D TOWN MOUNTAIN LOAFER'S GLORY THE YANKEE REBELS Leave The Bottle Arhoolie Records Flight Of The Phoenix Pinecastle Records BY PAUL KOPTAK Ampersand Records BY GRACIE MULDOON BY ROBERT STEELMAN The CD shows Bill Bryson, Herb Peterson, Leave The Bottle from Town Mountain Tom Sauber, and his son Patrick Sauber een Though this writer has rarely crossed the proves to be a solid and popular new release sitting around and enjoying a drink and :me Mason-Dixon Line, some Yankee bluegrass as this band's mega attention and fanbase conversation, instruments set aside for the has managed to filter down through the years. grow. Broadcasters, hosts, DJs, promoters moment. They've Jl:l.Jiiii&iiiirl The Yankee Rebels is one of those bands with and fans really are seeing and hearing a lot earned a break, which I was somewhat familiar during my of popular feedback on this project and on the having played bluegrass formative years. Unfortunately, band. Their type of bluegrass is somewhere with just about these rebels have been below the radar for far middle of the road and hard to peg and ifl had everyone - Herb too long. With Flight Of The Phoenix, from to decide how to label it I couldn' t. It's just once filled in Ampersand Records, they have risen with a for Earl Scruggs real good music, right down the middle of the r------~ vengeance! The with The Foggy bluegrass alley and you can tell the individual na;;u&;;IL>J I Yankee Rebels Mountain Boys. These four come together Ft"::;:::::::::;;::::;-:-===l m e m b e r s a r e came together socking it to you for their love of with in the 1960s and with every piece some old-time thrown in - check out the spent the next of their bluegrass on Crow, Lillie Rooster and claw three decades at hearts. The guys hammer on Pickin ' Girl. There are the forefront of - Phil Barker on story songs like Legend Of Th e Johnson the New England Boys and Otto Wood, Th e Bandit, part of a /vocals, ...... :~....-.-- bluegrass scene. Robert Greer on varied collection of tunes from The Carter Three original lead vocals/, Family (Sweet Heaven In My View) , Charlie Rebels, Art Dekhayser (g uitar), Dave Jesse Langlais on banjo/vocals, fiddler Poole (Milwaukee ), Hank Williams Bressler (mandolin), and Les Bayer (banjo), Bobby Britt and John Stickley on bass/guitar (May You Never Be Alone) and The Louvin are joined by Mark Farrell (fiddle) and and vocals - sure know what they are doing Brothers (The New Partner Waltz) . A gospel Allen Cohen (bass), giving rise to some - entertaining the loyal fans of bluegrass quartet, is There Room for Me, closes this fantastic music. Guitarist Bob Harris, who music. We dig them! BMP very enjoyable recording. BMP also produced the project, guests on two cuts. Every track is excellent, each capable of grabbing your attention in the first few bars. The Rebels have the tremendous talent - KEVIN CARTER AKIRA OTSUKA to build wonderfully intricate harmonies. & FULL ASSURANCE First Tear Their version of Shackles And Chains is as Not Looking Back Patuxent Music good as you ' II hear. And it doesn't stop there - two instrumentals, Methuselah Mountain Kindred Records BY HAL COTTRELL Breakdown and the title cut, both composed rass BY CHARLIE HALL B ,....-...... ,-..--...., Akira Otsuka ' s by Bressler, aptly display the band's superior picking abilities. All this album needs is a · the Not Looking Back CD First Tear is sequel! Other songs include Who Done It, ight is the title of the a very innovative Behind Th ese Prison Walls Of Love, Blue the Kevin Carter & Full venture. He And Lonesome, Deep River, Never Thought ards Assurance gospel includes song s J'd Get Over You, Blue Light, Lay Down 12! band's latest project. that would fit Bes ide Me, Road To Glory /and, and You inly There are 12 songs into many genres ___ --..J of music. Akira Can Have Her. bi g here with II written the wrote I 0 ofthe 14 by Kevin Carter BMP Ill who plays guitar and songs on this CD and most of them have an nds shares the lead vocals with his wife Sarah extremely progressive sound. He enlisted who plays some great mandolin. Tommy the help of many bluegrass stars to help him Privette plays some tasteful banjo with Chris make a wonderful recording that should get Britt Pierce rounding out the group on upright lots of airplay across the country. He pays has bass. My favorite song on this outstanding tribute to with an excellent and CD is Heaven s Bluegrass Stage, written as version of Heartaches with the help of ton a tribute to Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin. former Country Gentlemen Other songs are Bye The One, No t Looking and Tom Gray. Other selections include Back, The Old Man, In Th e Sweet, His Yoke White Orchid, Touch Of Time, Daddy Long is Easy, He s My Everything, Th e invitation, Legs, Dodging Raindrops, Pink Special #3, You Are My Refuge, Wings Of Love, Gods Bash, Prince Georges Mandolin, Node 18 Table Of Blessings and A Place Called Conversion, Long Black Jacket, Evanston Home. This is a must-have gospel release Slide, Line Drive, Blue, Time For New Green, that features new material, tight harmonies Heartaches, and First Tear. This is a CD that and rock-solid instrumentation! BMP all mandolin enthusiasts need to incorporate into their collection. BMP www.bluegrassmusicprofiles.com Sept/Oct 20 12 • BMP • 35