The Foghorn Stringband. The Fallen Angels Club. CCA, Glasgow 17th May 2015

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Hot on the heels of ten dates in Ireland Portland’s acclaimed “Ass Kickin’ Redneck Stringband” ferried over for the first of their two Scottish dates on this tour. Suitably limbered up The Foghorn Stringband proceeded to offer up a master class in old time music with songs and tunes dredged from the past and from across the USA. Fiddle tunes, Cajun waltzes, Appalachian ballads and bluegrass workouts all testified to the band’s collective force as they flipped from one to another deftly changing places around the microphone depending on who was leading. With four superb singers, each with their own distinctive style, there was a cornucopia of vocal delights and harmonies galore as they ranged from the high lonesome sound of The Carter Family, the goofiness of old time country and the plaintive yearnings of Acadian settlers.

There was fine picking and strumming with Nadine Landry on double bass providing a solid bedrock for Reeb William’s assured guitar while Stephen “Sammy” Lind excelled on fiddle and occasional banjo. Caleb Klauder played fiddle as well but for most of the night he handled his mandolin with a deftness and alacrity that was somewhat astonishing, bursts of notes spilling from him as he sang with a huge grin on his face. There was of course that choreography, unique (I think) to old time string bands where they participate in what amounts to a dance on stage with the vocalists and solo instrumentalists weaving in and out to offer the best amplification around the single microphone. It’s always a joy to watch and the Foghorn crew have it down to a T with Ms. Landry moving her bass with no discernible effort. In addition there is no better sound than when a good acoustic band is in full tilt, meshed in and tight and this was evident throughout the show but particularly on the outstanding version of Fall On My Knees.

There was a good deal of humour on stage despite the usual country tales of heartbreak. Their version of The Carter Family’s Charlie and Nellie, a tale of long ago love letters and let downs led to a discussion of how best to break up by email these days while Reeb’s rendition of the Stanley Brother’s Pretty Little Miss In the Garden caused Caleb to ask if it was the same couple. There were some spine tingling moments however with Reeb and Nadine offering an excellent a capella duet on What Will We Do.

Overall the band were in fine fettle but for a show that almost demands participation be it singing along, dancing or foot stomping the confines of the CCA were not too conducive. A black box of a room with fixed seating subdued the audience. Klauder’s entreatments to ask for requests were blanked with only the promoter’s request for New Shoes, a Klauder song that was sung in the same room some months ago by The Stray Birds coming to light. Nevertheless it was a fine show and proof that The Foghorn Stringband are prime purveyors of that old time Americana, a well we all should sup from from time to time.

The Foghorn Stringband Interview

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The Foghorn Stringband (portrait, photo by Mike Melnyk)

With a hot new album, Devil in The Seat, (reviewed here) safely delivered Portland’s premier old time crew, The Foghorn Stringband are currently touring the British Isles to promote it. After a week of shows in Ireland they arrive in Glasgow tomorrow (Sunday) for a show at the CCA and in advance of this they took some time out to talk to Blabber’n’Smoke. We started off by asking about the unusual locationfor the album’s recording.

You recorded the new album in Kauai in Hawaii which seems an odd place to record an old time string band album. How did that come about and how did it compare to sitting around a microphone in rain swept Portland?

Some of us had visited friends on Kauai on our way back from an Australian tour and thought it would be a great idea to record there. We travel so much with the touring and never get to spend more than a day or two at one place. With this recording idea, we thought it would be really healthy and productive to spend a whole week in a gorgeous setting, surrounded by a few great friends, enjoy the odd game of croquet between takes, a walk and a dip in the ocean every day. We were full of energy and so grateful to be there. Who knows where the next album will be recorded!

Some of the songs appear to have a closer connection to Celtic or English folk music than I recall from your previous albums. The notes say that you learned What Will We Do from Cathy Jordan. Do you see this as a direction the band will pursue?

We choose music that we love, regardless of the origin. On the two previous recordings, we decided to add a few Cajun selections but didn’t include any on Devil in the Seat. We were looking for a girl duet and Sammy remembered hearing Cathy Jordan singing What Will We Do in a session somewhere in Ireland and we tried so hard to find a recording of her, with no success. We did find a recording of The Silly Sisters singing and learned it in Hawaii just before recording it!

You usually note the sources for the songs and tunes on each album, a habit which has caused a great deal of Google searches in this household as I try to hear the originals. Where do you hear the versions that inspire you, do you have a trove of old albums or access to an archive?

We collectively have a great quantity of field recordings and have shared various collections with peers at old time music gatherings and on the road. We also get to play sessions with a ton of musicians every year and some tunes stick with us days after the jams! It’s an amazing community out there of folks who share the love of the music but also the love of good company, food and simple living. It’s almost a way of life as much as it is a style of music!

How do you decide what material you’re going to put on each disc?

We wanted to make sure everyone was featured and that it represented us well. We ended up recording 36 songs in Hawaii and kept 16 for the album. We wish we could have fit all of them but made though choices and ended up with a good flow we think. Maybe we’ll release the other tracks in the future!

Are there any essential primers you would recommend for anyone wanting to delve into the world of old time music, books or records?

As far as old time and traditional music goes, you have to go for the classics such as Tommy Jarrell, The Skillet Lickers, John Ashby and The Free State Ramblers, The Carter Family and the list goes on!
A big fiddle hero of ours who just passed away who influenced the band greatly is Garry Harrison. He travelled throughout the Midwest (not a region you’d first think of for old time music) and collected hundreds of tunes and songs and published a book called Dear Old Illinois.

With the current line up you can range from Bluegrass to country to Honky Tonk to Cajun at the flick of a switch. Do you play all of these styles live?

Yes! We have loads of freedom playing live shows. We typically don’t use set lists and decide the next song as we go. We like to cater to each audience and honour their requests. It’s fun for them and artistically interesting for us to play as much material as we can without too many repeats. We made a list of our repertoire and with over 700 titles we can do days without playing a number twice! Each person in the band came from different backgrounds and with this line up, we cover lots of ground!

You’re touring Ireland this week before two dates in Scotland and another five in England towards the end of the month. How do you find the audiences are over here, do they react differently from North American audiences?

We love being here in UK and Ireland. The similarity in instrumentation seems to help the audiences identify to the music we do. Some tunes are played on this side of the ocean but have different titles than us or a ballad we sing has another ten verses we were not aware of and that always makes up for good conversations! The crowds here in general are very respectful and really listen to the lyrics. But it doesn’t mean we don’t like a good rowdy crowd!!!

The Foghorn Stringband are at The CCA, Glasgow, Sunday 17th May at 8pm.
05/18/15 Edinburgh Traverse Theatre Bar
05/20/15 Newcastle Cluny2 Theatre – Jumpin Hot Club
05/21/15 Liverpool The Caledonia (Free show!)
05/22/15 London Kings Place
05/23/15 Kent Cajun Barn – King Charles Church Hall Tunbridge Wells Kent
05/24/15 Towersey (10 miles from Aylesbury) The Three Horseshoes
Full info here

The Foghorn Stringband. Devil In The Seat

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Back in 2012 Blabber’n’Smoke described The Foghorn Stringband’s album, Outshine The Sun as one of the best string band albums of the year. So the arrival of their latest, Devil In The Seat was greatly anticipated and sure enough it’s certainly the best string band album we’ve heard this year. The Portland, Oregon quartet (Caleb Klauder, mandolin, violin, vocals; Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind, violin, banjo, guitar, vocals; Nadine Landry, guitar, double bass, vocals and Reeb Willms, guitar, vocals) may have swapped their recording location from Oregon to Hawaii on this occasion (why, who knows but I’m sure they had a fine warm time sipping their Margaritas) but once again they sound as if they’re playing on a front porch in some bygone frontier settlement.

All four excel on their various instruments and their sheer exuberance is a delight to listen to. On top of that each is an accomplished singer with their voices  seeming to reach from the past. With lead vocals switched from song to song there’s a sense of variety when listening to the album with Williams and Landry duetting wonderfully on the unaccompanied What Will We Do, a rare excursion into traditional folk which they learned from Irish singer Cathy Jordan. Williams yodels away on the roadhouse honky tonk of Mining Camp Blues while Landry adds a fine Acadian lilt to Henry Lee. As for the guys, Klauder and Lind can holler and whoop with the best of them. There’s variety also in the song selection as they range from lilting Appalachian ballads to square dance roustabouts and country waltzes. Each and every one is a delight and as with the previous album they note where they first heard each cut which can lead to some fine Googling fun checking out the originals.

From start to finish Devil In The Seat is an album that defies the listener to remain seated as the band whirl and skirl. There’s top marks for including a great version of Chicken Reel, a tune we probably first heard in a cartoon way way back in the mists of time and one that never fails to raise a grin and look for a partner to dozie doh with.
Good news is that The Foghorn Stringband are touring the UK and Ireland in May and there are two Scottish dates. They appear at Glasgow’s CCA on Sunday 17th may and at The Traverse Theatre Bar in Edinburgh on the 18th. The other tour dates are on their website. If they’re as good live as on record then these should be nights to remember. Here’s a clip of them playing.

The Foghorn Stringband, The Cactus Blossoms.

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When it comes to faithful recreations of old time string band music you’re hard pressed to find anyone doing it better than The Foghorn Stringband. Their latest offering, Outshine The Sun crams 21 songs and tunes into its 57 minutes contained in the craftily well-designed sleeve and each and every one of them is a delight. When we reviewed a trimmed down version of the band, The Foghorn Trio, last year we said that “they are astonishingly good at capturing the earnestness and innocence that is a quintessential ingredient in the pleasure one gets from listening to pre war country music” and that remains the case despite line up changes. Recorded sitting around a wood stove using one microphone in mandolin player Caleb Klauder’s Portland, Oregon home this sounds as if it could have been taped in the forties were it not for the lack of crackles and static. Klauder(who also plays fiddle and guitar), Stephen Lind (fiddle, banjo, guitar), Nadine Landry (double bass, guitar) and Rebecca Willms (guitar) are all excellent players and all add vocals that fit the songs and the sense of old timeyness perfectly either singly or in the excellent harmonies.
We can’t pick out any favourites or outstanding tracks here as each one is as good as the next. Whether it’s the rousing Be Kind To A Man When he’s Down, the jaunty By the River, the Cajun waltz of Tit’s Yeux Bleus or the tear jerking ode to a dead mother on Sweeter than All The Flowers, the playing captivates and the listener hits the repeat button in order to savour the lyrics. Half the fun here is in reading who inspired the band arrangements and while familiar names crop up in the album notes (The Carter Family, The Stanley Brothers and Charlie Poole for example) a musical quest beckons to find out who exactly were Da Costa Woltze’s Southern Broadcasters (see here). Definitely the best string band album this year, check out the website which carries a great and up to date blog of their ongoing adventures.

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As luck would have it when reading The Foghorn Stringband’s blog we noticed that they played a gig with The Cactus Blossoms reminding us that we’ve shamefully neglected their debut release which has been sitting here with pleading eyes for several months. Minnesota based brothers, Jack Torrey and Page Burkum (you figure the surnames) are two fresh faced handsome cowboy types who have obviously steeped themselves in the old Nashville sound of Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubbs and Hank Williams with a dash of the Everly Brothers and Woody Guthrie thrown in. Aided and abetted by the fine playing of Mike Russell (fiddle), Liz Draper (double bass) and Randy Broughten (steel guitar, Dobro) they’ve penned most of the songs here but manage to capture the post war Grand Ole Opry sound perfectly. Stately and respectful songs of regret and lost love are played and sung in a manner that captures a lost world of innocence, full of gingham and manners, songs your mum and dad would love. Nevertheless if the likes of hank Williams rocks your boat then you’ll love this. Cold Foot Boogie stomps along with some fine steel guitar sonic adventures and jazzy fiddling while Adios Maria is sublime with some excellent Dobro frills.

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The Foghorn Trio. Sud de la Louisiane.

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Been a while since we’ve had any old time string band music to mention so here’s one that’s coming out in May and is an absolute delight from start to finish. The Foghorn Trio comprise of two members of the Foghorn Stringband, an outfit from Portland, Oregon, Caleb Klauder (fiddle, mandolin and guitar) and Stephen Lind (fiddle, banjo and guitar) who have teamed up with Quebec born Nadine Landry who plays bass and guitar with all three sharing vocal duties. The title is a bit of a misnomer as there is little in the way of Louisiana here other than the title track, a Cajun song delivered by Landry. That said the album was recorded in Eunice, Louisiana by producer Joel Savoy whose rural studio is featured on the album cover.
The meat of the album is in god fearin’ honest homilies delivered in the style of the likes of the Carter Family along with strong instrumentals that feature the band’s dexterity. The majority of the songs are covers and they are astonishingly good at capturing the earnestness, innocence and to be fair the slightly hokum quality that is a quintessential ingredient in the pleasure one gets from listening to pre war country music. Two songs illustrate this perfectly. The Carter Family’s Hello Central is an aching plea to the Almighty from a youngster trying to contact his deceased mother, while Benton Flippen and The Smokey Valley Boys’ Go Home is a tremendous temperance plea. Listening to the versions here one could be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to a black and white world where television had not yet been invented and the sounds you hear guide your moral compass with your primary release being the weekend dance where you can let loose to the joyful fiddle and guitar of A Bottle of Wine and Gingercake.
Two originals by Caleb Klauder, the instrumental Puttin’ Up The Wood and Just A Little, a song very much in the tradition fit right in to the overall feel of the album. So pull out your bible, put away that demon drink and thank God you’re alive and able to enjoy such a fine recreation of past, more innocent times served with such virtuosity and love.
The Foghorn Trio play some dates in the UK in May.

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Hello Central

A Bottle of Wine and Gingercake