Big Wing

Bandmates John Showman and Chris Coole have been digging deep into the old-time sound of fiddle and banjo for more than twenty years, and their traditional credentials have only increased over time. Anyone who has followed the band in recent years knows that they have never been content to stay in their lane, as it were, constantly exploring and expanding the possibilities of their instruments and imagination. The new album was created over several years as the duo recorded in various settings with a variety of instruments, as well as diverse sonic effects. The result is one of the most interesting and enjoyable listening experiences you’re likely to encounter in the old-time genre. 

Tracks like “The Moon is Down” open with the sounds of birds calling out across a lake at sunset and then proceeds to combine banjo and fiddle with a nighttime symphony anchored by a tremolo guitar that sounds like gentle waves on the shoreline. The album travels through a wide range of sonic landscapes, from the wide-open sounds of the title track with its electronic bells and whistles to sparse renderings like the Hank Williams song “Log Train” that rides along on a pizzicato fiddle groove that sparkles like stars on a lonesome night. The album wraps up with “Hurricane Season,” a production Phil Spector would be proud to have been a part of, with a bass line that sounds like it was lifted from a 1970s Deep Purple album. Coole and Showman are masters of their respective instruments, and with this album, they have proven to be masters of re-imagining the recording tradition-based modern roots music