2014-03-26
Guitar (6 strings) + banjo (5) + mandolin (8) + fiddle (4) + bass (4) = 27 strings, but I think they're counting the mandolin as only 4. Also they use a Barry Dudley 5-string violin, but who's counting? There are also drums and horns. This is fun, fast, and bouncy bluegrass, but St. James Infirmary should not be played fast and bouncy. Five songs on this EP, and I recommend the other four..
From the promo sheet: "Fiery, soul stirring bluegrass, beautifully round-around-the-edges old time and a homespun folk heart pulled from mountain hollows are all sewn into the sound.... The 23 String Band plays fun, fuel-injected, original American that weaves across the lanes of modern acoustic music. It's a bluegrass attack fueled by high-octane rock-n-roll energy and triple-distilled old-timey roots. Your feet hurt from dancing; your face hurts from grinning."
--Gerald Etkind
LEVON HELM
ELECTRIC DIRT
DAVE ALVIN
ELEVEN ELEVEN
Jetty Rae
Blackberries
Joel Rafael
Americana Music Festival Sampler
RAUL MALO
SINNERS & SAINTS
GLEN HANSARD & MARKETA IRGLOVA
Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Film "Once"
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