similar, (but not exactly the same) way to the originals. There are more than enough differences between the original performers and superb bands such as the Foghorn Stringband to know that they are putting their own stamp on the songs and tunes and with such a huge amount of talent on show there is neither need nor recourse to simply copying. What they do is bring a new freshness and vitality to a music genre that has such bottomless depth and richness.
The band consists, certainly on this album, of Portland, Oregon-based Caleb Klauder on vocals, mandolin and fiddle, Reeb Willms, vocals and guitar, Yukon-based Nadine Landry onvocals and upright bass, with Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind also on vocals, plus fiddle and banjo. Whilst most of their recordings are by the four piece they have one album that was by the 'Foghorn Trio' and have even played as a duo depending on band members availability and yet whoever is available the vocals, irrespective of the singers gender have the feel of the old time style.
Their virtuosity has never been in question but I think what they would consider the most important aspect of their music is the atmosphere they create; and then there is the obvious, to even the most cursory listeners, pleasure they get from playing these old songs in the company of like minds. To say they succeed with that atmoshere is an understatement of epic proportions and to their list of achievments can be added the fact that many of the old songs they perform are not only evocative of the old days, but in many cases even better than the originals! They are not even attempting to replicate those originals either, but using their own style, virtuosity and individuality to, in many ways, update the tradition without ever losing sighte of the roots of the music.
It is difficult to explain with mere words how good this band is. They seem to have an almost bottomless depth of feeling and sympathy for these old songs. There is never any holding back and they continuosly attack the music with gusto, verve and great skill, but it is that deep well of feeling that sets them apart from many of their peers. Many bands can play the music but there are very few that can envelop and draw the listener into such an old time atmosphere.
There are six instrumentals and ten vocal tracks on this album on which there are sixteen highlights! To pick a few at random, their reading of Pretty Polly is a classic version of a classic song with male lead and female harmonies that are the equal of the old recordings in eeriness, with fiddle, bass and guitar compounding the deep dark atmosphere. That eeriness is probably what sets this band apart from their peers. Most strive for but very few can achieve that strangeness that has a sinister feel, without resorting to studio artifice, something this band are able to achieve totally naturally. They perform a superb version of John Hardy, one of the great classic old time blues songs, here driven by fiddle, guitar and the usual solid bass with evocative lead and harmony vocals. What Will We Do? is a haunting female a capella duet whilst Longing For A Home contains another excellent female lead vocal and male harmony that gives a powerful evocation of a front porch gospel song with lovely mandolin, fiddle and the usual solid bass foundation. The instrumentals are inseperable when it comes to quality with tunes such as Chicken Reel, Paddy on the turnpike and Lost gal adding to the quite diverse tempos and textures, as well as the different vocalists and themes.
To my knowledge this is the bands sixth album, with Caleb also having recorded four solo albums, and not only are they pretty much peerless musically but also just about the most consistently excellent in the studio, with their ability to perhaps not quite recreate their live sound, but certainly to give the listener an idea of what to expect if they treat themselves to a Foghorn Stringband gig. If you have never listened to American 'old timey' music you will be surprised to know that much of it is descended from British Isles folk music and if you want to give it a try this tremendous recording is a perfect start.
http://foghornstringband.com/
‘Devil in the seat’ is a genuine throwback to the 1920s and 30s in both atmosphere and style, something that comes completely naturally to this always impressive and hugely talented band. There are no extraneous contrivances, just pure and simple music that they have a huge depth of feeling for and that the listener can submerge themselves in. It is as if a series of old time recordings have somehow been cleaned up and raised to modern day standards. That makes it seem as if their attempt at creating that old timey sensibility is false but this and their preceeding albums have a genuine and heartfelt authenticity to them.
It would be so easy to say they and other bands like them are aping the old musicians but it is important to 'roots music' to keep these old songs alive and to hear them performed in a similar, (but not exactly the same) way to the originals. There are more than enough differences between the original performers and superb bands such as the Foghorn Stringband to know that they are putting their own stamp on the songs and tunes and with such a huge amount of talent on show there is neither need nor recourse to simply copying. What they do is bring a new freshness and vitality to a music genre that has such bottomless depth and richness.
The band consists, certainly on this album, of Portland, Oregon-based Caleb Klauder on vocals, mandolin and fiddle, Reeb Willms, vocals and guitar, Yukon-based Nadine Landry onvocals and upright bass, with Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind also on vocals, plus fiddle and banjo. Whilst most of their recordings are by the four piece they have one album that was by the 'Foghorn Trio' and have even played as a duo depending on band members availability and yet whoever is available the vocals, irrespective of the singers gender have the feel of the old time style.
Their virtuosity has never been in question but I think what they would consider the most important aspect of their music is the atmosphere they create; and then there is the obvious, to even the most cursory listeners, pleasure they get from playing these old songs in the company of like minds. To say they succeed with that atmoshere is an understatement of epic proportions and to their list of achievments can be added the fact that many of the old songs they perform are not only evocative of the old days, but in many cases even better than the originals! They are not even attempting to replicate those originals either, but using their own style, virtuosity and individuality to, in many ways, update the tradition without ever losing sighte of the roots of the music.
It is difficult to explain with mere words how good this band is. They seem to have an almost bottomless depth of feeling and sympathy for these old songs. There is never any holding back and they continuosly attack the music with gusto, verve and great skill, but it is that deep well of feeling that sets them apart from many of their peers. Many bands can play the music but there are very few that can envelop and draw the listener into such an old time atmosphere.
There are six instrumentals and ten vocal tracks on this album on which there are sixteen highlights! To pick a few at random, their reading of Pretty Polly is a classic version of a classic song with male lead and female harmonies that are the equal of the old recordings in eeriness, with fiddle, bass and guitar compounding the deep dark atmosphere. That eeriness is probably what sets this band apart from their peers. Most strive for but very few can achieve that strangeness that has a sinister feel, without resorting to studio artifice, something this band are able to achieve totally naturally. They perform a superb version of John Hardy, one of the great classic old time blues songs, here driven by fiddle, guitar and the usual solid bass with evocative lead and harmony vocals. What Will We Do? is a haunting female a capella duet whilst Longing For A Home contains another excellent female lead vocal and male harmony that gives a powerful evocation of a front porch gospel song with lovely mandolin, fiddle and the usual solid bass foundation. The instrumentals are inseperable when it comes to quality with tunes such as Chicken Reel, Paddy on the turnpike and Lost gal adding to the quite diverse tempos and textures, as well as the different vocalists and themes.
To my knowledge this is the bands sixth album, with Caleb also having recorded four solo albums, and not only are they pretty much peerless musically but also just about the most consistently excellent in the studio, with their ability to perhaps not quite recreate their live sound, but certainly to give the listener an idea of what to expect if they treat themselves to a Foghorn Stringband gig. If you have never listened to American 'old timey' music you will be surprised to know that much of it is descended from British Isles folk music and if you want to give it a try this tremendous recording is a perfect start.
http://foghornstringband.com/