© Adam Granger
REVIEW: DREAMIN' DICK KIMMEL & CO
DKC Records, 2011-1
by Adam Granger
Starting a band is easy; the hard part is keeping one together. Those readers who are in bands know what I'm talking about; it's like being married to four people. And, of course, everyone's on their best behavior on the “first date.” The true test of a band's mettle and grit starts when you're driving home at three a.m. after a gig and you're sick and the bass player wants to play his old cassette tape dub of Sugar, Sugar for the third time and the mandolin player is snoring along—neither in time nor in tune. Oh, and forming and maintaining a band is doubly daunting when you're in the hinterlands, where pickin's are slimmer and the distances farther.
That this edition of Dick Kimmel and Co has stayed together for five years, then, is mute testimony to the dedication, professionalism and conviviality of the five folks who comprise the group. This band has been to the river and it's been baptized, and it's still together and going strong, as this album attests. [Disclaimer: I know this bunch, and Mr Kimmel and I have toured England and recorded together. That said, I ain't a liar, so keep reading.]
The parts of the sum of Dick Kimmel & Co are Bruce Bernhardt on mandolin, Jerilyn Kjellberg on vocals and guitar, Lee Folta on bass, Tim O'Connor on banjo and baritone vocals and Kimmel on vocals and guitar. They all have their moments in the sun on Dreamin': Bernhardt is a creditable traditional mandolin player, and ditto O'Connor on the banjo; neither, however is afraid to stretch a little here and there. As a rhythm section, Folta and Kjellberg are solidity personified, and, no, I'm not talking about their physiques. Kimmel, whose gig is generally mandolin, reminds us all on this album that he ain't no slouch on the flattop either.
Generous guest contributions are made by Becky Buller, “The Pride of St James,” on fiddle and, in his professional recording debut, Ian Kimmel on rhythm guitar on one cut. I've known Becky since she was a tiny little red-headed kid, and I've known Ian even longer. They have both bucked the odds by simultaneously being nice kids and good players. Buller shows why she's one of the more sought-after fiddlers on the Nashville scene, and the glimpse at Ian Kimmel makes us hope we live long enough to see what he becomes when he grows up.
Dreamin' is DK&Co's third album, and it exhibits maturity that can only be gained by experience. Its twelve cuts represent the arc of the bluegrass genre as it exists in 2011. Selections from the Stanley, Monroe, McReynolds and McCoury catalogs as well as the title cut itself will make the hardcore leave-your-bass-amp-and-drums-at-home bunch happy. Original-song seekers will appreciate the Kimmel-penned Homeless and Heartbroken, Leo Rosenstein's I'll Never Forget You, and Sweetie Honey Baby, Kjellberg's ode to sweet-talkin' waitresses. (You know the kind she's talking about: you'd never call them servers.) Swing lovers will eat up Charmaine, a 1926 tin pan alley stalwart that's been covered by everyone from Mantovani to Kenny Baker, and a standout (and the least-bluegrassic offering on the album) is the Everly Brothers classic All I have to Do Is Dream.
Dreamin' was recorded by Mark Martinez at Two Fish Studios in Mankato and mastered by John Eberle at Americana CD Mastering, in Dickson, Tennessee. The mix is fine, the studio has a good sound, postproduction is clean. Finally, Rick Korab's graphic design captures the DK&Co vibe perfectly.
Something for everybody? Yeah, I'd say so. A safe recommend. To anyone.
DKC Records, 2011-1
by Adam Granger
Starting a band is easy; the hard part is keeping one together. Those readers who are in bands know what I'm talking about; it's like being married to four people. And, of course, everyone's on their best behavior on the “first date.” The true test of a band's mettle and grit starts when you're driving home at three a.m. after a gig and you're sick and the bass player wants to play his old cassette tape dub of Sugar, Sugar for the third time and the mandolin player is snoring along—neither in time nor in tune. Oh, and forming and maintaining a band is doubly daunting when you're in the hinterlands, where pickin's are slimmer and the distances farther.
That this edition of Dick Kimmel and Co has stayed together for five years, then, is mute testimony to the dedication, professionalism and conviviality of the five folks who comprise the group. This band has been to the river and it's been baptized, and it's still together and going strong, as this album attests. [Disclaimer: I know this bunch, and Mr Kimmel and I have toured England and recorded together. That said, I ain't a liar, so keep reading.]
The parts of the sum of Dick Kimmel & Co are Bruce Bernhardt on mandolin, Jerilyn Kjellberg on vocals and guitar, Lee Folta on bass, Tim O'Connor on banjo and baritone vocals and Kimmel on vocals and guitar. They all have their moments in the sun on Dreamin': Bernhardt is a creditable traditional mandolin player, and ditto O'Connor on the banjo; neither, however is afraid to stretch a little here and there. As a rhythm section, Folta and Kjellberg are solidity personified, and, no, I'm not talking about their physiques. Kimmel, whose gig is generally mandolin, reminds us all on this album that he ain't no slouch on the flattop either.
Generous guest contributions are made by Becky Buller, “The Pride of St James,” on fiddle and, in his professional recording debut, Ian Kimmel on rhythm guitar on one cut. I've known Becky since she was a tiny little red-headed kid, and I've known Ian even longer. They have both bucked the odds by simultaneously being nice kids and good players. Buller shows why she's one of the more sought-after fiddlers on the Nashville scene, and the glimpse at Ian Kimmel makes us hope we live long enough to see what he becomes when he grows up.
Dreamin' is DK&Co's third album, and it exhibits maturity that can only be gained by experience. Its twelve cuts represent the arc of the bluegrass genre as it exists in 2011. Selections from the Stanley, Monroe, McReynolds and McCoury catalogs as well as the title cut itself will make the hardcore leave-your-bass-amp-and-drums-at-home bunch happy. Original-song seekers will appreciate the Kimmel-penned Homeless and Heartbroken, Leo Rosenstein's I'll Never Forget You, and Sweetie Honey Baby, Kjellberg's ode to sweet-talkin' waitresses. (You know the kind she's talking about: you'd never call them servers.) Swing lovers will eat up Charmaine, a 1926 tin pan alley stalwart that's been covered by everyone from Mantovani to Kenny Baker, and a standout (and the least-bluegrassic offering on the album) is the Everly Brothers classic All I have to Do Is Dream.
Dreamin' was recorded by Mark Martinez at Two Fish Studios in Mankato and mastered by John Eberle at Americana CD Mastering, in Dickson, Tennessee. The mix is fine, the studio has a good sound, postproduction is clean. Finally, Rick Korab's graphic design captures the DK&Co vibe perfectly.
Something for everybody? Yeah, I'd say so. A safe recommend. To anyone.