Admittedly my knowledge is limited. Limited to three. Limited to three kitchens that are all things bluegrass.
First there is, “JD’s Bluegrass Kitchen.” Yes, there is that fine JD Rhyne’s cookbook, jam-packed full of recipes for, “Comfort Food the California Bluegrass Way.” That in itself is a treasure, but adding to the treasure are eight (8) original bluegrass songs on an enclosed CD to keep you company while you cook in your own kitchen: 1) “J.D.’s Kitchen” (Leroy Mack McNees); 2) “Buttermilk Lemon Pie” (The Kathy Kallick Band); 3) “Starved to Death” (Russel Moore and IIId Tyme Out); 4) “Sourdough Cowpoke Hotcakes” (David Thom Band); 5) “Slow Like Molasses” (Megan Lynch Chowning); 6) “Old Fashioned Tater Salad” (35 Years of Trouble); 7) “I Like American Food” (Ron Thomason and Heidi Clare); 8) “J.D.’s Guarantees” (Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands).
Second there is, “Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen.” If you are a bluegrass fan, but don’t know about Frank and his bluegrass band, chances are good that you are being held captive in some foreign country. Frank Solivan make his way up the ranks from the CBA’s “Kids On Bluegrass” to the United States Navy Bluegrass Band, to IBMA’s 2016 Instrumental Group of the Year.
Third there is the bluegrass band, “Kitchen Help.” “Kitchen Help is a San Francisco Bay Area Bluegrass band formed by Jennifer Kitchen in 2007,” so reads the liner notes on the band’s CD, released in 2010, that recently came to my attention (another example of my lagging behind the times). On this CD Jennifer Kitchen is on bass and vocals, Tom Cooper on banjo and vocals, Avram Frankel on dobro and vocals, Matt Kendall on mandolin and vocals, and Alex Mayers on guitar and vocals. You get a lot of bang-for-your-buck on this CD, as it presents fifteen songs: 1) Are You Missing Me; 2) I’m Gone, Long Gone; 3) Childish Love; 4) A Few Old Memories; 5) Roustabout; 6) Old Swinging Bridge; 7) I Don’t Want Your Rambling Letters; 8) Sophronie; 9) I Just Got Wise; 10) I Could Cry; 11) Hello City Limits; 12) All I Ever Loved Was You; 13) Rollin’ On Rubber Wheels; 14) Does It Have To End This Way; 15) I’ve Waited As Long As I Can.
Even though this CD was released back in 2010, the cover tunes of the Louvin Brothers, Don Reno & Arthur Smiley, Hazel Dickens, Carter Stanley, and other well known artists from the past remain timeless. The Kitchen Help Band delivers a fresh approach that pulls the musical past into the present and future as it dusts off these old gems that may have been put away into the musical attic and forgotten. The vocals are spot-on, as the harmonies blend naturally and effortlessly with the leads, and the instruments deliver a strong supporting presence in every song. The really nice thing to note (pun intended) is that the vocals are all clearly understandable to the listener, and all the tracks are strong. This is authentic, traditional California back-porch bluegrass that will be a nice addition to your collection of bands that have not been hyped by the Nashville Bluegrass Machinery that rolls out the same bands year after year producing a ho-hum effect on your auditory sensibilities. For booking and information contact = KitchenHelpBand@gmail.com.
