Another incredible production from Pikelny. If you truly want to know what Pikelny is all about, take a listen to the duet with Steve Martin as they cover the traditional tune "Cluck Old Hen". No one has ever made this tune feel so good. It's still traditional at its core but Pikelny brings a modern soul to the tune that makes it come at you in a smooth and refreshing manner.
Pikelny surrounds himself with the best of the best on this one. He is joined by Bryan Sutton (guitar), Chris Thile (mandolin), Tim O’Brien (mandolin, fiddle) and Jerry Douglas (dobro), Aoife O’Donovan (vocals), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Mark Schatz (bass). This album also is the debut of Punch Brothers fiddler Gabe Witcher's as producer.
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When you place four masters of their craft in a room good things can result... sometimes. With this album, to say "it worked" would be quite the understatement. The Goat Rodeo Sessions is a collection of original tunes penned by the members of the quartet. They are what I am going to call classijamgrass... not totally classical, not anywhere near bluegrass as a bluegrass purist would insist but hints of both exist and the feeling of an open, no rules jam session is prevalent but probably not totally the case.
"Quarter Chicken Dark" seems to be the one tune I keep coming back to but the entertainment is a start to finish experience. Aoife O'Donovan of Crooked Still joins the scene for two vocal tracks including a tale of somewhere between where we started and where we will end up called "Here and Heaven" in which Thile shares the microphone. O'Donovan stays on for the lonely "No One but You" tale of having something to see and share but no one to share it with.
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A barnstar (or barn star) is a decorative painted object or image, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular "wagon wheel" style, used to adorn a barn. They have no structural purpose, but may be considered lucky, akin to a horseshoe mounted over a doorway.I stumbled upon this album on another blog but aside from the 5-members in the band, I don't know a lot about them. I assume the 5-member band has something to do with the band name thus, I placed the Wikipedia reference above. I do know Mark Erelli is a member and I am a big fan of his.
~ Wikipedia
You can here previews over at Bandcamp where you can also pick up the album for $10. I also noticed on www.markerelli.com that a packaged version of the album is now available through that website. All in all, this is a great album!
Band members include:
Jake Armerding – fiddle, vocals, member and son of co-founder Taylor Armerding of bluegrass band Northern Lights
Taylor “Old Train” Armerding – mandolin, vocals, co-founder of bluegrass band Northern Lights
Mark Erelli – guitar, vocals, accomplish recording artists and side musician for Lori McKenna and Josh Ritter
Zachariah Hickman – double bass, vocals
Charlie Rose – banjo, vocals current bass player for the Crooked Jades. Also played with Asylum Street Spankers, and South Austin Jug Band.
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Yeah, the Pixies cover and it's pretty danged good!
From trampledbyturtles.com...
Trampled by Turtles have released a cover of Pixies’ “Where is My Mind” . The digital single is available as a free download here on the website or through any digital retailer for $.99, with all proceeds going to benefit WhyHunger, the organization founded by the late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. WhyHunger supports grassroots solutions to inspire self-reliance and community empowerment to connect people to nutritious, affordable food. For more information go to www.whyhunger.org.
listen here
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Also added to my library this week and definitely worth your attention:
Nicki Bluhm - Driftwood
The Loom - Teeth
Anna Coogan - The Wasted Ocean
Jonathan Burks - God Talk E.P.
Dan Blakeslee - Tatnic Tales
Sinful Savage Tigers - The Last Night of the Revels
Some Velvet Evening - No Law Against Talking
Shawn Nelson - San Juan Street
