Pickin’ on the Doors

The “Pickin’ On” series has been running for nearly three decades now, cranking out over forty records. They have successfully bridged the gap between traditional bluegrass and popular music of the 20th and 21st century. The series first began to captivate bluegrass audiences with the Pickin’ on the Grateful Dead album in 1997 and went on to more widespread popularity with Fade to Bluegrass: A Tribute to Metallica in 2003. Numerous groups have been at the helm of these projects, such as Cornbread Red and the Infamous Stringdusters.

“Don’t you love her as she’s walking out the door.”

“Woke up this morning and got myself a beer. The future’s uncertain and the end is always near.”

The archaic, devil-may-care lyrics of Jim Morrison and the Doors are certainly right at home in the world of bluegrass. Much of Morrison’s poetry is regarded as surreal, embodying his sex and drug fueled endeavors in the 1960’s. But strip away the psychedelic guitar riffs and flamboyancy of the group and you’re left with something whole and organic. Then suddenly you see that the two genres that seemed like distant relatives are actually the closest of kin. While the Doors as a whole were ultimately equal contributors to the band’s material, the Lizard King is widely regarded as one of the most iconic front men to have graced the stage. 

Regardless of the big shoes they’re filling, Iron Horse does just that. Some of the songs sound as if they have been rearranged into bluegrass format, some sound more in the style of the original tunes, and some kind of criss-cross back and forth. Vance Henry leads with guitar and lead vocals, along with Tony Robertson on mandolin, Ricky Rogers on the upright bass and Andy Richardson on the banjo. The four musicians maintain the artistic integrity of the Doors while keeping each song fresh and accessible to all listeners.