The Coal Porters
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Official Site MySpace Durango Burnside Distribution SonicBids EPK CP Album Video from Biki Kangwana on Vimeo. No More Chains No More Chains Let's Say Goodbye Let's Say Goodbye Midnight Moonlight Midnight Moonlight |
Ladies and gentlemen, meet The Coal Porters, the world’s first “alt bluegrass” act.
The Coal Porters story begins when native Kentuckian writer/author/broadcaster and ex-Long Ryder Sid Griffin, moved to London in the 1990s and hooked up with Scottish stand up comedian Neil Robert Herd (sound engineer on “Wasp,” Best Live Action Short Film winner at the 2004 Academy Awards.) The duo started out playing electric, but quickly tired of hauling around amps and drums. As a result of a crazy dare, The Coal Porters decided to play acoustic bluegrass versions of their material at a charity concert in London. This drove the crowd wild, demanding multiple encores. The Coal Porters found their true calling and said goodbye to their electric set forever. In 2006, Griffin and Herd were blessed to find banjoist Dick Smith, a picker from Cornwall as extraordinary as his name is ordinary. Almost immediately afterwards, they picked up Canadian fiddle virtuoso Carly Frey and London’s noted local attorney and doghouse bassist Andrew Stafford. With this impressive lineup, the Coal Porters were ready to take on the world.
In April 2009, after traveling halfway across the globe, The Coal Porters arrived outside of Durango, Colorado, played two killer shows at the famous MeltDown Festival (Colorado’s answer to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco), and laid down the tracks to their first album in two years. Durango was recorded in two weeks in the Colorado mountains at the Kozy Tone Studio of legendary producer Ed Stasium (Ramones, Mick Jagger, Phil Spector, Smithereens, Belinda Carlisle, Jeff Healey Band, and the Long Ryders.) The entire album was cut ‘Basement Tapes’ style, with the same authenticity of Dylan and The Band. Everyone crowded in one room. Overdubs were few and laughter frequent.
Durango, primed for release in January 2010, is by far the best album of the band’s career and one of the choice musical highlights of the year. This highly anticipated follow-up to 2007’s Turn the Water On, Boy! is a clear country mile step forward, evoking the sounds of a bluegrass Clash, or a Bill Monroe for the 21st century.
“Let’s Say Goodbye (Like We Said Hello)” kicks things off in classic Sid Griffin “Looking For Lewis & Clark” style. Next, the album features their favorite preacher testifyin,’ before the Coal Porters kick in to a typical anthemic Griffin shout-out “No More Chains,” a celebration of the freedoms of Griffin’s native USA. Fiddler Frey, a longtime fan of Peter Rowan, asked Sid Griffin if they could record Rowan’s song “Moonlight Midnight.” They did, with Griffin going one better: he called Peter Rowan up and Peter graciously agreed to duet on the track with Miss Frey. (Shades of the Long Ryders getting the late Gene Clark to appear on their Native Sons album many moons ago.)
Next on the album, ” I’m Not Going Away“ is Griffin’s heartfelt tribute to his first new girlfriend in fourteen years (it’s a long story, folks.) Guitarist Neil Robert Herd is Scottish so his songs naturally deal with drinking. “One Is Way Too Many” is an up-tempo romp celebrating the joys of drinking that last pint of ale…the one you really didn’t need. His tune, “The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Oil,” is an acoustic bluegrass nod to Bob Wills and is about…ahhh…drinking. But with wit, folks, with wit. Remember, Herd was a professional standup comedian.
Griffin and Carly Frey duet on “Pretty Polly,” a folk classic which was originally a British song called “Gosport Town.” After hearing this track, Roger McGuinn told Griffin The Byrds had recorded “Pretty Polly” for Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, but left it off the album!
Speaking of folk-rock Gods, the Coal Porters recorded Neil Young’s “Like A Hurricane” in a brisk countryesque arrangement. They learned the song for a friend’s birthday party and it went over so well that they recorded it in Durango.
Griffin’s controversial anti-war “Permanent Twilight” is next. Inspired by a British tabloid headline about a blinded serviceman in Basra who had been left in a “permanent twilight,” the song has proven, quite literally, to be a show-stopper. The loudest, most raucous audience, driven to giddiness by The Coal Porters fast numbers, turns as quiet as a library as the audience strains to hear the lyrics of the poor soldier’s fate.
Banjo-man Smith lets loose on his own driving instrumental,“Roadkill Breakdown,” which features the great Tim O’Brien on mandolin. “Lookin’ For A Soft Place To Fall” is an original, a nod to the warm glory of the Lovin’ Spoonful. This time, its Sid Griffin on mandolin playing a duet with Carly, a Gram and Emmylou for the 21st century.
“Closing Time Genius” has, without question, the best opening four lines of any song in popular music. It never fails to draw a laugh from a Coal Porters’ audience. Written by our Scotsman Neil Robert Herd, it tells of, ahem, drinking as usual. “Sail Away, Ladies!” is a traditional number featuring the silver throated tones of Vancouver’s Carly Frey as she simultaneously fiddles up a storm. Also heard on this track is legendary Producer Stasium singing the low harmony and banjoist Dick Smith on the jaw harp.
There you have it folks. Three-quarters of an hour of musical merriment recorded in the USA by five musicians from four different parts of the planet who come together as incredibly powerful fusion of talent, the world’s first “alt-bluegrass” act, The Coal Porters.
Durango will be released in the U.S. on January 19 and in the UK on January 25, 2010. Durango is the 4th and by far the best album from the Coal Porters, and one of the choice musical highlights of the year. This highly anticipated follow up to 2007's Turn The Water On, Boy! is a clear country mile step forward, evoking the sounds of bluegrass Clash, or a Bill Monroe for the 21st century.
The Coal Porters recorded Durango in April 2009 at Ed Stasium’s (Ramones, Mick Jagger, Phil Spector, The Long Ryders and more) Kozy Tone Studio just outside of Durango. The entire album was cut ‘Basement Tapes’ style with the same authenticity of Dylan and The Band. Durango features two special guests: Tim O'Brien who plays a wild mandolin solo on “Roadkill Breakdown” and Peter Rowan who duets with Miss Frey on his own song “Moonlight Midnight.”
Formed nineteen years ago in Los Angeles The Coal Porters were originally an electric rock group centered around Sid Griffin - ex-Long Ryder who wrote the hit single “Looking For Lewis And Clark.” The multi-faceted musician is also an acclaimed music Journalist (Mojo, Rock ‘n’ Reel, The Guardian, Variety, NME, Melody Maker), Lifetime Achievement Award winner in Italy and proud author of “Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band & The Basement Tapes.” Sid is currently in the process of writing a new book on Bob Dylan.
When Sid Griffin moved to London in the 1990‘s he hooked up with Scottish stand up comedian Neil Robert Herd and as a result of a crazy dare, they decided to play acoustic bluegrass versions of their material at a charity concert in London. They found their true calling and said goodbye to their electric set forever. In 2006 with this new line-up, The Coal Porters were re-invented as an exciting and dynamic bluegrass combo featuring: Carly Frey - fiddle and vocals; Dick Smith - diesel banjo and vocals; Sid Griffin vocals, mandolin, harmonica and autoharp; Andrew Stafford, bass & and Neil Robert Herd guitar and vocals. The Coal Porter’s have toured Europe and parts of the U.S., and have received four star reviews for their previous record, Turn the Water Oh Boy!. With their new album Durango, The Coal Porters will tour the U.S. in March 2010.
The album will be digitally available at Amazon and iTunes. The Coal Porters, solo Sid Griffin and Long Ryders back catalogs are digitally available there already! Durango will be distributed by Burnside Distribution in the U.S.
"...the best excuse for plenty of fiery fiddle, wild but spot-on banjo and fluid mandolin playing...perfect for whipping up the most lethargic of crowds..."
Q
"...the Coal Porters whisk together a hugely listenable cocktail of bluegrass, folk and country...Griffin is the mandolins Joe Strummer..."
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