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The Gibson Brothers - Bona Fide
Sugar Hill - SUG-CD-3965
The Gibson Brothers Biography
Five years ago, The Gibson Brothers were the most promising young bluegrass band on the scene. Their last album, 1998's "Another Night of Waiting"took off and earned Eric and Leigh Gibson the IBMA trophy for "Emerging Artist of the Year." With Bona Fide, (release date March 11) the brothers are back with a new direction and yet retain a heartfelt ode to the music that has sustained them.
For Eric (b. 1970) and Leigh (b. 1971), their talent was developed as youngsters on an upstate New York dairy farm. "There's not a lot to do up here," Erie laughs. "Playing baseball and playing music were pretty much it. I got interested in the banjo - 1 heard Earl Scruggs on the Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall album - and started taking lessons at a local music store. Leigh was playing guitar, so 1 was the one that kind of drove us toward bluegrass." The two began playing together in 1983.
By 1994, they had hooked up with Mike Barber on bass, and his dobro-playing dad, Junior, and recorded their first album, Underneath A Harvest Moon. Serving notice that the sibling harmonies of predecessors like the Louvin Brothers and the Everly Brothers were being carried forward by a new generation, the CD earned them a 1995 showcase appearance at the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual World of Bluegrass and, in short order, a contract with Virginia's Hay Holler Records.
The Gibson Brothers' career moved rapidly after that. In three years time, they released well received albums in successive yew (Long Forgotten Dream, Spread Your Wings and Another Night Of Waiting.) Encouraged by fan response to the albums and live shows, Eric and Leigh made making music a full time job. We kind of backed into professional playing," Eric notes with a chuckle. We knew we wanted music to be part of our lives, but the more we did it, the more people seemed to like what we were doing, and that was a thrill. We started going farther out from home and loving it."
1998 was a triumphant year for the brothers, as Another Night Of Waiting took off (it eventually spent close to a year on Bluegrass Unlimited's airplay-based chart) and they earned the IBMA's Emerging Artist of the Year award. The future looked bright for the duo, and they capped off the year by signing with Ricky Skaggs' Ceili Music - only to find themselves taking a detour that would leave fans wondering what had become of the promising artists.
"It's a game in Nashville and we got to see it close up," Gibson says. Strongly influenced during their formative years by country music as well as bluegrass, the brothers were receptive to working on a more country-sounding album. Writing new songs and recording demos, they were growing as artists and major labels were taking a serious look at them. However, by 2002, the Gibson Brothers were ready for a change.
We learned a lot about production, and we got to write with major league writers like Bob DiPiero," Erie says thoughtfully. I think we're better as a result of what we went through we're stronger and smarter than we were - but there came a time when Leigh and I didn't think it was working. I'm sad it didn't work out, because 1 know Ricky put a lot of his energy into it, but it's like Tom T. Hall told me: sometimes things just don't work out." Leigh and Erie headed straight for Sugar Hill Records.
Their new album finds the brothers reuniting with long-time bass player Mike Barber and adding mandolinist Marc MacGlashan to their band. Filled with a new set of the original songs for which they've been justly acclaimed, Bona Fide frames Leigh and Eric's vocals and sturdy picking .(guitar and banjo respectively) with sensitive support from Barber and MacGIashan, as well as guest appearances by fiddlers Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band) and Luke Bulla (formerly of Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder) and accordionist Jeff Taylor (Time Jumpers). In a special family touch, they are also joined for the first time on disc by sister Erin, whose pristine vocals add an extra dimension to the group's already soulful, classic harmonies. Add it all up, and the disc is a return to form that will both satisfy old fans and make the Gibson Brothers many new ones.
Originals include the sharply-drawn character portraits and story songs for which they've become known, such as "Arleigh," "The Ragged Man", "Vern's Guitar" and "Where Nobody Knows My Name." The set is rounded out by several well-selected covers, including a blistering version of Earl Scruggs' banjo classic, "Shuckin' The Corn" and Tom T. Hall's understated "Don't Forget The Coffee, Billy Joe." On the inspirational standard, "The Lighthouse," sister Erin Gibson adds a special touch. "When we play around home, the folks expect her - and we've learned not to get her on stage too early, or they won't let her off," Eric laughs.
Back on track after a difficult, yet ultimately enriching time of trials, the Gibson Brothers look forward to reconnecting with their many fans - and, of course, reaching out to make new ones. "This is what we love to do," Eric says simply, "and we're glad to be doing it again."
Alison Krauss & Union station - LIVE CD
Review of the first ever Live album by Alison Krauss & Union Station, written by West Australia's Troy Cook
Hardrive in Bluegrass Now Magazine
Melbourne band Hardrive's award-winning album Henry Lawson's Blues is reviewed in the top US Bluegrass magazine, Bluegrass Now!
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