FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK
BLUES AROUND MY CABIN

Pinecastle Records
PRC 1236

Flashback is a super group with band members who are all long-time veterans of bluegrass music. These veteran musicians are Stuart Wyrick (banjo), Don Rigsby (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, percussion), Curt Chapman (bass), and Richard Bennett (guitar). While the individuals had many of their own solo projects and projects with other groups, they are best known as members of J.D. Crowe’s New South prior to his retirement in 2015. In early 2016, the band reformed as Flashback with Wyrick coming on as banjoist.

Wyrick had played with the group Brand New Strings as well as with Dale Ann Bradley. Rigsby is known for his solo projects as well and his time spent with the Lonesome River Band, Longview, Rocky County, his own band Midnight Call, and with Dudley Connell. Chapman is a veteran of the band Wildfire, and Bennett had his own number of solo releases plus stints with Jimmy Gaudreau, Mike Auldridge, and Bobby Osborne. Flashback’s two previous releases include Foxhound And Fiddles and Denver Snow.

With this third project, the group mixes a collection of contemporary and traditional along with original material from the band members. One highlight is “Take Me To The River” written by J.P. Pennington from the band Exile, who also adds vocals and guitar on the cut. Selections from Bennett include “John Henry Holliday,” “Dixon Farm,” and “Virginia In The Springtime.” Rigsby contributed “Will You Fold My Flag For Me” and “When The Blues Come Around My Cabin Door” co-written with Billy Droze and features Jim Hefferman on pedal steel. Wyrick adds his “Tater Valley Chimes.” Other selections include “This Old Town,” “Just Dreamin’” and “Queen Of The Bar,” also with Hefferman on pedal steel. Solid arrangements, vocals, and instrumentation make this new Flashback project another stellar output from this super group. (Pinecastle Records,  2514 River Rd., Ste. 105, Piedmont, SC 29673, www.pinecastlemusic.com.)BF