Live From Los Angeles

The band is the brain-child of Portland, Oregon native Kenny Feinstein, who spent the past 15 years putting this group together. His original band was the Water Tower Bucket Boys which then became the Water Tower String band. He moved to Los Angeles in 2018 and reformed into the current Water Tower, whose members are founder Kenny “Fretboard” Feinstein who plays guitar and fiddle and ‘scratchbox.’ There is Tommy “Fingers” Drinkard on banjo who is also known as a ‘guitar crusher,’ then there is Jesse Blue Eads also on banjo ‘overload,’ and finally Joey “Juice” Berglund is the bass ‘boss.’  

They are not the usual roots band but combine their influences from old-time, bluegrass, jam grass, punk, reggae, and jazz. Many of the songs on this project are collaborative compositions by the members and there is a handful of familiar stands. The band’s approach is a bit different in their arrangements, considering their combined backgrounds. The CD kicks off with an interesting medley of the “National Anthem” on banjo, followed by a high-speed version of “Ruben’s Train.”

Some of the familiar tunes are upbeat versions of “Cotton Eyed Joe,” “My Little Girl In Tennessee,” “Lonesome Road Blues,” and “Stay All Night.” All these are done with the twin banjo arrangement. Some of the originals include “California Love,” “Flow Tap,” “Mary Jane,” “River Song,” “AM PM,” and “Take Me Back.” The song “George Washington” has guest Walter “Old Jitters” Spencer on bass, and the song “Radio” contains a cuss word. The band’s vocals are well done and do include a bit of rap delivery. All of the members are very good instrumentally. The band has been well-received at their concerts and other live shows.