THE WELLDIGGERS – HOPE & FEAR
2012 – Village Records
4.5****
‘Versatility’is often a dreaded word in music that makes promoting an artist a nightmare but not in the case of The Well Diggers. They show a versatility within the boundaries of ‘deep roots music’ that whilst heavily weighted towards alt. country also includes aspects of old timey mountain music, country, blues, even at times a discernible whiff of bluegrass, all played with a large amount of flair and expertise. They are very much the brainchild of lead singer, songwriter and producer Steve Welner and he has collected around him a bunch of like minded musicians who are comfortable within their excellent blend of ‘sub genres.’ Welner’s vocals at times have a similar feel to John Prine’s of many years ago, with their appealing lack of tuition that ensures
plenty of character and a powerful atmosphere. The playing is always excellent, giving the (probably accurate) impression that they have been playing together for a long time and are still having a good in the process!
The following seems to be the core of the band although there are other musicians used on the album. Steve Welner plays a variety of guitars and lead vocals, Rich Lanahan on electric guitars, Mike Meehan, bass, Jack Gabis, guitar, banjo, backing vocals, Don Gabis, bass and backing vocals, Mike Leuci, percussion and Eric Peters, drums. The bands sound is tunefully melodic and guitar driven but also includes some excellent banjo and fiddle interspersed with harmonica, giving each song it’s own individuality and seemingly making the recording sound even more varied than it actually is.
Steve Welner has often been praised for his excellent songwriting and this album certainly doesn’t let him down in that (or any other) respect with his vocals painting incredibly evocative pictures and his lyrics telling the poetic stories, some of them very, very dark. Those lyrics don’t always tell you everything that is going on in the song, leaving a little to the listeners imagination and interpretation although they are songs that spin a variety of tales from gentle love to lost love,
suicide, and suffering from a life lived on the wrong side of the tracks, often with little or no redemption. They are not overloaded with metaphorical allusion,(although there is some!) ensuring you can actually listen to the tale that is being told or if you wish just absorb the poetry. Whilst the lyrics are powerful, this is not at the expense of the incredibly melodic music, some of which stays with you as hummable tunes long after the album finishes!
The album kicks off with Lord Of The Big House (And The Grave) a lively mid tempo country rock song with Steve’s raw but evocative lead vocal and nice melodic guitars and excellent drumming propelling the sound and setting a good tempo. There is a hard driving fiddle throughout that gives an old timey feel and some excellent band harmonies and a catchy melody. It is a highly descriptive and harrowing tale of a man forced into a corner that he can’t get out of thanks to his inability to run away, which sets the scene nicely for the following track Central Time Zone that could quite
easily be a sequel to this dark tale. The banjo and guitars harmonise on this strong story that has an old hillbilly atmosphere thanks in part to the domination of the banjo, with the story teller describing the prison that is probably going to be his home for life and bemoaning the bad luck that put him
there and what he is going to miss. It is a quite harrowing and raw tale. You Ain’t California Bound is one of my favourites on this album that seems to get better with each listening session. It is a really good old timey sounding song with lovely fiddle, banjo, mandolin, dobro and excellent harmonies on a tale of someone who has hit rock bottom and can’t find the ‘up’ sign! Terrific song that in many ways echoes the old ‘dust bowl’ days (lyrically as well as atmospherically!) Album closer False Arrows is a perfect song to finish on, being a beautiful steel guitar driven country song that is probably a perfect sumnation of the best of all human emotions, love! Potential buyers shouldn’t think that just the songs above are the strong ones, all eleven of the tracks on this tremendous album are little gems!
I must admit, when I first heard this album I wasn’t over impressed, proof if needed that you have to live with a recording for a while before making any judgements! It’s probably not what anyone would call a hugely original album, but this doesn’t change the fact that it is a great album. The Well Diggers are a band that really should be up there with the leading lights of ‘alt. country’ thanks to their individuality and the high quality of every aspect of this recording that many will envy but very few if any can improve on.
http://welldiggersband.com/
4.5****
‘Versatility’is often a dreaded word in music that makes promoting an artist a nightmare but not in the case of The Well Diggers. They show a versatility within the boundaries of ‘deep roots music’ that whilst heavily weighted towards alt. country also includes aspects of old timey mountain music, country, blues, even at times a discernible whiff of bluegrass, all played with a large amount of flair and expertise. They are very much the brainchild of lead singer, songwriter and producer Steve Welner and he has collected around him a bunch of like minded musicians who are comfortable within their excellent blend of ‘sub genres.’ Welner’s vocals at times have a similar feel to John Prine’s of many years ago, with their appealing lack of tuition that ensures
plenty of character and a powerful atmosphere. The playing is always excellent, giving the (probably accurate) impression that they have been playing together for a long time and are still having a good in the process!
The following seems to be the core of the band although there are other musicians used on the album. Steve Welner plays a variety of guitars and lead vocals, Rich Lanahan on electric guitars, Mike Meehan, bass, Jack Gabis, guitar, banjo, backing vocals, Don Gabis, bass and backing vocals, Mike Leuci, percussion and Eric Peters, drums. The bands sound is tunefully melodic and guitar driven but also includes some excellent banjo and fiddle interspersed with harmonica, giving each song it’s own individuality and seemingly making the recording sound even more varied than it actually is.
Steve Welner has often been praised for his excellent songwriting and this album certainly doesn’t let him down in that (or any other) respect with his vocals painting incredibly evocative pictures and his lyrics telling the poetic stories, some of them very, very dark. Those lyrics don’t always tell you everything that is going on in the song, leaving a little to the listeners imagination and interpretation although they are songs that spin a variety of tales from gentle love to lost love,
suicide, and suffering from a life lived on the wrong side of the tracks, often with little or no redemption. They are not overloaded with metaphorical allusion,(although there is some!) ensuring you can actually listen to the tale that is being told or if you wish just absorb the poetry. Whilst the lyrics are powerful, this is not at the expense of the incredibly melodic music, some of which stays with you as hummable tunes long after the album finishes!
The album kicks off with Lord Of The Big House (And The Grave) a lively mid tempo country rock song with Steve’s raw but evocative lead vocal and nice melodic guitars and excellent drumming propelling the sound and setting a good tempo. There is a hard driving fiddle throughout that gives an old timey feel and some excellent band harmonies and a catchy melody. It is a highly descriptive and harrowing tale of a man forced into a corner that he can’t get out of thanks to his inability to run away, which sets the scene nicely for the following track Central Time Zone that could quite
easily be a sequel to this dark tale. The banjo and guitars harmonise on this strong story that has an old hillbilly atmosphere thanks in part to the domination of the banjo, with the story teller describing the prison that is probably going to be his home for life and bemoaning the bad luck that put him
there and what he is going to miss. It is a quite harrowing and raw tale. You Ain’t California Bound is one of my favourites on this album that seems to get better with each listening session. It is a really good old timey sounding song with lovely fiddle, banjo, mandolin, dobro and excellent harmonies on a tale of someone who has hit rock bottom and can’t find the ‘up’ sign! Terrific song that in many ways echoes the old ‘dust bowl’ days (lyrically as well as atmospherically!) Album closer False Arrows is a perfect song to finish on, being a beautiful steel guitar driven country song that is probably a perfect sumnation of the best of all human emotions, love! Potential buyers shouldn’t think that just the songs above are the strong ones, all eleven of the tracks on this tremendous album are little gems!
I must admit, when I first heard this album I wasn’t over impressed, proof if needed that you have to live with a recording for a while before making any judgements! It’s probably not what anyone would call a hugely original album, but this doesn’t change the fact that it is a great album. The Well Diggers are a band that really should be up there with the leading lights of ‘alt. country’ thanks to their individuality and the high quality of every aspect of this recording that many will envy but very few if any can improve on.
http://welldiggersband.com/