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Sunday, February 14, 2010 Freight & Salvage |  |
 The Nashville Bluegrass Band has truly forged its own sound, one rooted in the blues with an acute awareness of gospel and folk traditions. Their music has an ease to it that contrasts with the edgy fire-balling of some contemporary bluegrass bands. Instead, when Alan O’Bryant and Pat Enright match their voices in close harmony and when mandolinist Mike Compton and fiddler Stuart Duncan offer their refined compliments to the songs, a certain mood is created, one discovered early on and refined over two decades of history. The accolades have been many, including two Grammy Awards for best bluegrass album and two Entertainer of the Year nods from the International Bluegrass Music Association. But to hear them live, one suspects the most rewarding part of the Nashville Bluegrass Band experience is their effortless ensemble feeling, something musicians can spend a lifetime looking for. | |
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 Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys Belle Monroe and her Brewglass Boys have been laying it on the line for Bay Area bluegrass lovers for over a decade. While the band has a great appreciation for traditional bluegrass music, they don't quite play it straight; they inject a bit of blues, a smidgen of swing, and a whole lot of fun and frenetic energy. Their repertoire includes original bluegrass and versions of popular classics that are distinctively ‘Brewglass’. Belle and the Boys first got together in 1995; the current lineup has been going strong since 2002. They have been featured at all of the major bluegrass festivals in the West, and play regularly at the top bluegrass venues in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released their first album in 2007 (self-titled) and are working toward a 2010 release of a second full-length album. If you like hard-driving bluegrass infused with positive energy and heartfelt showmanship, then Belle Monroe and her Brewglass Boys will be just your pint of brew! | |
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