New Greencards: Viridian
Lost in the shuffle (to me) this week was the release of the Greencards‘ new album. Rank Carol Young’s voice right up there with my favorite female singers (e.g. Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin). Her singing is effortless and sweet to the ears.
The new album, Viridian, is a great mix of pure American music as performed by the trio – two Aussies and a Brit – who live in Austin, Texas. The trio lay it down with a mandolin, a fiddle, and an electric bass. Yeah, bluegrass instruments, but the Greencards can’t be nailed down as a bluegrass band. They veer into a rootsy territory too. Probably a lot to do with their hometown of Austin.
The album opener shows what the Greencards are all about. A laid back feel, great vocals / harmonies, and talented musicianship. Dig it!
The Greencards: Waiting on the Night
Buy: Viridian
Check out the Greencards’ Official Site
Related: A previous Greencards post with links to a full live show in Telluride.
Get Your Greencards
In my recent explorations through the latest and the greatest bluegrass, it was only a matter of time until I found the Greencards. They’re a trio from Nashville. Well, they call Nashville home now. Before Nashville, they made their mark over the last few years in Austin, Texas. But originally, Kym Warner is from Adelaide, Australia; Carol Young is from Coffs Harbour, Australia; and Eamon McLoughlin is from South London, England. The music they play is billed as “high-energy acoustic music with deep roots in bluegrass.” Though they all grew up outside the U.S., they spent their time absorbing inherently American music. Before they knew it, they were on tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson!
While I wait for my new month of 40 eMusic downloads to pick up their latest album (for $9.99 – quite a deal! – click the eMusic thingie on my sidebar to find out more), I zipped on over to Archive.org, and found their performance from this year’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It’s a great sunny day accompaniment, music rich with great harmonies, amazing playing, and just a nice overall vibe.
For those of you who have not seen Archive.org before, check out the Greencards performance on this page. You can listen to the whole show streaming, and it has flac and mp3 downloads of the whole show.
Here are a couple I selected from the show. The first one demonstrates their “high energy”-ness. By the end, bass player Carol is yelling for oxygen (Telluride sits at 8,745 feet, folks). The second tune shows their affinity for slowing it down, and showcases Carol’s great vocals.
The Greencards, live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival – June 16, 2006:
Washington County (mp3)
The Ghost of Who We Were (mp3)
- The Official Site of the Greencards.
- Buy their latest, Weather and Water.
