#rockablilly

[plungermusic]

“It’s Bluegrass, Jim… but not as we know it!”

Bluegrass, New Grass, Jamgrass … C&Ngrass? Plunger don’t profess to be authorities on the genre, although we know a bit, from Scruggs & Flatt through Sam Bush, to Bela Fleck and on to Greensky Bluegrass… and now Low Lily. 

Low Lily alumna Liz Simmons’ solo effort Poets really caught Plunger’s ear back in 2021, so we were interested to hear the band’s latest release Angels In The Wreckage. While Poets zips around genres like a pond-skater on acid - and very pleasingly so - Angels In The Wreckage is by and large a more cohesive affair, plying a steadier course through the waters of bluegrass and traditional roots music (albeit with scenic route diversions via the West Coast.)

Keeping true to the ‘his turn, your turn, my turn’ at the mic of old time bluegrass, the fourteen tracks alternate by songwriter and vocal lead, which subtly alters the feel and emphasis while maintaining the overall vibe, and at least half of the fourteen feature an echt 1-2 bass-and-drum pulse, in a very tasteful, understated upright-and-brushes way (from multi-tasking producer Dirk Powell and Stefan Amidon respectively) not “Techno! Techno! Techno!” or riotous rockablilly style…

Epitomising the rootsier, more ‘trad', vibes are the bustling brush-driven badlands two-step Aren’t I Good Enough, with Liz Simmon’s high, plaintive lead vocal counterpointed by Natalie Padilla’s fiddle and a low-harmony-underpinned chorus, while Liz and Natalie swap dextrous mini-solos towards the close; and Long Distance Love’s bouncy commentary on the woes of modern life has a conversely Old Timey feel - in Flynn Cohen’s lead vox, the harmonies, and the rustic-edged fiddle. Flynn’s own instrumental Keep The Pachysandra Flying is a shotgun-shack-meets-Bagpuss reel: a filigree mandolin opening (later joined by fiddle, guitar and bass) conjure celtic/Appalachian overtones; Natalie’s fiddle takes a turn with the melody before harmonising with the mandolin in a raucous hoedown crescendo to the finish.

Hints of West Coast influences come in the Laurel Canyon-y rework of Shawn Colvin’s hit Round Of Blues, with Liz’s airy vocal, delicate harmonies and a poppy middle-eight-cum-chorus; and in the breezy backwoods backporch two-step of Where We Belong, with somewhat Dead-ish timing and chordal progressions, and lovely Crosby, Nash and, erm, Nash three-part harmonies, while the mountainside hillbilly banjo and vox of the traditional sounding minor key Up On A Rock is punctuated by a very Nashesque sunny major chorus (and some very fine guitar/fiddle interplay between Flynn and Natalie). Peak Crosby & Nash comes in Lonely (probably Plunger’s favourite track): melancholic piano (from jack-of-all-trades Dirk Powell) introduces a very C&N, Cali-coloured slow country waltz with exquisite three-part harmonies, the fiddle and mandolin taking their turns at the bittersweet melody, and a spine-tingling near a cappella passage.

The hummed intro, Liz and Natalie’s honeyed vocal harmonies, restrained melodic guitar and banjo (yes, that’s Dirk again) over a half-speed bluegrass beat lend a dreamy sheen to Love And Loss, and the rural reverie continues in Captivate Me courtesy of Natalie’s keening tone and mantra-like repetition, melancholic fiddle and a banjo continuo. Completing an ethereal trifecta, the celtic-tinged One Wild World’s folk features delicate harmonies and a hymn-like chorus, plus wistful, aching fiddle matched with part-colliery-band/part-mariachi (layered) trumpet from Drake LeBlanc.

The trumpet bleeds through into the wholly different sonic universe of What’ll You Do: a ballsy defund-the-police-protest-inspired (we’re guessing) almost a cappella (barring body percussion and a smattering of kick-and-tom) field holler-cum-spiritual, and an air of protest resurfaces in the Woody Guthrie-meets-Julie-Felix (sorry, Plunger’s childhood’s to blame) state of the union lament of Could We Ever Be Great, complete with run outs for fiddle and Flynn’s guitar and some quirky timings.

Flynn’s second instrumental (guitar-only this time) Bastard Plantagenet Blues has the flavour of a English folk number, including a very mediaeval closing shift into the major, perhaps to prepare your ears for the closing track Wond’ring Again, written by Ian Anderson (yes, THAT Ian Anderson). The spookily prescient 70s folk-rock environmental warning is given an Americana wash by Liz’s gentle harmonies and Natalie’s eerie fiddle harmonics, while Flynn does a rather good job of Ian’s delivery and mannerisms, with all-rounder Dirk adding mellotron in the place of flute.

It may not be Bluegrass as we know it, but Angels In The Wreckage is a very polished, captivating collection of modern American roots music and we like it!

Angels In The Wreckage is available to buy or stream now, from here: https://lowlily.bandcamp.com/album/angels-in-the-wreckage

[levityx]

Hello sun, surf here I come (waiting for the bus ain't to bad 2day) Xp #punk #piercings #green #greenhair #mohawk #rockablilly #ufo #aliensummer #skullcandy #buswaiting #sun #summer #circlelenses

[elsecretodecarol]

Novedades: Vestidos vintage: originales, cómodos y favorecedores

[witchcraftzero]

Rebel rousers in Arkansas I will have to become a rockabilly person instead of a goth person because I will be going further into the south so deadbats that means that I have to tone things done meaning no black lipstick or gothic stuff in public and dear coffin queens and dear coffin kings being a rockabilly head is not all that bad because in my teen years I used to be into rockablilly anyways.

[a-pirate-my-hearties]

3, 8, 35, 55, 149 aaand 150 (sorry for sending to many 💕)

No, it’s ok, I love getting asks

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? Yes, I love wearing goth/rock inspired clothing and anything that feels sexy and feminine but comfortable. I love lace, velvet, satine. I often wear all black, lots of jewellery and I prefer dresses/skirt over trousers. I also enjoy goth, rockablilly and retro style on other people :)

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]  - I’m a mix of Sanguine and Melancholic.

35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? - I’d love to see Finland (I feel drawn to this country, I’m not sure why, probably it’s the Finnish melancholy that gets me, I also love heavy Finnish music and Finnish language), but I’d also like to travel to Italy, Portugal, France.

55: When did you feel happiest? There have been many very happy moments in my life, but lately I felt happiest twice: when I got my bachelor’s degree and when I realized that I have a very special man in my life. :)

149: Favorite thing about your personality: I’m pretty outgoing, so I get along with lots of people. But I keep my squad small and trusting.

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. - I’d love to meet Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell’s vocalist and a poet) and talk to him because he’s a very interesting and intelligent guy, also Cody Fern because I adore him and I would love to talk to one of my tumblr friends, @rosesandglitter but she lives in a different country than me :(

Thank you for your ask

[jromero-pm]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Cult of Individuality Rockablilly Cross Jean Short.

[thechubbyoutdoorsman]

it's friday night! We are hanging with Little Lesley and The Blood Shots!!! What are you doing? #littlelesley #thebloodshots #music #rockablilly #greenville #southernculture #thechubbyoutdoorsman

[witchcraftzero]

I really like the whole rockablilly subculture and want to be a LusciousGirl or visiting Luscious Girl???.

[pinupandpophearts]

Epic

[witchcraftzero]

New old fashioned rockablilly music.

[jromero-pm]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Cult of Individuality Rockablilly Cross Jean Short.