https://www.ironhorsebluegrass.com/
Song List: Once, Corduroy, Rearviewmirror, Better Man, Even Flow, Given to Fly, Spin the Black Circle, Daughter, Alive, Just Breathe, Yellow Ledbetter, Nothingman.
Iron Horse formed in 2000 in a city with a strong musical influence: Muscle Shoals, Alabama. While the band members grew up in families with traditional bluegrass gatherings and the classic country songs, they were also influenced by the diverse musical genres in their hometown. Mandolinist Tony Robertson learned country songs from his parents, and bluegrass from his uncle John William Michael who had a bluegrass group called The Dixie Bluegrass Boys. Guitar player Vance Henry married into a musical family and became part of the Carolina Singers and then being part of the Jake Landers Band. Bass player Ricky Rogers’s wife is the sister of Vance’s wife and soon Ricky joined the Carolina Singers before joining the Jake Landers band with Tony, Vance Henry and Rod Carter. Andy Richardson plays banjo and dobro in the Iron Horse Band and his sparkling playing is a cornerstone for the band’s sound.
While Iron Horse has produced their own original songs on numerous albums, the Pickin’ On series of albums with CMH Records has given the band a platform to display their strong vocal harmonies and instrumentation on the songs of some of the best known rock bands. Earlier albums feature their interpretation of the songs of Van Halen, Metallica, Guns N Roses, and the Goo Goo Dolls.
This project features 12 songs from the Seattle-based grunge band Pearl Jam. Most of the songs were written by Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, and Stone Gossard and have an introspective anguish that Iron Horse has managed to preserve while providing a bluegrass setting with banjo, mandolin, and guitar.
Andy’s banjo playing provides a rhythmic backdrop to all the songs and can even add a touch of tension to songs that have a troubled presentation. Tony’s mandolin often has leads that intertwine with the banjo backdrop and Vance’s guitar adds fills and breaks within the songs. Instrumentally, the concise and crisp interplay of strings is a welcome contrast to the rock style of the original Pearl Jam performances. The four member harmony vocals are seamless and give the songs a smooth vibe. Ricky, Vance and Tony sing the lead vocals with heartfelt attention to the message behind the songs.
Pearl Jam’s songs have a fleeting story line, and many have backdrops of family dysfunction, abuse or anger. “Once” seems to have the point of view of a man with a “bomb on my temple waiting to explode” that is reflected in an agitated banjo accompaniment, and “Yellow Ledbetter” has a withdrawn family sitting on a front porch not knowing if they are the “boxer or the bag.” “Daughter” has a child that has difficulties connecting with her world whether through abuse or mental difficulties, and “Alive” has a son trying to cope with a mother who sees her dead husband in his face. Only the singer in “rearviewmirror” seems to be escaping his fate though he proclaims that he is “forced to endure what I could not forgive.” Iron Horse has delivered a focused look at the best of the Pearl Jam songs and the listener would do well to give the performance a careful listening.