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Urban Hillbilly Quartet
Living in the City
(self release)
Out of the Twin Cities comes the hee haw harmonies of mandolin, accordion, fiddle and guitar. Formed in September of '95, The Urban Hillbilly Quartet stage travelogs of mountain music, stretching traditions into newgrass, rock-jazz blues. Last year's Living In the City was a solid effort that included a spacey finale in "January Snow," and the hippie gypsy rhythms of "Bring In the Sail." Falling with the precision of a horse drawn wagon rolling into town, the eleven songs they recorded at Macalester College brought forth a tidy package of multiple skills. Whether leaning on the solid, stoic twang of "Blind Horse" which opens the disc or turning the traditional, "Hot Vecca," into a high stepping, jazzed up jig, the casual repartee among the quartet is quickly established. The fiddle of Mikey Bales turns many of their tunes into tempests, while Erik Brandt's guitar, harmonica and tin whistle brings a ghostly resonance to the dusty tales of heartbreak and sorrow. A summer's rest will bring them through Wisconsin in late August with their third release, St. Paul, due in September, but their Living In The City captures a talented band with a unflinching taste for late night
rodeos and rugged terrain.
John Noyd |
