An ethereal kind of ambiance
author: Joe Ross (Roseburg, OR.)
Playing Time – 55:19 -- I remember when I first heard a live performance of MMRs at the 2005 Siskiyou Bluegrass Festival at Lake Selmac, Oregon. As the sun set over the lake behind them, they kept their raw, rootsy acoustic music perfectly in tune with the audience’s increasing interest and intensity as day’s dimming hue approached. Their evocative mood pieces were ideal for closing the show. Their self-titled 2004 album was recorded in three sessions, and liner notes recognize and thank some of their musical role models – Manjunath, David Grisman, Vivaldi, and Bob Dylan. With influences as disparate as these, you’ll start to fathom their “original high desert sound” that incorporates elements of various genres from Celtic to reggae, bluegrass to Klezmer. On this auspicious debut album, the band consists of Dan McClung (bass, harmonica, percussion, vocal), Julie Southwell (violin, vocal), Joe Schulte (mandolin, vocal), and Matt “Mai” Hyman (guitar, percussion, vocal). Southwell’s own lively and melodic fiddle tunes (Circus of the Ants, Tumalo Creek) demonstrate some fine bow work. Southwell has since left the group, but her replacement (Jenny Harada) also proficiently plays with the same improvisational style and verve.
All 13 cuts are original compositions. Most have catchy little melodies that are carefully cultivated before the band embarks on free-form improvisation. I especially enjoyed those penned by Joe Schulte although I occasionally hear some pick noise on his fingerboard during his breaks. Of the five vocals on this project, four were written by Matt Hyman. “Sail Away” is a very expressive piece. He uses an analogy of the sea being torn to create a tell tale sign of the tempest inside one’s soul. In “Ramblin’ Blues,” he gets even more contemplative with his lyrics. “Black crow croonin’ but he’s speakin’ in tongue, He’s got loins on fire, doubtful dogmas to go.” Schulte’s 6-minute vocal number, “Jamaican Ice Town,” establishes a rhythmic groove for some extended improvisations, some with eerie effects on the fiddle. The Moon Mountain Ramblers create an ethereal kind of ambiance. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
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