Reviews

PETE DENAHY SINGIN’ SHOES No Label 80815 Such evocative titles and lyrics and some good music to match. Start with “Mr. Edwin Butson Has The Reins,” a song based on an 1890s mail-run between two towns in Australia from which the song’s author and singer Pete Denahy hails. It’s hard not to be drawn by…

FRANK SOLIVAN FAMILY, FRIENDS & HEROES Fiddlemon Music 7 4664 2 Frank Solivan takes a bit of a U-turn with his latest recording and the results are more grounded, more down-to-earth, and dare it be said, more traditional. Those of you expecting the expansive jazz and rock jamming that characterized much of his previous recordings…

JOHN HARTFORD AND HOWDY FORRESTER HOME MADE SUGAR AND A PUNCHEON FLOOR Spring Fed Records SFR-CD-110 Taken from cassette recordings made by John Hartford in the home of Howdy Forrester in 1986. These are informal recordings and the relaxed nature reveals two friends playing tunes, Howdy on the fiddle and John playing his banjo in…

NOTHIN’ FANCY BY ANY OTHER NAME Mountain Fever Records MFR151030 You have to admire the longevity and the dedication of Nothin’ Fancy. I first reviewed the band some time in the late 1990s, upon the release of Earn Your Ticket. They were just getting started, more or less, good but not great. All these years…

ALAN BIBEY AND GRASSTOWNE 4 Mountain Fever Records MFR151009 At the time of this recording, Grasstowne was essentially mandolinist Alan Bibey, banjoist Justin Jenkins, and bassist Kameron Keller, all holdovers from 2011’s Kickin’ Up Dust . The guitar and fiddle slots were open. As such, guest musicians and former members were brought in to fill…

THE BURIE FAMILY HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW No Label No Number The Burie Family has a creative business plan in action: release a new record, then take the year off to try other projects, playing just one performance date, one already finished even as I type this. Interestingly, or oddly or presciently, they titled the…