29-03-2025, 17:06
^This is true.
Bit of a different tack this week. Whilst waiting to go into the Johnny Cash show I got chatting to a friend of a friend who is from the USA and somehow on to the subject of bluegrass (or neograss/newgrass), some of which I quite like. Railroad Earth's stuff, for example. He told me about a short-lived 'band' that I'd never heard of before and that seems to have a bit of a cult following - they were called Old and in the Way. They only made one album, in 1975, a live album, eponomously titled. There are others from around 1996 but I think they're cobbled together from various live shows. It was a side project of Jerry Garcia's (not that I'm a deadhead) who plays banjo and sings lead vocals a lot, along with David Grisman - mandolin & vocals, Peter Rowan - guitar & vocals, Vassar Clements - fiddle, and Johan Kahn - bass.
They do a some great harmonising and seem pretty adroit in the key change department - there's one instrumental track on the album that is very tricksy in that regard! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtkyv_fENGE
And from what I can tell there are three cover songs and two that are based on traditional pieces. Today's song is one of former because although it seems unlikely, I find it kinda winsome, and not out of keeping with the original vibe despite being worlds apart genrewise. If that's a word!
I give you the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" ... bluegrass style!
Bit of a different tack this week. Whilst waiting to go into the Johnny Cash show I got chatting to a friend of a friend who is from the USA and somehow on to the subject of bluegrass (or neograss/newgrass), some of which I quite like. Railroad Earth's stuff, for example. He told me about a short-lived 'band' that I'd never heard of before and that seems to have a bit of a cult following - they were called Old and in the Way. They only made one album, in 1975, a live album, eponomously titled. There are others from around 1996 but I think they're cobbled together from various live shows. It was a side project of Jerry Garcia's (not that I'm a deadhead) who plays banjo and sings lead vocals a lot, along with David Grisman - mandolin & vocals, Peter Rowan - guitar & vocals, Vassar Clements - fiddle, and Johan Kahn - bass.
They do a some great harmonising and seem pretty adroit in the key change department - there's one instrumental track on the album that is very tricksy in that regard! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtkyv_fENGE
And from what I can tell there are three cover songs and two that are based on traditional pieces. Today's song is one of former because although it seems unlikely, I find it kinda winsome, and not out of keeping with the original vibe despite being worlds apart genrewise. If that's a word!
I give you the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" ... bluegrass style!
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson