Railsplitters

I soon cheered up when we arrived at Birnam Arts, and I got a good filter coffee inside me before we filtered into the auditorium to take our seats.  The show started with the spryly melodic instrumental Durango River, which sees some pretty tasty banjo picking and sliding from the amazingly named Dusty Rider (who I mistakenly thought was called Rusty Driver until I checked The RailSplitters Website).   It is not until third song Lessons I've Learned that we get to hear lead vocalist Lauren Stovall's voice.  She sounds a little bit like legendary Emmylou Harris, a voice that is both as pure as crystal yet still carries a distinct twang from Lauren's upbringing in Mississipi.  

 

The Next song, Jump In, from their latest album of the same name was a real gem.  The amazing fiddle part performed by Joe D' Esposito forms the cornerstone of what is an amazingly catchy and insistent pop song that with its prominent fiddle part strangely reminds me of vintage Dexy's Midnight Runners.  Silver-haired mandolin player Pete Sharpe plays some great choppy mandolin on Trouble's which is a great straightforward bluegrass song that wouldn't seem out of place on the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.  However, it was with the awesome Planted On The Ground that The Railsplitters truly won me over.  It combined a great vocal melody and exquisite harmonies with a sudden and deft change in tone and pace that Surf's Up era Brian Wilson would be proud of.  Jo's favourite song of the evening, You, saw more really inspired songwriting, perfectly executed harmonies and was a perfect way to end the first half of the show.

 

After a short interval, the band mixed it up a little with fiddle player Joe D' Esposito taking lead vocals on a cover of Bjorks angular electronica song Crystalline.  There is a bit more genre-bending with Pete Sharpe's impressive Dave Brubeck meets Bill Monroe instrumental Citronella that features a cool jazz bassline.  Throughout the evening the bands' ability to entertain extends way beyond just their musical abilities with D' Esposito performing handstands and mimicking birdsong and ocean sound on the violin.  Upright bass-player Jean-Luc Davis also relished playing to a new audience as it meant he could recycle his jokes from two years ago declaring "Obama's ears be so big..."  at this point he looked sadly into space before sobbing "I miss that guy".

 

Soon the evening is nearly over but not before an encore of old-timey classic Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss that had it all: a rousing sing-a-long chorus, more cracking harmonies, and even a false ending that had everyone about to clap before the music struck up again.  It was a great finale that had everyone stomping their feet and clapping along.