Reviews

RESCUE JUNCTION ECHOES Revelation Sound rs2015r/06 Many of us have stacks of albums that contain one or two sacred songs along with a dozen secular pieces. That has been almost standard operating procedure in bluegrass for many years. Ontario’s Rescue Junction turns that convention inside out on their third album. The engaging release adds a…

THE TENNESSEE MAFIA JUG BAND LESTER’S LOAFIN’ LOUNGE No Label No Number As with the Red Clay Ramblers and Austin Lounge Lizards before them, it’s sometimes hard to know how seriously the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band wants their music taken. What are we to make of the outfits, the instrumentation, the song selection, and the…

BOONE FIRST IMPRESSIONS No Label No Number Troy Boone’s debut recording fails to mention who played the backing parts, only cryptically mentioning in the press notes that they were friends and fellow musicians from within the East Tennessee State University bluegrass program that he attended. That’s a shame. They and Boone and particularly the banjo…

ADAM McPEAK AND MOUNTAIN THUNDER THE LAST DIRT ROAD Kindred Records KR15005 The McPeak Brothers were a band noted for a tuneful sound, energetic delivery, and some forward-looking ideas on presentation and song selection. As they no longer play, it has fallen to Adam McPeak and his group Mountain Thunder to uphold the legacy. Adam,…

THE ROUSTABOUTS BLUEGRASS BAND PATCHWORK No Label No Number It almost goes without saying that any heritage-respecting band hailing from Bakersfield must give Buck and Merle their due. In the case of The Roustabouts, a quintet that leans towards traditional bluegrass and features bassist/vocalist Brian Hacker, guitarist/vocalist Craig Wilson, mandolinist/vocalist Kelvin Gregory, fiddler/vocalist Paul Lee,…

TRINITY RIVER BAND HEARTSTRINGS Orange Blossom Records No Number Not much has changed in the year since the last release from Trinity River. Certainly, there’s the obvious. The younger players, particularly Brianna Harris on fiddle, have another year of experience behind them. In that age range, such advancements can be huge. But predominantly the sound…