One More Thing

Fred Carpenter is a well-known and well-respected fiddle player. While starting out on the classical violin, he spent time studying the styles of folks like Kenny Baker, Vassar Clement, Byron Berline, and others. He has played with bluegrass artists like Tony Rice and The Dillards, and others like Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea and George Strait. He is also the founder of The Violin Shop in Nashville and spends his time there when not playing out. 

This new project is his first solo adventure that features his vocal work and is a mixture of bluegrass, Americana, some covers, and his own compositions. His ‘friends’ are Tim May (guitar), Eric Frey (bass), and Taylor Carpenter (drums), and Fred plays fiddle, mandolin, octave mandolin, and viola. He is also joined by guest artists like Tim O’Brien, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Larry Cordle, Sara Watkins, Suzi Bogguss, and Kathy Mattea. 

The covers are from sources that include Mark Knopfler, Mickey Newberry, Herb Pedersen, Towns Van Zandt, Gordon Lightfoot, Lennon and McCartney, and even Bill Monroe. The project kicks off with “Sultans of Swing,” followed by “Tell Me Baby.” Other covers include “Old Train,” “I Will,” “If I Needed You,” “Toy Heart,” and “Home from The Forest.” 

Carpenter’s originals include “Tee It Up,” “La Satina,” and “Waltz for April,” and there is a nice arrangement of “Choo Choo Cha Boogie.” Overall, this collection is more Americana than bluegrass and is very nicely done, featuring both great instrumentation and Carpenter’s lead vocals, and, the guest artists really add to the mix. This is a welcome new project from Fred Carpenter and his Friends.