New Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Album Delivers the Unexpected
By Lance Martin For the Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band always plays against stereotypes.
The self-described Southern California hippies introduced a new style of bluegrass-inspired country-rock in the late ‘60s-early ‘70s, a sound that has kept them traveling the world over five decades and producing more hit singles than most bands make entire albums.
So while many bands of their vintage are either already history or going through the motions, the Dirt Band’s latest album, Speed of Life, delivers music every bit as good as its best work.
Having formed in 1966, the band evolved from a jug band to one that has topped the charts over several decades. Consider the 1980s alone, when the band had 17 consecutive Top 10 singles including Long, Hard Road; Fishin’ in the Dark; Modern Day Romance; and Dance Little Jean.
The band describes Speed of Life as celebrating the ups and downs of life. And while some of the material may suggest low points, expect the Dirt Band to be at their musical finest. In some ways, the album represents a coda for the band, reminding audiences of the sounds that made the band famous without sounding like a retread.
It’s chock full of the acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies that were core to many of their ‘80s hits, with plenty of mandolin, banjo and impeccable songwriting heaped on to ensure it stays close to their rootsy- influences.
Co-produced by George Massengburg and Jon Randall Stewart, Speed of Life took the Dirt Band back to a less manufactured way of making music by recording the band together in the studio with as few takes as possible.
Jeff Hanna, one of the band’s founders who sings lead on many of the songs, and, like the entire band, is a multi-instrumentalist, said Massenburg and Stewart insisted the band play the way they did when recording what are regarded as their landmark albums, Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, and Will the Circle Be Unbroken. Hanna said the producers told the band, “We’d love to make a record with you but here’s the deal – you’ve got to do it live.”
“We hadn’t played that way in a while,” Hanna said. “And not only did they have me singing live, I was playing acoustic (guitar) live at the same time. So if I hit a bad note, George would send me back in the studio with my acoustic guitar – make sure I grabbed the right one because we used several old vintage acoustics – and just get it ‘till it’s right... it’s a lot easier getting it on the date than fixing it. In terms of getting the passion in the music, it’s easier to be inspired when you’ve got a great track going and you’re in the room with the guys.” That passion is evident as soon as “Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble to Me,” rips open the album like a bag of fun and harmonica, banjo and a steady beat get the toe tapping immediately.
The album has a comfortable sound for longtime fans and yet enough variety to make it fun. Its fresh- off-the-farm note-benders include Brand New Heartache, which wails in just the right parts, and Jimmy Martin, an ode to the late King of Bluegrass who collaborated with the band on their three Will the Circle Be Unbroken albums.
Hanna vividly recalled the difference Martin made in the studio.
“It was an amazing eye-opener when Jimmy walked in that studio the first time,” he said. “What he brought was a rockabilly energy – it was great. He was kinda’ dangerous, kinda’ duck-tail. He just had that thing going on – it was amped up and the accelerator was always down when Jimmy was in the room. “
Hanna said Martin taught the band a lot about singing bluegrass harmonies and was always “messing with us. I’m really glad we got to play with him. I actually was able to hang out with Jimmy a couple weeks before he died and spent a nice afternoon with him out at his house... He got to the point where he was bedridden and couldn’t play. So he was singing and I was playing (guitar) and he was still singing great. We started this tune and he said, ‘No, Jeff, you’re doing it all wrong – your right hand ain’t going right on this rhythm,’ and he grabbed the guitar and showed me. We started all over and he said, ‘That’s more like it.’ He was something else.”
Fans of Dirt Band’s country-rock hits are certain to enjoy The Resurrection, the story of a struggling community where “dreams die hard,” as well as Amazing Love, an ethereal take on forgiveness.
A hardcore five-string banjo instrumental smack-dab in the middle of the album showcases the selfless musicianship that’s allowed the group to endure. The song features the band’s John McEuen, who is fresh off accepting a Grammy award on behalf of Steve Martin for best bluegrass album. Martin’s album of banjo music, The Crow, was produced by McEuen, who actually taught Martin to play the banjo in the ‘60s when they were high school classmates.
There’s plenty of room for each band member to share the spotlight on Speed of Life.
Keyboardist Bob Carpenter takes over the lead vocals on a pair of songs he co-wrote, including Something Dangerous describing the timeless story of love’s inherent risks.
Drummer Jimmie Fadden takes the lead on Tryin to Try, a song he co-wrote with Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark, the inaugural Threadgill Concert Series headliner. The song first appeared on Clark’s 1995 Dublin Blues album, yet sounds every bit as Dirt Band on Speed of Life.
Fadden can be credited with bringing Canned Heat’s Going Up the Country to the album, resulting in a fun jam session that should sound fantastic live. Another cover, Stuck In the Middle With You, was originally recorded by Stealers Wheel and gained additional fame in a pivotal scene of Quentin Tarantino’s movie, Reservoir Dogs. The ‘70s rock hit gets a bluegrass jam treatment that simultaneously demonstrates the Dirt Band’s progressiveness and bluegrass roots.
The album closes with a Cajun song titled Good to Be Alive that sounds more down in the French Quarter than down in a holler.
“We’re all about that,” Hanna said. “Cajun’s been a big influence on us.”
Hanna suggests that the band’s diversity can be accredited to their success over the years.
“I’m really grateful for all of the hits over the years,” he said, “but it’s liberating to not be under the gun of an A&R department where they’re basically saying, ‘That’s not commercial - we can’t put that out.’ It’s a lot easier to do what comes natural without someone standing over your shoulder.”
The result, Hanna insists, is music that fans “have really been responding well to” which gets ample time during their concerts, though they would never abandon their catalog of hits.
Dirt Band has always been happy to oblige its fans a healthy amount of their hits. Hanna recalls a story told by Jackson Browne on a recent acoustic album about how performing hits for fans changes as the artist gets older. (Brown played briefly with the band in 1966 before going on to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career as a solo artist.)
Hanna shares the story: “He said, ‘You know it’s funny people used to shout, ‘Would you play Running on Empty’ and now they say, ‘Can you remember Running on Empty?’
“It’s a different context all together.”
And while the Dirt Band may understand the context, they show no sign of becoming the stereotypical band past its prime. Hanna describes the live shows as recharging the band.
“What matters more than ever now is going out and playing live,” he said. “(The new music) is a brand new kind of transfusion into the blood of the Dirt Band and the energy from a tune like Mr. Bojangles comes from the crowd.”
About the Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will headline the Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series in Greenville on Feb. 27 with Zane Williams opening. More information on the series and Friends of Main Street can be found at www.greenville-texas.com.
Tickets for the concert are on sale now at Cavender’s in Greenville. Tickets are also available online at www.frontgatetickets.com or by calling (888) 512-SHOW. A limited number of seats are available in the reserved section.