Bluegrass, Newgrass and Mandolins!

[HenryDorsetCase]

EDIT - you better do that when Vickis not around - she really hates bluegrass....

Actually - theres a bunch of other wierd stuff in there you will like. The Drive by Truckers and Big John Bates are 2 that spring to mind....

Honestly - Check out Steve Earles 'The Mountain' if you like new blue grass, again, Steves ahead of the pack and sets the benchmark. he is one hell of a talented sob. Without kidding - the Dixie Chicks are bloody sensations as well. I genuinely admire their guts (and the bits above their guts just quietly)

That said - Del and the Boys are the shiz when it comes to Bluegrass - After Bill Munroe passed away they took on the crown - no question.... Nothing else comes close...

I have a few CD's by a guy called Tim O'Brien as well - interesting guy - Yankee boy playing a range of instruments including mandolin and mandocello but he has drifted to sounding like an irish folk muso and it demostrates the connection between celtic music and american hill music. Interesting...

For shits and giggles (and a little bit of awe at their casual talent) the Chieftains (yes yes I know) 2 CD's, 'Down the old Plank Road' and 'Further Down the old Plank Road' again show the ability of celtic musicians to translate well into bluegrass - it features a supurb vocal by ms Krauss and is really worth a listen.

If you really want the real deal - Earl Scruggs - the man reinvented the banjo (theme of the bevely hillbillies), got his start with Bill Monroe and was a legend with his mate Lester Flatt (another Bill Monroe dude and no I'm not making these names up). Flatt and Scruggs won a grammy in '69 for 'Foggy Mountain breakdown btw but we are now a ways from mandolins eh?

Unfortunately - I lent a prized Marty Stuart CD and it's never come back but he is a fine mandolin player as well.... Worth searching out...

I wholeheartedly recommend Drive By Truckers: start with "The Dirty South" and go from there.

You might check out Gillian Welch also. And Lucinda Williams. and Emmylou Harris. And Gram Parsons......

[HenryDorsetCase]

A couple of years ago whilst in the Southern States I bought an album by Alison Krauss and Union Station - Live. It's a bloody supurb example of Bluegrass and features lot's of Mandolin playing. I love it

I really like that record too. Interesting Alison was a fiddle (as they call it) prodigy, but is more known for her singing now. Great voice....

[riffer]

Check out Steve Earles 'The Mountain' if you like new blue grass

Gini's a Steve Earle fan - I'll dig out a few albums. All I've really heard of him is Copperhead Road.

Without kidding - the Dixie Chicks are bloody sensations as well. I genuinely admire their guts (and the bits above their guts just quietly)

Yes well, I checked them out a while ago as I kinda had a thing for Natalie Maines and discovered how good they actually are as musicians... In fact I'm listening to Lil Jack Slade as I type this.

As for the others, looks like I have some a'torrenting to do...

[Curious_AJ]

there are lots of people that have been mentioned here which i should search round for, would be great to hear some new music!!

[Curious_AJ]

omg.. country is awesome.. shambala-three dog night!!

and COUNTRY ROADS!-olivia newton john

[HenryDorsetCase]

Country Roads is a John Denver song...? take me baaaaaack where I belong, west virgiiiniiiiaaaaa... etc.

check out Willie Nelson also "Red Headed Stranger" is a phenonmenal album.

Johnny Cash as well: there is not a day in the week that Johnny Cash isn't cool as fuck. start with the two "prison" records: Live at San Quentin and Live at Folsom ... then the American recordings

Newer stuff: one of my favourite bands ever is Uncle Tupelo. basically the founders of alt.country (kind of, and not really, but its a handle they're stuck with). Genius songwriting, and so much more than the sum of their parts: when they split the bands that came from the same members just werent as good (Son Volt, Wilco, Jeff Tweedy solo) though I do like the Son Volt album "Trace" a lot.

Whiskeytown of course (and Ryan Adams is in Auckers next month.. Im considering coming up)

cowboy junkies. Margot Timmins voice is absolutely ethereal. Start with the Trinity Session.

(I realise I have digressed quite a bit from our bluegrass commencement into a n alt.country and new country tangent, but my feeling is that if you like the newgrass/bluegrass stuff then you'll probably like some of this stuff as well...

Personally I used to think that all country was Big Hats and lame lyrics about pickup trucks and dogs and lame women and stuff. In fact its not, but you have to get through the dross to find the gems.... like with any genre.

[Paul in NZ]

I wholeheartedly recommend Drive By Truckers: start with "The Dirty South" and go from there.

You might check out Gillian Welch also. And Lucinda Williams. and Emmylou Harris. And Gram Parsons......

Well yes - they all live and my place - not such a Gillian Welch fan

[Curious_AJ]

as for country roads, well it is John Denver, but Olivia also did a version, i had it on the CD i was playing earlier hehe...

Johnny Cash for the win!!

[riffer]

Actually, I played in a rock band about 20 years ago, and we recorded a punked up version of Country Roads.

If anyone really wants to hear it, I've thrown it on rapidshare for people to download...

[Curious_AJ]

oh, nice, ill take a listen then!

yeah, ive been in 2 bands, but everyone moved away, which sucks!

[Curious_AJ]

poop, not working.. ah well ...

[Nefarious]

bella fleck and john moore FTW!!!

GO INDY!!!!

[riffer]

poop, not working.. ah well ...

Works fine for me

Try the free option.

[Curious_AJ]

i did... i dunno, maybe its just my pc ... poop and beans... oh well lol

[Paul in NZ]

I've got this great rock version of that someplace - damn - can't remember the band but it's a laugh!

John Denver? Guys a fantastic musician but sadly found to have feet of clay and was never forgiven for it.... Odd when Ozzie is celebrated for it.. Go figure.. His 'Live in the Sydney Opera House' is one of the best live performances you will ever hear....

Except for...

Bruce Springsteens latest Live in Dublin.... If you like the folky / roots / Bluegrass music you will LOVE this double CD and the DVD of the concert is worth the purchase price alone - BEST thing I've listened to this year bar nothing....