Whooping Llama

Once in a blue moon, a band will release an album that successfully straddles two musical worlds (the Band’s Music from Big Pink comes to mind). An album that successfully straddles three is even rarer. This is one of those albums.

Blind Man Walking, Cadillac Sky’s first release for Skaggs Family Records, is one of the best CDs I’ve heard in years. It’s one of those releases that has made its way into my CD player and just never left. I first heard about these guys on XM’s bluegrass station, but at the time I wasn’t terribly impressed. Another neo-bluegrass group…whoopee. When I found them on MySpace about a month later, I changed my mind.

Cadillac Sky ain’t your daddy’s bluegrass band. Lead singer/mandolinist/lyricist/front man Bryan Simpson founded the group because he wanted to “create a bluegrass band built for the 21st Century.” Mission accomplished! Although the guys adhere close enough to tradition to fit in the “Bluegrass” rack at FYE, their sound isn’t completely defined by mountain music. Rock and modern country influences abound on this disc, giving C-Sky a much more contemporary sound compared to their musical peers.Although they’re all gems, the best song on this album is “Insomniac Blues for Matthew.” It’s a sleepless man’s lament with frantic picking and a beautiful melody. Somehow the track captures the feeling of insomnia, that desire to sleep but not being able to no matter how late it’s getting. The last verse features a break straight out of “Eleanor Rigby.” Bowed bass and fiddle accompany the lines “Carve on my tombstone for all the world to see ‘Her memory wouldn’t let me rest.’” I’ve probably listened to that part fifty times, but it still blows my mind.

Bluegrass music is the victim of some pretty strong and pretty negative stereotypes. I ask that you set aside your preconceived notions for this one, though. Give Blind Man Walking a chance. You just might come away with a new favorite band.

It’s certainly no Carnegie Hall or Madison Square Garden, but Charleston’s Clay Center has drawn its share of legendary artists. James Taylor, Roger McGuinn, and George Benson have all graced its stage, and on April 6^th another name was added to the list: country/bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs.

Skaggs, currently backed by the all-star band Kentucky Thunder, has been around the proverbial block several times in his career. Early on he played with Ralph Stanley, banjoist JD Crowe, and Gram Parsons-protégé Emmylou Harris before leaving to persue a career in country music. The prodigal son eventually returned home—and in a big way. His work has garnered several Grammy’s (his latest for an instrumental album titled…Instrumentals) and his label, Skaggs Family Records, has become quite a force in the bluegrass world. All this (and the fact that I’ve idolized Ricky for years) left me expecting a phenomenal concert. Anticipation is a dangerous thing.

Things were off to a rough start before the concert even began. Originally booked for March 30^th, Skaggs fell sick and had to push the date back a week. As I was buying my “Bluegrass Rules!” t-shirt prior to the performance, I overheard the guy at the merch table say Ricky was still out of it. My expectations slowly lowered. In actuality, his lack of stage presence was the only indication that something wasn’t right (you got the feeling he didn’t want to be up there) but that lack of showmanship accounts for more than one might think.

Technically speaking, everything was spot-on. The bug didn’t hinder Ricky’s picking or singing one bit. Kentucky Thunder was also in top form, not a note out of place. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to make up for that missing energy. The fast solos and tight harmonies were great, but the soul of the music wasn’t there. It was hollow.

Another big issue for me was the night’s set list. Probably fifty percent of the songs performed that night were from the Instrumentals album—and they all sounded the same. Bluegrass instrumentals were created to show off the virtuosity of band members, and are usually used sparingly. Maybe he didn’t feel like hitting all those high notes or maybe he was just trying to sell the latest Grammy-winner, but I think Skaggs let the audience down by not singing more.

The songs where Skaggs and the band let loose on the high-lonesome vocals were the highlights of the night. This portion of the set was split between bluegrass classics and newer songs Skaggs has recorded. It was awesome to hear his hits “Highway 40 Blues” and “A Simple Life” live, buy my favorite was the cover of the Stanley Brothers’ “Little Maggie.” Banjo player NAME did an excellent job of imitating Ralph Stanley’s style, and Ricky’s lead vocal contained all the hurt and heartbreak of the original.

For an encore, Skaggs and the boys presented a bluegrass gospel quartet version of “Remember the Cross” from his Soldier of the Cross album. Huddled around one microphone at the center of the stage with only a guitar and Ricky’s mandolin for accompaniment, they delivered their second-best performance of the night (after “Little Maggie”).

Those two spectacular moments couldn’t redeem a night of so-so showmanship, however. A performance that should have been one of the best to ever hit Charleston ended with a whimper and a sigh. As the house lights came on I didn’t find myself wanting more—I wanted a refund. I hope this was just the effect of the flu. Otherwise, I’ll have to find a new idol.