Big Sky Stringband
Flyin' Blind
© 2005 Big Sky Stringband (899746000487)
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The Big Sky Stringband performs broad original American roots music, building a new generation of bluegrass, jam and folk music around its core strengths: solid songwriting and textured grooves.
tracks
- 1 Shady Grove
- 2 Flying Blind
- 3 Slow Train
- 4 Harlan's Theme
- 5 Red Clay Road
- 6 Grampa's Groove
- 7 Short & Long
- 8 Lonesome Fiddler's Reel
- 9 Cal Sag Break Down
- 10 Get Down Boys
- 11 Back Streets of Hope
- 12 Bette Davis
- 13 Salt River
- 14 Centralia
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The Big Sky Stringband performs a broad collection of original American roots music and unique covers. Founded by Jay Stanek (guitarist/vocals) and Chris Meier (mandolin/vocals), the Stringband builds a new generation of folk music around its core strengths: solid songwriting and textured grooves.
The band recently released "Flyin' Blind," a live album featuring 12 original compositions and the band's unique take on 2 traditional songs. The collection highlights the energy of a Big Sky show and features the looseness that defines the Big Sky sound. The album's release was celebrated at Chicago's alt-country heaven, The Hideout, in August, 2005.
With train wrecks, clotheslines and broken fences as the backdrop, Stanek and Meier weave stories of mill workers, first loves and mine fires into a tapestry of Americana. But these songs are more than a glimpse at American life, they are the quest for the American Dream embodied in song.
The band's song "Centralia," a straight-ahead bluegrass chronicle of the real-life underground mine shaft fires that caused the evacuation and near-condemnation of Centralia, PA brings perspective to the heartbreak and helplessness of the city's citizens. The song's dead-on message and easy hook have been featured in documentaries on both PBS and NPR.
While strong songwriting set's the stage for the Big Sky Stringband success, it is the actual playing that delivers the punch. From traditional country to bluegrass and from folk to blues, the Big Sky Stringband empowers its listeners to feel apart of its songs. With the familiarity of theme and message, each individual listener is invited out into the baptismal waters of the Stringband's sound.
With Jay Stanek's driving acoustic guitar, Matthew Mallory's edgy lead work and Chris Meier's mandolin front-and-center, the band's sound is a derivative of distinct musical genres brought to life by the rhythm section of Bob Bechstein (drums) and Dick Mallory (fretless bass). Together, Big Sky's live gigs merge a traditional string band style with jazz-inspired improvisational jams.
Dynamic and powerful, these live performances like the ones featured on "Flyin' Blind" provide an opportunity for the listener to get caught up in down-home Midwestern music. The Stringband lays down songs that captivate the audience and make them feel like they could be characters in each song, in each story, in each truly American moment.
The Big Sky Stringband stands on the shoulders of American roots music with only the big sky above.
reviews
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Awesome Bluegrass sound!
author: PamWonderful CD. A beautiful rendition of Shady Grove, along with catchy, well-done originals like Flyin' Blind.
Reminds of Yonder Mountain playing John Prine
author: BeccaI picked this CD up randomly and can't stop listening to it. They have great songs and they sort of sound like Yonder Mountain String Band. If this is what all their live shows sound like, I hope they come out here to Colorado some time.
Truly captures the energy of a live set. Great disk.
author: JimI've been to a concert or two by these guys and this live album really captures the energy of one of their shows. The fiddle that's on a handful of the songs rounds out the sound very nicely. I dig the version of Shady Grove, but the original songs are what attracted me to buy this. I was not disappointed. Great playing all around, and I could barely stop my butt from shaking on Grandpa's Groove.