Review: MandoMorphosis - 2010

MandoMorphosis - 2010
2009, MandoMorphosis

MandoMorphosis is a Seattle-based collective of seven Mandolin players with varying musical backgrounds who have bound themselves together with the purpose of exploring the "boundaries of new acoustic music". The group consists of Matt Sircely (Hot Club Sandwich, Danny Barnes, Buell Neidlinger); David Tiller (Taarka, ThaMuseMeant); Pete Frostic (Old School Freight Train); Orville Johnson; Michael Connolly (Captain Gravel, Coyote Grace); Adam Larrabee and Scott Scaffer, bringing Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass, World and Classical influences into one intriguing blend. MandoMorphosis' debut album, 2010, will be released in the waning days of 2009.

2010 opens with the brief cacophony of Crash before segueing into Matt's Idea, an intricate mix of Celtic and Bluegrass that challenges listeners across layers of sound. It's an energetic and intriguing opener that perks up the ears. A Minor Squabble is subtle with quiet conflict. On Santa Morena, MandoMorphosis offers a strong southern European feel built in a classical musical engine with a theme that rises with incessant force before spiraling away like a child spinning in a field. There's a joyful spirit here residing beneath the weight of the world. CrimeDog is a real barn burner, a Bluegrass jam with a contemporary feel that will make you want to get up and dance.

Hamhock's Razor is an active and interesting piece, heavy in musical complexity but built around the simplest of hooks. Occam himself would be quite pleased, both with the song and the word play. Perhaps the highlight of the album is Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2. MandoMorphosis' reading is brilliant, catching the full melancholic force of the composition. It's a thing of beauty for the ears. MandoMorphosis, the song, plays fast and loose with the inter-relationship of musical parts. There's a New Music feel here, where each individual "voice" being heard is more important than how they necessarily work together. Another personal favorite comes on Out Of The Furnace And Into The Fire; which could be the soundtrack to a Grog-fueled kitchen party. Try and sit still. Just try.

The only song on 2010 with a vocal line is Nero's Fiddle, and the vocal line essentially becomes inconsequential in light of the instrumental work (a shame, because the vocal is quite well sung). The mandolin creates the angst and ardor of a world falling down around itself while drawing from a well of sounds cooked in the Far East. The violin plays on blissfully unaware while producing its placid counter-melody. Ghostown is a distinct turnaround, losing focus, direction and theme before the midpoint of the song. The fact that this is all by design makes it no less difficult to hear. MandoMorphosis steps back one hundred years or so for Ed, a Southwest flavored serene theme with hints of a real Pop melody woven throughout. 2010 concludes with Cascadia Raga, a ten minute-plus track that waxes and wanes between Raga and Bluegrass, occasionally entwining the two styles into a hybrid that's as hard to imagine as it is to walk away from.

MandoMorphosis isn't your typical Mandolin collective (if the world typical can even be applied to such). The musical tastes and inherent curiosities of the musicians involved lead them down twisty, strange and sometimes dark roads. Not every trip is a treat, and there are a couple of dead ends along the way, but on the whole 2010 is an experience to grow on. I highly recommend 2010 for its varied musical styles and approaches, creativity and overall sound. MandoMorphosis has done very well for themselves.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about MandoMorphosis at http://www.mandomorphosis.com/. You can purchase 2010 as either a CD or Download from CDBaby.com.

Review: Doug Yeomans & Ben Doerfel - Generation Gap

Doug Yeomans & Ben Doerfel - Generation Gap
2009, Roots Music Records

Doug Yeomans is a Western, New York singer/songwriter and guitarist who can play almost anything with six strings on it. A renowned guitarist in Jazz, Rock, Blues and Bluegrass, Yeomans has one international guitar competition win under his belt and nearly 40 years of performance experience. Ben Doerfel is still in his middle teens and already picks a six string better than a host of people who have been doing it all their lives. The two team up on the wonderful collection entitled Generation Gap.

Generation Gap opens with Gold Rush, a classic fiddle tune that's done here with great texture and nuance. Yeomans and Doerfel trade runs with aplomb in a gentle game of one-upmanship where the only winner is the listener. Big Sciota is of a slightly gentler nature. This tune has been recorded by everyone from Jerry Douglas to Old Crow Medicine Show and is an old Bluegrass favorite. Yeomans and Doerfel show off a bit here, pulling off some fast and fancy fretwork in what might be the best technical recording on the disc. Up next is Wildwood Flower, a song written in 1860 by Joseph Philbrick Webster and made famous by The Carter Family. The tune itself was also used by Woody Guthrie for the verses of The Sinking Of The Reuben James. Yeomans And Doerfel treat Wildwood Flower with much deference, offering a soft and meandering reading that is a pleasure to listen to.

Shady Grove is another American Folk Song with roots in both Celtic and Bluegrass traditions. It's been recorded by a score of notable artists including Jerry Garcia and Dave Grisman, Bill Monroe, Patty Loveless and Crooked Still. Doug Yeomans provides the vocal line very capable, but the picking is where the real action is at. Yeomans and Doerfel push each other to new heights in a bit of inspired play. Yeomans breaks out the banjo on Salt Creek, while Doerfel handles guitar duties. The interplay of the two instruments here is magical. Yeomans also kicks in through the wonders of technology with a second guitar part. Louise finds the duo taking a break from serious picking for a sweet and mellow country song. Yeomans is in wonderful voice.

After that brief interlude, Yeomans and Doerfel are right back at it on Clinch Mountain Backstep, a case of musical finger calisthenics with a serious Bluegrass feel. The guitar work here is so good it will make you weep. Bill Cheatham is another Bluegrass standard that's been recorded by folks such as Doc Watson, Leo Kottke and Chet Atkins. Yeomans and Doerfel both earn their CGPs on this gem. St. Anne's Reel explores the Celtic roots of bluegrass with a gentle touch that makes for a highly pleasant listen. Cherokee Shuffle is a traditional tune popularized by Fairport Convention. This is a technically difficult song to play and the duo make it sound easy. Generation Gap concludes with an instrumental take on Amazing Grace that grows from a meandering, pensive opening to a bluesy run to a verse played in the ethereal harmonic tones of the string-tops before ending on a vaguely jazzy reading.

Doug Yeomans and Ben Doerfel pull of an amazing performance on Generation Gap, made all the more impressive by the fact that Doerfel was only fourteen at the time it was recorded. The market for this sort of guitar instrumental album is somewhat limited, but if you are a guitar player, or particularly if you're learning, this is an album you must own. Fiddle tunes are often forgotten by players once they've used them in lessons to master fretwork and fast-picking techniques, but Yeomans and Doerfel remind us of what a pleasure they can be to hear when done right.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Doug Yeomans at www.dougyeomans.com. You can learn more about Ben Doerfel at www.myspace.com/bdoerfel. I could locate no online outlet for Generation Gap, although if you contact Doug Yeomans through his website I’m sure he’ll be happy to sell you one.

Review: Assembly Of Dust - Some Assembly Required

Assembly Of Dust - Some Assembly Required
2009, Rock Ridge Music

Assembly Of Dust has gained a moderate amount of commercial success over nearly a decade together, but has quietly become one of the most respected bands in music circles. Primary songwriter, singer and guitarist Reid Genauer has a lyrical bearing that falls somewhere between Bob Dylan and Martin Sexton; the gritty everyman with a lyric voice reminiscent of a cross between Neil Young and Glenn Frey. Adam Terrell (guitar, vox), Andy Herrick (drums) and John Leccese (bass, vox) support the writing process by not only providing stellar backdrops for Genauer's songs but also help to shape and caress the songs into life. On July 21, 2009, Assembly Of Dust returns with what might be their most focused and compelling album to date in Some Assembly Required. This time around Assembly Of Dust brings some close friends and even some of their idols along for the ride, as no less than thirteen guest musicians can be found on the CD. Richie Havens, Keller Williams, David Grisman, Bela Fleck, Grace Potter, Martin Sexton and Mike Gordon are among the luminaries pitching in, but don't think this is a gimmick to draw in listeners. If anything, it's a testament to the type of music Assembly Of Dust has made all along that so many fine musicians want to participate in Some Assembly Required.

Some Assembly Required opens with All That I Am Now, a vocal duet between Reid Genauer and Richie Havens. All That I Am Now is a song of resignation; an acknowledgement of the burdens of time and experience and what they can do to us. The song is resigned but also self-confident, and the arrangement runs a wonderful line between Rock and Country that we'll call Americana for lack of a better term. Buffalo Killers Zach & Seth Gabbard help out on vocals for Pedal Down, a deliciously Eagles-esque California Country rocker. David Grisman sits in on mandolin for Cold Coffee, a classic sounding tune with harmonies reminiscent of CSNY. This is a great bit of songwriting; highly intelligent yet charmingly colloquial. Phish's Mike Gordon sits in on bass and background vocals for Arc Of The Sun. The melody here is highly memorable and lyric, providing one of the most enjoyable listens on the disc. Second Song is built around a vibrant riff from guest Keller Williams. If any song from the disc ends up in a movie or television show it will be this one. The pacing and melody are perfect for the big or small screen and the arrangement is highly accessible across genres.

Light Blue Lover is an interesting song about letting go, including an unfortunately brief cameo by the exquisite Grace Potter. My favorite song on Some Assembly Required is Edges, featuring Bela Fleck on banjo. There's a sort of synergy that happens between Assembly of Dust and Fleck that's magical enough to shine through the highly produced format that is a CD. Be sure to check out Revelry, with Martin Sexton on "electric vocals". Revelry walks the fine line between folk and blues, resulting in an intriguing acoustic arrangement. Assembly Of Dust pulls back for Straight, the only song on the album that doesn't feature a guest. There's a bit of classic country in this melancholic ballad with a melody that washes over you like a gently rising tide. moe's Al Schier brings a little bit of crunch to High Brow on guitar before Assembly Of Dust closes out with You Lay The Dust (Jeff Pevar guests). Also make sure to check out John Scofield's guitar work on Borrowed Feet.

Assembly Of Dust is respected for a reason. There's not much flashy here, but Some Assembly Required is some of the finest roots songwriting of the year thus far. In spite of the numerous guests, Some Assembly Required retains an essential character that wholly belongs to Assembly Of Dust. Make sure Some Assembly Required makes it onto your "to-do" list. You won't regret it.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Assembly Of Dust at http://www.aodust.com/ or www.myspace.com/assemblyofdust. Some Assembly Required hits store shelves on July 21, 2009. You can pre-order your copy from Amazon.com. Expect Some Assembly Required to be widely available for digital outlets as well.