Written by - John Linnell
Remember when Bluegrass music used to be angry, when it used to be the raised voice of a people? The good news here is that Bluegrass music is still a rallying point for today's youth to express discontent at a world that seems largely out of control.
The Vandolins are a full Bluegrass/Stringband from Red Bluff California that puts out as much sound as a rampaging rock band, but with purely acoustic instruments. It's pretty impressive to hear this much sound coming out of a Bluegrass band, not to mention the wildly varied tempos and melodies.
The Vandolins can be counted among the host of Bluegrass bands that play bluegrass instruments but wouldn't be caught dead playing the main stage of any mainstream festival. Vandolins gruff sensibilities are more in line with bands like Hank William The III or The Devil Makes Three.
Singer David Soltar sings in a husky voice backed by hard-strummed acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin and upright bassist Patryck McAuliffe plucks every string accurately even while dancing around like a wild man, and fiddle/mandolin wizard Jeff Coleman plays incredibly well. Its obvious hes a seasoned fiddle and mandolin player.
The group's fast harmonies boost tracks such as "The End Is Near," Banjo ripper Beau Martinusen is solid throughout, playing in a plucky fingerstyle that steers clear of any potential Deliverance jokes.
All these songs would sound right at home beside a backyard bonfire.
The Vandolins evoke a rough outlaw feel, singing about whiskey, saloons, and being on the road. Everything a real outlaw would experience is in their songs, and they stay real to the outlaw attitude. There is a DIY punk rock sensibility that I really can relate to, being a life long punk rock fan. (I'm talking about bands like Black Flag, Bad Religion, Bad Brains. Not Blink 182, or Green Day)
While listening to the album I can tell theses guys have a lot more influences than just country/bluegrass. The song "Ride" "The Grove" and "Living Drone" (Which is very reminiscent of the guitar intro to "Listen To The Music" by The Doobie Brothers) all have nice jazzy guitar strumming and bass plucking meshed in with crisp clean Mandolin and Banjo picking. While changing up the tempo of the album from fast to slow, they still keep a good momentum going throughout, and they stay true to their true sound.
While their recordings are great, you still have to see them live to capture their raw intensity and energy. Not only are they amazing musicians, but they are entertaining, and have an old time feel that takes you back forty or fifty Years. To be honest you don't see or hear music like this anymore and its a pleasure to see a band staying true to who they are and making amazing music.
All in all, the performances are as solid as one would expect from the seasoned pros who lend their talents here and the first-rate musicianship of The Vandolins themselves underscores every track with just enough ‘spin’ to keep bluegrass lovers happy.
https://www.facebook.com/thevandolins?ref=ts
Remember when Bluegrass music used to be angry, when it used to be the raised voice of a people? The good news here is that Bluegrass music is still a rallying point for today's youth to express discontent at a world that seems largely out of control.
The Vandolins are a full Bluegrass/Stringband from Red Bluff California that puts out as much sound as a rampaging rock band, but with purely acoustic instruments. It's pretty impressive to hear this much sound coming out of a Bluegrass band, not to mention the wildly varied tempos and melodies.
The Vandolins can be counted among the host of Bluegrass bands that play bluegrass instruments but wouldn't be caught dead playing the main stage of any mainstream festival. Vandolins gruff sensibilities are more in line with bands like Hank William The III or The Devil Makes Three.
Singer David Soltar sings in a husky voice backed by hard-strummed acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin and upright bassist Patryck McAuliffe plucks every string accurately even while dancing around like a wild man, and fiddle/mandolin wizard Jeff Coleman plays incredibly well. Its obvious hes a seasoned fiddle and mandolin player.
The group's fast harmonies boost tracks such as "The End Is Near," Banjo ripper Beau Martinusen is solid throughout, playing in a plucky fingerstyle that steers clear of any potential Deliverance jokes.
All these songs would sound right at home beside a backyard bonfire.
The Vandolins evoke a rough outlaw feel, singing about whiskey, saloons, and being on the road. Everything a real outlaw would experience is in their songs, and they stay real to the outlaw attitude. There is a DIY punk rock sensibility that I really can relate to, being a life long punk rock fan. (I'm talking about bands like Black Flag, Bad Religion, Bad Brains. Not Blink 182, or Green Day)
While listening to the album I can tell theses guys have a lot more influences than just country/bluegrass. The song "Ride" "The Grove" and "Living Drone" (Which is very reminiscent of the guitar intro to "Listen To The Music" by The Doobie Brothers) all have nice jazzy guitar strumming and bass plucking meshed in with crisp clean Mandolin and Banjo picking. While changing up the tempo of the album from fast to slow, they still keep a good momentum going throughout, and they stay true to their true sound.
While their recordings are great, you still have to see them live to capture their raw intensity and energy. Not only are they amazing musicians, but they are entertaining, and have an old time feel that takes you back forty or fifty Years. To be honest you don't see or hear music like this anymore and its a pleasure to see a band staying true to who they are and making amazing music.
All in all, the performances are as solid as one would expect from the seasoned pros who lend their talents here and the first-rate musicianship of The Vandolins themselves underscores every track with just enough ‘spin’ to keep bluegrass lovers happy.
https://www.facebook.com/thevandolins?ref=ts
