Blue Mafia is probably the best band you’ve never heard of. Sure, their sound can be heard throughout the bluegrass airwaves since their 2014 release ‘Pray For Rain’, but they have not made a dent in the festival circuit and certainly not out west where I have not known them to play. Their lack of acclaim may come from a lack of original material or simply a lack of desire to have their lives change, but it certainly doesn’t come from a lack of vocal or instrumental talent. In those regards, Blue Mafia may possibly be the best band in bluegrass today. Their new project, ‘Hanging Tree’ doesn’t see the band extend far from their previous strengths, but in doing so it allows new listeners to consume this band at its peak form which includes killer revamps of traditional material, and stellar three part harmonies that are used for both gospel and “mashgrass” purposes.
If there is a weakness of this band it’s a lack of variety in material and arrangements. In bluegrass, these are not dire mistakes. Many bands have honed in a sound and squeezed it for all its worth. Blue Mafia works mainly in two forms. There’s Bluesy “Mashgrass” relying on hard, steady mandolin chops and active rolling banjo along with numerous gospel songs that feature the bands calling card: their three part harmonies featuring mandolinist Dara Wray, guitarist and husband Tony Wray, and their best lead vocalist and fiddle player Kent Todd. These two styles intersect on the title track. The song begins with a mournful yet introspective guitar intro from Wray with sprinkles of fills by banjo harmonics and fiddle. This atmosphere takes up the first verse and chorus until a distant banjo roll by Calib Smith leads to the bass played by Mike Gregory joining the group with a punchy, on the beat style. This track is one of the stronger ones and exemplifies the strengths that Blue Mafia is happy to play towards.
Gospel tracks like “The Man You Know” containing the lyrics, “Singing in church Sunday Morning don’t make you a Christian Man/ any more than playing bars on Friday means I’m straying from the Master’s plan” and playing up their incredible three part harmonies with minimal instrumentation is a calling card of Blue Mafia that goes back to their previous albums, and one that is only improved on in this new project. “Who are you” features Todd on lead vocals, and is an emotional contrast from the previously mentioned track. The contrast is created from the distance between the singing styles of Dara Wray and Todd. Wray’s voice is breathy and much more direct, while Todd has the Jeremy Garrett like ability to bend every note to exponentially increase the feeling and emotion of the song.
The other notable quirk of this group is their desire to revamp past traditional songs into a more modern bluesy style. This is done very well on “Say Won’t You Be Mine” where the speed is cut in half and the flat thirds and fifths are doubled, but a better example of Blue Mafia’s creativity is their version of “Body and Soul”. The song is done much faster than the original, but the real difference is the decision to implement three part harmonies to the song that remind listeners of the Seldom Scene. The last chorus is especially jaw dropping in the way they effortlessly can sustain, bend and mold the melody to their whim.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the real reason why Blue Mafia is currently one of if not my favorite bluegrass band: they can flat out shred. Todd and Dara Wray aren’t asked to do much but create a platform for their two ace-in-the-hole soloists. Calib Smith is a cruel scientific experiment where the goal was to create a hybrid of Scruggs right hand, Reno’s left, and the creativity and gumption of modern day bluegrass instrumentalists. It doesn’t get much better than his outro on another adapted cover, “Loneliness and Desperation”. But the real winner of the album and of guitar in general is Tony Wray. His left hand isn’t miraculous, his riffs are relatively familiar, but his ability to take this pile of licks and create a story through his solo is something no other bluegrass guitarist of any era has been able to do as well. On “You Belong With Me”, seemingly a pedestrian melody with minimal exploration possible, Wray creates infinite dynamics and moods. The way he calmly glides through the first two lines of verse and then delicately slows down to emphasize different key areas is insane. And don’t even get me started on his closing riff, it’s not meant for this world.
Blue Mafia has all the talent necessary to play Saturday Night at any festival in the country. Their vocal and instrumental ability proves that, now it’s up to them to add more variety and showmanship to their final product in order to take that step.
