BR5-49 - Tangled in the Pines

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Free Music Notes for Tangled in the Pines

Free Music Review: countrybillies with a gutsy roots sound
Hit: 5 Stars

Despite the departure of two of BR549's past members (co-founder Gary Bennett and bassist Jay McDowell) after the release of their 2001 album, "This is BR549," the band continues with a new youthful outlook and exuberance. Chuck Mead (vocals, guitar), Don Herron (fiddle, mandolin, steel guitar), and Shaw Wilson (drums, vocals) have now teamed with new members Geoff Firebaugh (bass) and Chris Scruggs (vocals, guitar). Both Geoff and Chris were members of an informal Nashville configuration called The Hillbilly All-Stars. Firebaugh, from the Pacific Northwest, is known for his work in several Seattle and Nashville punk and rockabilly bands. I'm told that the taste for Pabst is growing in that region too. Scruggs is the grandson of both the legendary Earl Scruggs and Louisiana Hayride performer Tex Dickerson, and son of famed Nashville musician Gary Scruggs and singer/songwriter Gail Davies.

"Tangled in the Pines" strikes gold on a number of fronts. Traditionalists will immediately think of Hank (as in Williams, of course) when Mead's vocals, Herron's steel and fiddle kick in on "When I Come Home (from Honky Tonkin')." Chris Scruggs also pens an appealing story of drinking and carousing called "Honky Tonkin' Lifestyle." That's one to listen to with a cold PBR in your hand. The title cut at track five and has a joyful, playful spirit. "Run a Mile," a raucous tale of a rambling man being chased by vigilantes for something he didn't do, is the best showcase of BR549's vocal trio. They also write some truckin' country and gripping rockabilly numbers like "That's What I Get," "No Friend of Mine," "Ain't Got Time," "No Train to Memphis," and the album's closing "Way Too Late (to Go Home Early Now)."

BR549 took its moniker from Junior Samples' phone number skit on the television show, Hee Haw. From their first gigs on "the roadhouse circuit" and Nashville's Lower Broadway, they eventually built a good following and landed a recording contract with Arista Records. Albums, TV appearances, tours, festivals, and a Grammy nomination have continued to build their reputation as one of the hippest roots country bands today. Their fans are an interesting bunch of "punks, rockers, college kids and traditional country fans," and they will find considerable delight from a revitalized BR549 and "Tangled in the Pines." (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

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