Special Consensus "Signs" (Pinecastle)

Special Consensus’s new CD, “Signs,” marks a new era for the Chicago-based bluegrass band, according to promotional material just released by Pinecastle Records.

“The band’s sound has evolved with the addition of new members that is a culmination of the constant push and pull between traditional and more progressive grass,” the label said in a flyer announcing the March 24 release of the CD.

Band leader Greg Cahill, who plays banjo, may already have seen an era or two pass by in taking his band around the country and globe. He’s put bands together under the Special Consensus

flag for more than 30 years. He’s seen a lot of players come and go through the years, among them Chris Jones, Ron Spears, Josh Williams and Robbie Fulks.

In the liner notes of “Signs,” Cahill just might be revealing the secret of Special Consensus’s longevity. When new members come into the group, he said, it’s a give-and-take process — an effort by the new members to retain the band’s sound and an invitation from Cahill for the newbies to add their own, unique signature to the group.

“There’s a real focus on what’s happening with the band,” Cahill told John Weisberger, who wrote the liner notes for “Signs.” “And one of the things that means is, this is problably the first recording we’ve done with so much original material.”

Six of the CD’s 12 tracks were written or co-written by band members.

Writes Weisberger in the liner notes: ” That’s not to say that Signs redefines the Special Consensus sound, or that it represents a break from the past. New or old, the group’s members understand the need to reconcile new interests and directions with consistency, recognizing that, as Greg puts it, ‘Staying somewhere between the modern sound and the old traditional bluegrass gives you a lot of latitude,’ not only in song choice, but in arrangement as well.”

“Signs,” the title cut, was written by mandolin player Ashby Frank, the group’s newest member who had been in the band’s lineup less than a year when Special C started working on the CD. Frank has some other tunes on the CD as does guitar player and vocalist Justin Carbone.

Rounding out the group is bassist David Thomas.

Here’s a preview of the “Signs” track list:

1. Signs
2. Gone to Carolina
3. Too Late Now
4. Lonesome Lesson Learned
5. Footprints
6. Snowball Breakdown
7. I’ll Go to My Grave Lovin’ You
8. Talkin’ ‘Bout It Just Don’t Get It Done
9. Mountain Girl
10. Leaving This Old Town
11. My Heart Breaks Again
12. What a Beautiful Day (For the Lord to Come Again)