West Coast Bluegrass artists the Kathy Kallick Band have a brand new project available entitled “Between The Hollow And The High-Rise.”
In the promotional material for the new album, Kallick expands on the meaning of the CDs title. “Many people have come to bluegrass in a round-about way, without growing up with it, without living in rural Kentucky, Tennessee or Virginia. This is the case with me and the members of this band; We were all born in urban environments, not really from the shiny glass and metal of downtown, and not from the piney woods, but somewhere in between.”
After a quick listen, Kallick and Company quickly dispell any ideas that their urban up-bringing might somehow be an obstacle to making music that’s true to the genre’s roots. The Kathy Kallick Band plays hard-drivin’ traditional bluegrass that harkens back to the dirt-floor rural up bringing of those who laid the music’s foundation long ago. And make no mistake they do a great job of it on “Between The Hollow And The High-Rise.”
“Between The Hollow And The High-Rise” features a near 50/50 split of originals penned by Kallick and covers from other songwriters and a couple of instrumentals tunes (“Panhandle Rag” and “Monobrow”) that put the spotlight on Greg Booth’s sizzling Dobro. The opening cut “Where Is My Little Cabin Home,” a Kallick original, sets the tone for the disc, touching on a theme Kallick says “harkens back to a bluegrass ideal that symbolizes, stability, family and a love.”
The instrumental side of the Kathy Kallick Band features a solid group of musicians but for my ears Greg Booth’s dobro really shines on the disc. Booth pushes the flash aside, instead opting for those 1 or 2 notes in a run that take it to a whole new level. I found myself constantly hitting the rewind button.
The Kathy Kallick Band features Tom Bekeny (mandolin, vocals), Dan Booth (acoustic bass, vocals), Greg Booth (dobro, banjo, vocals) Annie Staninec (fiddle, vocals) and of course Kathy Kallick (guitar, vocals).
All in all, “Between The Hollow And The High-Rise,” features a selection of material that should leave most any fan of tradtional bluegrass yearning for more. The album features a great mix of well written, heart felt originals, great arrangements with some subtle twists and turns that are sure to please a mindful ear.
The Kathy Kallick Band’s “Between The Hollow And The High-Rise” is currently available through CountySales.com, CDBaby.com, DigStation.com or you can purchase a copy directly at any Kathy Kallick Band performance.
“Where Is My Little Cabin Home” Kathy Kallick Band
Between The Hollow And The High Rise” Track Listing
- Where Is My Little Cabin Home
- Whistle Stop Town
- There’s A Higher Power
- My House
- Panhandle Rag
- Lonesome Night
- The Snow
- New White House Blues
- Girl Next Door
- Come Walk With Me
- Monobrow
- (Get Along Home) Cindy
- Wildflowers
- Winterlight Aire
Kathy Kallick Band Upcoming Appearances
The Kathy Kallick Band will be appearing at the California Bluegrass Association Music Camp on June 13-16 and the California Bluegrass Association Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival June 17-20.