Record Review - Dark River Darling, “Everywhere But Here”

I grew up in Southern Connecticut in the 70s and 80s. I didn’t hear a ton of banjo… in fact, before I moved the Gettysburg, banjo always reminded me of old white guys playing almost comically fast in ways  that – while something of a marvel – really made no sense to me musically.

Or, I thought of the other obvious banjo reference from that time, wherein someone scary is telling me how purrdy my mouth is. When I was looking for variations on my regular listening music, banjo wasn’t the first club out of the bag.

As I learned more about the music from the civil war era, I got to hear some wonderful period musicians playing banjos or mandolins, not comically fast but with some interesting rhythms and patterns, usually to drive along the lyrics and sometimes played along with a fiddle, and/or backed up by a doghouse base or some kind or percussion. Even then, I liked it but more to evoke a historical period, almost like listening to a harpsichord or a steampipe calliope.

Then I moved to Gettysburg. There are a few cats with Banjos walking around. The first couple of times I was faced with a full-on bluegrass band, it was a bit much for me. I didn’t feel quite white enough to get down with it.

But really, that was just me being small minded and kind of a jerk. I found a good “entry” with Chuck Darwin & the Knuckledraggers. They had a banjo and could twang it up when they wanted to, but they also swing harder than a lead pendulum. And Pickering is a god damn master…

So, gradually I started to hear it. Then, at the Wednesday open Mic, Rin showed up w/ a banjo. The first time I heard her play, Ben Wenk sat in w/ her at the open mic. Then she did a couple of songs on her own. They were originals, and the combination of her voice with the simple but clear and melodic way she played was interesting. I made note of it in my hard head, willing to know more.

A couple of weeks later at the open mic, it was the first time I saw Matt Morris play. Like I had with banjo music, I initially underestimated him as well. The first song I heard him do, he was playing very aggressive and percussively, a 90s tune. I turned to Derrick, the wise bartender, shrugged and said “great…another f***ing Dave Mathews”

I wasn’t wrong about that first tune. Lordy, he whupped up on that guitar like it owed him money. But it turned out that Matt could actually really play as he showed in the rest of that set. In fact, he’s since shown himself to be quite an amazing talent with a very wide range, even though he sometimes has tragic taste. So it goes.

But about an hour later that same night, Rin got up there. I remembered her from the last time, and felt a little bit badly about judging Morris so quickly, so I really paid attention and went with it. She did a dead tune and two or three originals, and I was hooked.

Rin broke me to the banjo!

She’s since put together a HELL of a band, with a collection of eclectic and tremendous musicians, and really started to realize a musical vision much more complex and engaging. She’s shown herself to be a tremendous songwriter and artist.

So, when she popped up with a new CD, “Everywhere but Here” (a Guernsey Beat Joint) I threw it down. I listened to it the first time in my truck, driving around and catching what I could from it. Then, again, at home, while I was doing a fret job on an ugly telecaster that I’m building up with some plans for.

As with most of what I’ve heard from Rob and Deano at GBR, the recording is excellent, and the music is much more complex than I expected from the live sets I’ve heard. The band is tight and works off each other almost like a jazz group, which is something I’ve since learned happens in Bluegrass and folk, or what some people are calling “americana” now…

I’ve been lucky enough to see Rin work over the last year or so, and I’m looking forward to what direction she might go in next. The CD is highly recommended. I hear a lot of different musician’s work in this…not to say Rin heard them, or would even agree with me…but, I’m the one writing it and she’s welcome to tell me how wrong I am. Here’s a breakdown:

Spirit and ash – much more lush musical rhythms than I’m used to, rhythms like Dylan’s Desire period. The banjo picks around almost in some cases having a sitar lilt, with a strong guitar rhythm and lyrics evoking travel and a broad open perspective.

Ballad of Josephine and Josephine – story song, with a dramatic tone and detail reminds me of joan baez, which is the first time I’ve thought of Joan with DRD. The music is much more complex and engaging, but it sits around the lyrics so you can hear the story while you tap your foot, rather then getting distracted.

I’ve been Riding with a ghost – big dramatic production, reminds you of the heavy deep rhythms in songs that Tarantinos puts into his soundtracks. Rin’s lyrics are sad, but not defeated. Like she’s got a lot of her plate and tomorrow’s gonna be a long day, but…hey, the f**k are you looking at? Kiss my ass…get me another beer on your way out the door, asshole.

Cross Country Baggage – this is more classic DRD, like what I’ve heard them do live…rolling chunking banjo, with the guitar laying down rhythm and some horn and percussion just laying it all in. It’s the kind of song I love having on while I’m leveling the frets on an ugly telecaster that’s going to play like a damn dream when I’m done with it. Tapping my toe and reminding me  why I do it.

Pomegranate Gin – sweet banjo tune with wonderful harmonies. This was the first song on the album that Grant, my faithful hound, paid attention to, I think he liked the chunking roll of the banjo underneath the harmonies. Reminds me lyrically of Edith Brickell, but Rin’s voice is much fuller and the juxtaposition of the deep harmony with the banjo embellishments are a nice mix

Dirty dog blues – my favorite song on this album. Had to listen to it three times in a row. It’s got that bite to it like I’ve experienced with a few songs from Chuck Darwin. It’s blues in the style of Dave Alvin, but with a horn, and an understated electric guitar, and some truly kickin banjo from our girl.

Merry Maggie – sweet folk tune. You can just picture a bunch of people sitting around a firepit jamming through this , singing loud as they can. There’s an incredible fiddle solo, and the driving train-song gallup that you just want to keep going on forever.

Sarah – country song with the usual DRD unusual instrumentation, starting with a horn solo stepping down into the banjo drive again. Great lyrics, and the back and forth of the solos are great pitch and catch. You can imagine this done live and just having the musicians up there tossing it back and forth from the sax to the banjo, around to the guitar, and maybe someone with a fiddle wanders up there and takes a solo. Meanwhile, the lyrics are sharp and literary and worth listening to again and again. Pretty amazing with a song that could easily hold it’s own as an instrumental.

Blue – sad, pensive folk song, reminds me of folk songs from 150 years ago… the banjo keeps that pedal while there’s lush fiddle and underlying guitar rhythms… something Judie Collins might have done, of something you might have heard the 7th cavalry band playing at night when they made camp somewhere in the Wyoming territories in 1875.

That’s it for this CD. I’m looking forward to seeing DRD again live, seeing what they do in person with these recordings. Also look forward to what Rin comes up with next time Rob gets her in front of the mics!