If you like your music to be of the hillbilly/redneck variety with a few Celtic overtones, then this is certainly the CD for you.
The band has been together a little while – since 2000, and long enough to release eight albums and rack up thousands of shows whilst touring in the last ten years. Their current line up revolves around two couples : - Portland, Oregon based Caleb Klauder on vocals, mandolin and fiddle, And Reeb Williams on guitar. We also have Yukon based Nadine Landry on vocals and upright bass, and Stephen 'Sammy' Lind on vocals, fiddle and banjo.
What you get with 'Devil In The Seat is no less than sixteen tracks which are primarily cover versions of traditional country songs, some spiffing instrumentals and the sort of music that is impossible not to get a foot tapping to.
Opening with 'Stillhouse' which is based around a Matokie Slaughter tune. Matokie (1935-1999) was a clawhammer banjo player who regularly performed with her family on local radio stations in the 1940s. Well this version really rocks and is an excellent tune to get anyone in the mood for a hoe down.
Other tracks that equally hit the spot are a cover of 'Henry Lee' which was more recently popularised by Nick Cave and Polly Harvey back in 1996 on the album 'Murder Ballads', but which actually originates as a much older song entitled 'Young Hunting' which has been around in various formats since the 18th century. Here it is played as a country folk song and The Foghorns version can easily hold its own against Mr. Cave's.
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'John Hardy' is another classic traditional song that told the story of a railroad worker in West Virginia. The historical John Hardy killed a man during a craps game, was found guilty of murder in the first degree, and was hanged on January 19, 1894. Here it is a fast paced bluegrass song, and not a million miles away from the version that The Gun Club turned for their their second album 'Miami'.
In addition to this, instrumentals such as 'Chadwell's Station' and 'Leland's Waltz' perfectly complement the proceedings. In fact, there's not a duff track on this album and it is one that any band could be justifiably proud of.
The Foghorn Stringband are touring the UK and Ireland throughout May, and with an album that's this good to promote, then fans of this genre would be wise not to miss them.
Foghorn String Band online
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