| A self-proclaimed “amplified
string band with drums,” New Jersey natives Railroad
Earth offer a double helping of their unique blend of
bluegrass, country, Celtic traditions and a smidge of
rock on their live double-album, Elko. The album
showcases Railroad Earth as strongly in touch with American
roots music, as well as the art of improvisation. |
Fronted by primary
songwriter Todd Scheaffer (vocals/guitar), Railroad
Earth offers 12 tracks recorded during the band’s
2005 spring tour. The band’s first official live
album (and their first release on the String Cheese
Incident label, SCI Fidelity Records), Elko
confirms that Railroad Earth is a live band before anything
else. Although Railroad Earth’s previous studio
albums have established the band’s rock/roots
sound, Elko captures the sheer joy of the band
when they’re onstage. Songs such as “Like
a Buddha,” “Colorado” and “Head,”
all of which run between four to seven minutes on their
respective albums, are extended; some tracks on Elko
are longer than double their original album length.
Railroad Earth Is:
Front
L to R: Tim Carbone, John Skehan, Todd Sheaffer, Carey
Harmon. Back L to R: Andy Goessling, Johnny Grubb
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In addition, Railroad Earth offers
a few tracks that have not yet appeared on a studio
album, such as “The Hunting Song”—a
grim tale of a young boy going fishing and hunting with
his father—and “Warhead Boogie,” a
groovy, sarcastic anti-war song that features the whole
band (and the audience) joyfully singing “I want
a warhead of my own!”
The chemistry between the members of Railroad Earth
is extremely apparent on Elko (thanks in part
to an excellent mixing job by three band members: Scheaffer,
Johnny Grubb (bass, vocals) and John Skehan (mandolin,
vocals)), yet the band has only been together since
May, 2001. Between 1998 and 2000, Scheaffer worked with
former booking agent and film music supervisor Brian
Ross to gather professional musicians in the New Jersey
area with the intent of forming open-mic nights and
informal jam sessions that focused primarily on bluegrass
music. By 2001, Railroad Earth played its first few
gigs, eventually reaching the prestigious Telluride
Bluegrass Festival later that year. |
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Since then, Railroad
Earth has been focusing on expanding their sound to
encompass several musical genres, as well as taking
the time to grow as songwriters. Scheaffer is the most
prolific songwriter in the band, as eleven of the twelve
tracks on Elko are credited to him, and “Colorado”
has a co-writing credit between Scheaffer and Railroad
Earth’s multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling.
While Railroad Earth’s sound is firmly planted
in the country/roots tradition, several of the songs
on Elko reach far beyond any conventional description.
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“The Old Man and The Land” is a lilting reggae-style
tune that features some of Scheaffer’s most relaxed,
upbeat lyrics, along with a stunning violin solo by Tim Carbone.
Likewise, the upbeat, jazzy “Like a Buddha” features
the band’s strong vocal harmonies and a pleasing breakdown
that brings the song to a comfortable finish. “Elko,”
the album’s title track is a chugging rockabilly tune
that would feel right at home at a Jerry Garcia/Dave Grisman
session. The song addresses “Poor boys and gamblers/
Road dogs and ramblers… Winners and losers/Buckers and
boozers,” always ending with the refrain, “Poor
boy, you’re bound to die.” These homespun lyrics,
along with tasteful mandolin and violin runs, give “Elko”
an authentic, soulful heart that forces the listener to take
Railroad Earth seriously as musicians and songwriters.
Oftentimes, the fans of any “jamband” will say
that you need to hear the band live to fully appreciate their
material. With Elko, Railroad Earth has offered their
fans a long, full sampling of their onstage material, and
have also established themselves as a premier act for any
fan of bluegrass/roots improvisation.
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Railroad
Earth
The Black Bear Sessions
(Bos Music)
Buy Now From
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