BOBTOWN

Trouble I Wrought

2012-11-05

This interesting ensemble's music has been described as "Gothic Folk." How else to introduce a band that does a bluegrass cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper," the Blue Oyster Cult mega-hit of yesteryear? There are many banjo bands barnstorming America, but Bobtown has carved a distinct niche with its choral harmonies, strong percussion and seamless mixture of bluegrass, blues, gospel and folk. This is a shade darker than most Americana groups, a kind-of bluegrass noir, which is evident immediately in the opener, the nearly-a-capella "Mama's Got the Backbeat," a hand-clapping rhythmic gospel-tinged tune. In addition to the "Reaper" cover, another standout to mention is "Battle Creek," again with the rhythmic hand-claps in this worker's lament. While there are a couple of light-hearted songs, for the most part the body count and the despair-o-meter in this set is high. Kudos to this band for choosing the road not taken as it travels the bluegrass musical landscape--and intriguing the listener enough to have them come along for the ride. Michael J. 11/12 F-Neo Americana

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 01/2006

    DARDEN SMITH
    Field of Crows

  • reviewed 10/2015

    Caroline Aiken
    Broken Wings Heal

  • reviewed 01/2010

    VARIOUS ARTISTS
    Keep the Light Alive: Celebrating the Music of Lowen and Navarro

  • reviewed 03/2013

    KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
    Feeling Mortal

  • reviewed 08/2012

    WOODPECKERS
    Thanks Anyway

  • reviewed 12/1969

    THE ZOSO SISTERS
    Adieu False Heart

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.