WIN A CD ONLY AVAILABLE HERE!Bluegrass: Jeff Austin & Chris Castino's Songs from the Tin Shed

Yonder Mountain String Band’s Jeff Austin teamed up with the Big Wu’s Chris Castino for a Bluegrass album called Songs from the Tin Shed. This 2004 release slows it down a bit as compared to YMSB, bringing out great vocal harmonies and picking on a collection made up mainly of originals.

The album opens up with Castino’s “No Place Like a Road” about being on the road. There’s great tenderness in this song even on the sing-along chorus, “Life’s a funny thing/When you have to go sing.” In other hands, this twangy, mandolin-led tune might come out as a joke, but Castino and Austin don’t shake off the very true homesick feelings in the lyric and music.

Austin’s “Steep Grades, Sharp Curves” injects a bluesy groove to the bluegrass coupled with strumming during the verses that switches from straight 4/4 to a syncopated, hesitating feel further draws the picture of a twisting road, a twisting love life.

Finally, how could I pass up mentioning Castino’s “Flatiron Suite”? He says it is written about the history of Minnesota (his home, my home) about a French-Canadian voyageur, the tempo matching the steady paddle strokes of the canoeists. I spent all of those summers in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, crossing over at times into Ontario. My companions and I always imagined ourselves sharing some bond with the voyageurs. Through “Flatiron Suite,” I remember the things we thought about during our journeys—dreaming of home far away, paddling away the day towards new shores, dreaming of love far away, moving our canoes “in perfect time.”

This album dedicates itself to true Bluegrass sounds. Yet, Austin and Castino’s originals may even grab rock ‘n’ roll fans. The music is a different form from the staples of rock radio, but these guys aren’t off in the mountains somewhere. These guys are just down the street.


WIN MUSIC FROM YONDER MOUNTAIN!
5 people won a CD of the Yonder Mountain String Band’s performance on Austin City Limits. This CD is only available here. Winners: 1) Jamie of Washington, DC (who says check out Ultimate and Strong Bad;2)Debbie of Victoria, BC: 3) Juliette of Montreal, QC; 4) Price of Louisville, KY; and 5) Sue of Winnipeg, MB. Thanks to all of the other entrants. Please try again!

PBS’ Austin City Limits is one of those shows that I always like when I happen to catch it. For some unknown reason, I never make this live music show a must-see in my television viewing plans despite the fact that they more often than not feature artists that I either enjoy, want to learn more about, or would like to hear for the first time.

I didn’t see the broadcast September 21, 2003, but the Yonder Mountain String Band has a special promotional CD of their performance on the show. I’ve been talking about New Bluegrass within the last months, but with the Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB), you’ve got Bluegrass straight-up.

YMSB deliver some of the best traditional bluegrass these days. Hearing them on Austin City Limits catches them in prime form, building off the energy of a great crowd. The recording suffers a bit with some of the vocals being too low in the mix, but the instruments come through beautifully.

By getting a chance to hear the band live, with good crowd invitations to enjoy the bluegrass music and take off their shoes, you get the feeling that you’re at a local festival. Back in 1998, my wife and I took a trip across Canada where on Prince Edward Island we attended the Rolla Bay Fiddle Festival. A small stage in a field, a small festival run by volunteers brought together some of the best players of Celtic music. The atmosphere and music of the festival was so inviting. That same invitation comes through strong and clear in YMSB’s recording here.

And this is some fast bluegrass. As the band announces, there’ll be no ballads or slow songs. Mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass, they’re all picking up a storm. The speed of these songs makes me think that we’re not that far off from Punk Rock. The southbound train in the song “Pride of Alabama” meets “Train in Vain”?

Thanks to Penny at Partners in Music and Frog Pad Records for their help with the review copies and the unique giveaway CDs.