Last week, Bay Area-based bluegrass band Front Country released Sake of Sound (Spotify, Amazon) just prior to two stops in NYC this week. Fronted by friends of gcb Melody Walker and Jacob Groopman, who have won song contests at Telluride, Rockygrass and MerleFest, the band has a mostly traditional feel, but with all kinds of flavor mixed in. The band attributes some of that variation to Walker’s study of ethnomusicology and Groopman’s stint in an AfroPop band. Sake of Sound has the kind of melodies and solos that bluegrass fans will love and be impressed by. but it’s the power of Walker’s voice on slower tracks like “Rock Salt & Nails,” “Colorado” and the album’s title track that set the band apart and won me over on this one. Check out a few tracks below for a taste.
Front Country plays Thursday night at the Rock Shop in Park Slope with Astrograss and then again on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park, opening for Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge.
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