Album Review: Alan Sparhawk - With Trampled by Turtles

Alan Sparhawk

With Trampled by Turtles

***and1/2 out of *****

Low was an institution. The slowcore, indie rock band from Duluth, MN was the partnership of Alan Sparhawk (guitar and vocals) and his wife Mimi Parker (drums and vocals). Parker passed away in November 2022 and it turned out the next time Sparhawk took the stage was with fellow Duluth friends, the bluegrass outfit Trampled by Turtles.

Album Review: Devil Makes Three - Spirits

The Devil Makes Three

Spirits

***and1/2 out of *****

The Devil Makes Three have not released an album of new studio material since 2018's Chains Are Broken and a lot has happened in the world since then. Their eighth studio offering, Spirits is the groups solid return to form as the band stripped down to their roots and let their blend of Americana, country, bluegrass, folk, punk and jazz flow through thirteen stout tracks. 

Live Streams: Billy Strings UNO Lakefront Arena

We are now heading into the new normal with live music. Live shows will need to be flexible and streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE.  We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing/listening pleasure. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Live Stream: Billy Strings UNO Lakefront Arena

Tonight and tomorrow, nugs.net will be live streaming Billy Strings shows from UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Check it out here. 

To get in the mood here is some live music from the artist. 

Dylan Cover #644 Bolt Hill Band "Tangled Up In Blue" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Bolt Hill Band performing "Tangled Up In Blue" 

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this track:
Wow. The song that never ends, the tune that might just best sum up Dylan, if that is remotely possible. Dylan constantly toyed with this song (check out the Rolling Thunder and Real Live version's if you haven't yet) and even he knows it can't stay stagnant in one form for long, so covering it is a good bet.  Needless to say it is in the top 5 greatest songs he ever wrote if we were ranking them...hmm.

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
RtBE have never come across the Bolt Hill Band before, they are a bluegrass band from New England. 

Thoughts on Cover:

The bluegrass twist is a nice touch, but this song is so great, any version would be pleasurable. That said, this is well done, with slight tempo shifts, solid singing and excellent musicianship. 

Album Review: Willie Nelson - Bluegrass

Willie Nelson 

Bluegrass

*** out of *****

The second album released in 2023 from the 90 year old Willie Nelson is a reinterpretation of his back catalog in the vein of the title, Bluegrass. While not vital, it contains some sweet twists on classics, a few surprises, and overall is an easy rolling breeze of a listen with twang and soulfulness.   

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Bluegrass is that this is the first album Nelson has not played his trademark guitar Trigger on since he bought the acoustic warhorse. Nelson sticks to singing (and his 90 year old voice sounds fine), while the instrumentation was captured mostly live in Nashville by a crack band. They include, Barry Bales – upright bass, Wyatt Beard – background vocals, Ron Block – banjo, Buddy Cannon – background vocals, Melonie Cannon – background vocals, Aubrey Haynie – fiddle, Rob Ickes – dobro, Josh Martin – acoustic guitar, Mickey Raphael – harmonica, Seth Taylor – mandolin, Bobby Terry – acoustic guitar, gut string guitar, Dan Tyminski – mandolin. 

Opening with the smooth "No Love Around" the tone is set, twangy playing mixed with restrained singing of some of Nelson's classics. The swaying "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces" features nice picking around Nelsons great lyrics and softer vocals while "Good Hearted Woman" is a relaxed hoedown that proves to be an album highlight.  

Less successful is the slow, weepy fiddle and guitars of "Sad Songs and Waltzes" while "Bloody Mary Morning" is upbeat and pretty much the same, just with a touch more twang. It must also be said that this just may be the cheesiest album cover of Nelson's long career. The band does get bluesy with their grass for both "You Left Me a Long, Long Time Ago" which highlights the backup signing in almost duet fashion and "Home Motel" which features the most emotional singing from Nelson on this release. 

The pace picks up towards the end of the album as the players cut loose for the fast "Still Is Still Moving to Me" and the excellently quick take on "Slow Down Old World". The group picks a good one for the classic "On The Road Again" while "Man With The Blues" wraps things up on this pleasant jaunt (with a twist) through some of Nelson's tunes as the artist just keeps putting out good to great albums when most other artists are either dead or gone, cowboy hat's off to him.  

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Support the legend, buy the album and peep some video below:

Dylan Cover #593 Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra of the Dylan tune "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)"

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we talked about this tune:
A layered and moving song, the real highlight on a mixed up Dylan album (Street Legal), "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)" is musically riveting and lyrically haunting.  Acoustic plucking, rolling drums and a forlorn trumpet color the tune musically while some straight ahead lyrics mix with the surreal and backup singers add "Oooh and Aaaah" behind the nasal delivery of the Bard.  Looking at the "Painted Wagon" and smelling the "Tail of the Dragon" are just two examples of bizarre lyrics that could pertain to nuclear war or something else entirely, making it all even more enchanting.  A gorgeous music background with perplexing lyrics and a strong vocal performance...yup, I dig this one a ton. 

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
RtBE is new to Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra. A group of bluegrass lovers based in Norway. 

Thoughts on Cover:

As a youtube commenter states: 

A Bob Dylan song with a Bluegrass arrangement, played by a Band from Norway! The world never ceases to amaze me!! Kudos to Hayde Bluegrass...

Kudos indeed! These type of interpretations are the reason we continue to do this series week after week. 

Full Show Friday: Billy Strings - 11/11/22 Nassau Coliseum

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Billy Strings!

Here is Billy Strings Nassau Coliseum show this past November. A full show, fan shot, but pro sound. 

Full set list below.  Enjoy!

 

Album Review: The Milk Carton Kids - I Only See The Moon

Hey all, got a review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!

It is of The Milk Carton Kids newest album, I Only See The Moon.

RtBE have reviewed the band previously and this new album goes back to their modern day Simon and Garfunkel sound. We liked it better when they were playing with a full band, but it is hard to hate on such sweet singing.

Support the artists, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Year In Review 2022 - Favorite Albums Part 1 (Honorable Mentions and Let Downs)

Another year is finishing up and @RockBodElec wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE presents 2022's Favorite Albums Part 1 (Honorable Mentions and Let Downs):

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album, either on this site or elsewhere, we will link to that review and just give a quick summation; click on the name/title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE also worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle, Spotify playlists or streaming for us.

These are the albums that just missed out on being included in our top ten favorite for the year (coming soon). After some very excellent albums we have a few releases from artists we dig, which we were let down by. 

Like all of our lists or 'best of'' these are meant to start conversations, not end them...

Album Review: Greensky Bluegrass - Stress Dreams

Greensky Bluegrass

Stress Dreams

**** out of *****

The jam-grass outfit Greensky Bluegrass only step into the studio to take a break from their life on the road, so when the global pandemic brought touring to a stop, the group got cabin fever, or in other words Stress Dreams, their eighth full length studio album. 

The band, Michael Bont (banjo/vocals), Paul Hoffman (mandolin/vocals), Mike Devol (bass/vocals), David Bruzza (guitar/vocals), Anders Beck (dobro) are old pros, but no one was ready to have their worlds turned upside down and that sense uncertainty permeates every track on this strong album of pandemic inspired songs. 

You don't need any background info as the album title states the premise before the songs roll out, each one grapples with finding meaning outside of playing music, facing endless days, and figuring out what to do with time. 

The tense music supports "Absence of Reason" as the bluegrass plucks, but something ominous buzzes right under the surface. The fidgeting "Monument" continues this vibe with the lines "This could all be gone in a blink of an eye" and the group dives in fully with the direct "Until I Sing". The song casts doubt on self worth with lines like "Feeling restless now and I want to get out" and "Worthless without a purpose until I can sing for you" as the band who are "Shrouded in fear and doubt" look for that day when they can do again what they do best, tour for the fans.   

The pressure continues to mount throughout the title track which morphs from straight ahead country tune with piano into an ominous creeping jam that uses distortion and organ hums to ramp up the feeling of isolation and nervousness. Giving up gets a bit of perseverance on "Give A Shit" while the downtrodden "Streetlight" exhales that love is only so much.  

Produced with the help of Dominic J Davis and Glenn Brown the albums tense songs capture each individual  instrument and when combined they deliver a larger suffocating feeling. The band are all technically gifted, but like on their strong previous studio album All For Money, they use those talents in furthering the songs themselves, not just showing off, which can be a detriment to bluegrass albums.

 

The middle of Stress Dreams slows for more contemplative efforts "Worry For You" and "Get Sad" before the band kicks it back up for the political reactionary "Cut A Tooth" and the Nathaniel Rateliff sounding "New and Improved". The second half of the record is simply not as strong as the first with the dour "Screams", the elongated yearning of "Grow Together" and funky album closing "Reasons To Stay" all good, but exhaling from all the the tension and existential dread spun to start.  

That said, no album captures road warrior musicians lives instantly changing overnight as accurately as the first half of Stress Dreams by Greensky Bluegrass. It is a world they hope they never have to return to, but now the veterans have a batch of stout songs to draw on as they reemerge on live stages around the world.   

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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below:

Live Streams: Northwest String Summit 4 Day Live Stream

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Northwest String Summit 4 Day Live Stream

A killer lineup is out there in the Pacific Northwest for the Northwest String Summit and you can stream each day, starting today, over on Mandolin. 

To get in the mood here is Railroad Earth who will be playing on Friday. 

Live Streams: Trampled By Turtles - Live from Red Rocks

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Trampled By Turtles - Live from Red Rocks

The bluegrass/folk outfit Trampled By Turtles are playing Red Rocks tonight and you can stream it for free on Relix twitch channel. 

To get in the mood, here is some recent live music from the band:

Live Streams: Greensky Bluegrass

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Greensky Bluegrass - Live from Relix Studios

The jam-grass outfit Greensky Bluegrass are getting down live and you can check them out tonight at 7pm from the Relix Studios. 

To get in the mood here is a tune from the band:

Live Streams: Trampled By Turtles @ The Ryman Auditorium

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Trampled By Turtles @ The Ryman Auditorium 

The first of two great shows streaming form The Ryman Auditorium this weekend as the folk/bluegrass outfit Trampled By Turtles get it started tonight. RtBE have dug them in the past and this should be a fun night as the band plays this famous hall. 

You can watch it over on Mandolin and peep some video below to get in the mood for the show:

Dylan Cover #524 Billy Strings "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Billy Strings playing " Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

Every April (and first week of May) we have a special focus in our ongoing Monday Bob Dylan Cover Series on artists who will be playing Jazzfest in New Orleans. Today we highlight, Billy Strings who plays the best festival in America on Thursday May 5th.

Thought's on Original:
From the first time we reviewed a cover of this tune:
This song is so iconic and flat out awesome, even people who dislike Dylan have to enjoy this tune right? Biting and yet not bitter, a toss off of the grandest proportions, "Don' Think Twice, It's All Right" is epic and yet so straight forwardly simple. It easily ranks as one of the bard's best works, truly a classic and has been covered by so many people in so many ways.
Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have reviewed and hyped Billy Strings in the past, even when he played in New Orleans previously. Perhaps down in Jazzfest we will finally catch him live on "Locals Thursday".

Thoughts on Cover:

A fantastic cover that combines Billy's expert bluegrass picking with Dylan's excellent lyrics as Billy seems to be able to pull these gems out all the time. A great way to kick off a month of hyping Jazzfest and all the amazing artists playing down there.  

Live Streams: Sam Bush St. Patrick's Day Livestream

 We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Sam Bush St. Patrick's Day Livestream

From Bloomington, IN comes Sam Bush's St. Patrick's Day Livestream. You can check it out here. 

To get in the mood here is Sam Bush live:

Full Show Friday: Greensky Bluegrass 2018 Levitate Music Festival

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing). This week...Greensky Bluegrass!

The jam-grass outfit have a new album coming out early next year, but here is a show from 2018 at the Levitate Music Festival. 

Pro Shot, pro sound, enjoy:

New Album From Greensky Bluegrass Coming in Janurary

The jam-grass outfit Greensky Bluegrass are delivering their next album Stress Dreams at the end of January. 

RtBE loved the bands last offering, All For Money, and ranked it high on our year end list in 2019. The record is produced by Dominic Davis and engineered by Glenn Brown. Here is a video regarding the new album, we can't wait to hear it.  

Live Streams: Telluride Bluegrass Festival Weekend 2

For the last year live music was on lock down (like everything else in New York City). Live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are improving on the pandemic front in this city, but live streams will be an option for the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past until live shows go fully back to in person glory. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Telluride Bluegrass Festival Weekend 2

The second weekend of Telluride's Bluegrass Festival kicks off today.

The lineup includes Sam Bush Band, Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples and many more.

To get in the mood here is the legendary Del McCoury Band:

Live Streams: Telluride Bluegrass Festival Weekend 1

For the last year live music was on lock down (like everything else in New York City). Live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are improving on the pandemic front in this city, but live streams will be an option for the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past until live shows go fully back to in person glory. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Telluride Bluegrass Festival Weekend 1

The first weekend of Telluride's Bluegrass Festival kicks off today.

Acts include Dierks Bentley, Punch Brothers and more. 

To get in the mood here is Greensky Bluegrass live from last year: