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Live at Dan's Silver Leaf review 2012
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Recorded throughout the month of April 2011, this live effort serves as the sophomore release from B...Recorded throughout the month of April 2011, this live effort serves as the sophomore release from Boxcar Bandits, longtime stalwarts of the Denton music scene, following up debut Smells Like Grass. The band's Monday night residency at Dan's Silverleaf has become one of the better hootenannies in the area, and nothing more accurately represents the ensemble's "skunkgrass" than a recording in front of their faithful horde.
Indeed, the 14 songs presented here are recorded with such precision one starts to question whether or not the audience reactions were dubbed in later. The playing is so skillful on "Whiskey Before Breakfast," "Mixed Up Mess of a Heart" and "Fool's Prayer" that it serves as testament to both the instrumentalists and the sound engineer.
And while folk and alt-country can sometimes be played with too much skill, the picking and fiddling of Austin Smith, Andy Rogers and the rest of this group is always just ragged enough to engage instead of impress. Special kudos go to accordion player Ginny Mac and percussionist Grady Don Sandlin for adding details that actually embellish the songs and never serve simply as window dressing.
What works best about Live at Dan's is the lack of hayseed silliness that sometimes accompanies music of this nature. There are no "Aw, shucks" moments in the entire show, no embarrassing stabs at Hee Haw humor. As a matter of fact, the best use of humor is the album cover, a clever and spot-on send up of Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde. Even the inside photos mimic the album. Rarely does a band, local or otherwise, create an effort where the album design is as intelligent and unique as the music contained within.
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Rex Emerson of Boxcar Bandits talks Bob Dylan and Playing Gator Farms
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Denton's Boxcar Bandits have been playing their warped version of Americana for just over half a dec...Denton's Boxcar Bandits have been playing their warped version of Americana for just over half a decade. In that time, they've played countless shows and produced two albums: 2008's Smells Like Grass and the recently released Live at Dan's Silverleaf.
And while live efforts are often perfunctory product issued to fill gaps between studio efforts, Live at Dan's is a minor revelation. Recorded with amazing clarity, it perfectly encapsulates Boxcar Bandits' striking mix of traditional Americana and ragged alt-country. Speaking from his home in Denton in anticipation of tonight's weekly gig at Dan's, lead Bandit Rex Emerson spoke about the band's comfort level playing live and some of the strange places they have plied their craft.
Why did you decide to make your sophomore album a live effort?
We tried doing some stuff in the studio and it wasn't clicking. Then, we got the opportunity to record the shows in April. We even got signed to Flight Music Group, but they didn't hold up their end of the agreement, so now we are going to put it out ourselves.
Is it a more natural fit for you to record the album live?
For sure. We felt that since we play so many live shows, that is where we are the most comfortable. On stage is where we think we are playing our best. We are playing almost every night.
How many times did you have to redo a song because someone messed up?
No, we just rolled the tape. We had two sets a night for four nights and so we had a lot of songs to choose from. What's funny is that we had this planned out set for the first night and when we listened to it, we didn't like what we heard. Maybe we were nervous or something. We said the hell with that and we started playing looser, the way we normally do.
The sound quality on the album is pretty amazing.
[Guitarist] Grady Sandlin is kind of our sound guru. He ran sound and recorded the album. We had a line coming from the sound board and we had a lot of other mics in order to get the best mix that we could. We kind of approached the entire live aspect differently. We egged on the crowd and wanted people to get kind of crazy. Plus, it was a mix and match from several sets.
The cover is pretty hilarious. Whose idea was it to parody Dylan's Blonde on Blonde?
That was [bassist] Ryan Williams' idea. That's me on the cover. One day, I noticed he was looking at me a little crazy. I told him he was in charge of the packaging. He might have volunteered. He said he had a great idea. He even made the inside pictures look like those on the Dylan album.
Why not include a Dylan song on the album?
We do a couple of his tunes live, but it became kind of a cool idea to have the cover look like one of his albums, but not put any of this songs on there.
Has the membership of the band stayed pretty consistent?
We've had a number of changes over the years. Myself and bassist Ryan Williams have been the two constants. Once we started touring, we added a fiddle player. Since 2009, it's been a pretty solid five-piece. We turn into a six-piece when we add an accordion player. We just got back from a tour as a five-piece and I think that's how it's going to stay for a while.
How long have you been doing the Monday night shows at Dan's Silverleaf?
We started doing that in August of 2010. We're good friends with the owner and the Monday night thing used to be for Paul Slavens. He would do his improv comedy thing. And one day, he just stopped doing that and we stepped into the vacancy.
Are the crowds pretty consistent on Monday nights?
The crowds have been pretty varied. It's a free show and they have pretty cheap drinks. We get a lot of people who don't have too much to do on a Tuesday morning. It's a pretty good crowd, usually.
What does a typical fan of the Boxcar Bandits look like?
That's pretty across the board there. We have some older fans since we play bluegrass, but we have a lot of college kids come out. Since our style of music can appeal to a lot of people, we get the chance to play at a lot of places besides bars, like farmers markets and other family- oriented establishments.
Any weddings?
Yes, all of the time. We do some where we actually perform the music for the ceremony, the processional and recessional. We then play a couple of hours for the reception.
How much do you charge?
We usually try to go a hundred [dollars] a man. We try to go for six hundred, because we will carry another man on board. It also depends on where it is. We are playing a wedding in June in New Mexico and that one will cost a little bit more.
What's the strangest place the band has played?
About the strangest place we played is this tree house-type place in New Orleans. It's this housing co-op and in the back they have this giant tree house with rope bridges. That was pretty insane. We hauled our stuff in there and had a little jam. We also played a gator farm in Beaumont once. It was right off the interstate and people could have a tour of the farm and then have a nice gator dinner in the restaurant where we were playing.
The Boxcar Bandits perform tonight, February 6, at Dan's Silverleaf.
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Boxcar Bandits Make Tracks (2011)
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The Boxcar Bandits are sort of an unofficial house band of Dan's Silverleaf. The local group gigs re...The Boxcar Bandits are sort of an unofficial house band of Dan's Silverleaf. The local group gigs regularly at the downtown watering hole (every Monday before the group went on tour), spinning what the musicians have coined "North Texas Skunkgrass."
The musicians aren't trying to be cute with the label. They're just trying to slap a memorable and meaningful logo on the amalgamation of bluegrass, country and swing that they make with happy abandon. (Though numbers like "Cell Phone" sound like Russian or Gypsy folk dances handed down in the most Bavarian regions of Texas. Yes, the pacing of "Cell Phone" is suspiciously like a polka. Rex Emerson's tenor banjo affects the sad mandolin music famous in Dr. Zhivago. It sounds strange, but the Bandits own it and make their own. )
The group breaks a bottle on its third album, Live at Dan's Silverleaf,with a CD release party at - where else? - Dan's on Monday night.The band signed with Flight Music Group to make the live album.
The band is anchored by "Texas" Rex Emerson, but benefits from the chops of Baptist Generals alumnus Ryan Williams and Denton's sought-after drummer Grady Don Sandlin. The band could clearly deal pure bluegrass, straight-up country or Bob Wills-style swing. But it appears to be more fun, and more Denton-style, to bind all three forms together.
Sounds like: The Appalachian Capulets called a truce with the West Virginia Montagues for a one-night barn dance. It has a good beat, and you can two-step to it.
Details: The album release party will be at 10:30 p.m. Monday at Dan's, 103 Industrial St. Doors open at 8 p.m. Cover is free.
-Lucinda Breeding THEY'RE WITH THE BAND
The Boxcar Bandits are:• "Texas" Rex Emerson- mandolin, guitar, tenor banjo and vocals• Ryan Williams - bass and vocals • Hillary Early - guitar, vocals and dobro• Grady Don Sandlin - percussion, vocals and guitar• Austin Smith - fiddle and vocals• Andy Rogers - banjo, dobro, vocals and bass
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Review of Live at Dan's Silver Leaf (2011)
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It seemed time to offer something out-of-the-ordinary on Audio Gumshoe. Though this statement itself...It seemed time to offer something out-of-the-ordinary on Audio Gumshoe. Though this statement itself may a bit ironic. There’s not a typical — or usual — sound for this show. I’ve offered big rock, pop, Americana, trance, metal, blues, outlaw country, rockabilly, latin, world-music, looped acoustic, and even “industrial-tinged alternative folk“. So, why not a bit of “skunkgrass?”
So, I get a submission from Brooks Kendall, Jr. of Flight Music Group telling me about this band out of Denton, Texas called Boxcar Bandits. I don’t listen to bluegrass music, typically, but as soon as I previewed these tracks I was hooked. This is just feel-good music. The fact that these are live tracks gives these selections even more vitality. The ambience of the club, the audience, and the stage conversation lends a feeling of “being there” that makes this a great listen.
Each of the songs on this episode is from the new album “Live from Dan’s Silverleaf” released in November by Boxcar Bandits. When you listen to the full album, you’ll hear the crowd enjoying the music, you’ll hear the band talking to each other, you’ll hear warts-and-all. And that’s what makes this a fun collection. Get a copy. If you’re in the Denton, Texas area — or near any of the venues listed on their show calendar — go hear them live. They play at Dan’s Silverleaf almost every Monday.
Here’s what Pegasus News recently had to say about the band:
…Denton band Boxcar Bandits played their own brand of music they like to call “skungrass.” The band is a revolving door of Denton musicians – including Paul Slavens – and the current lineup is guaranteed to get your boots stomping and your hands clapping. The band features a single snare drum and washboard played by RTB2’s Grady Don Sandlin, plus an upright bass, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and some of the best vocal harmonies this side of the Red River.
Boxcar Bandits would be comfortable playing on a stage, a street corner, or a front porch. Their mixture of gospel, country, and bluegrass – or “fastgrass” as they call it – is exactly what was needed to get fans to the dance floor at the Boiler Room.
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North Texas’ top five artists of 2010
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5. Boxcar Bandits: This “skungrass” band is a revolving door of talented Denton musicians who hone t...5. Boxcar Bandits: This “skungrass” band is a revolving door of talented Denton musicians who hone their craft every Monday night at Dan’s Silver Leaf. These “local drinkers with picking problems” have the ability to get feet stomping and hands clapping; often concertgoers breakout in square dancing at each show. Boxcar Bandits' down home, roots music – which features an upright bass, mandolin, tenor banjo, harmonica, guitar, dobro, accordion, and a washboard – is perfect when you just want to kick back with a jug of moonshine or get up and hoedown with your friends. The band is currently working on their second album, Far Mountain Gravy, which should be released in 2011.
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Boxcar Bandits at Dan's Silverleaf
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On a Monday that topped out at 105 degrees the Boxcar Bandits packed in a healthy sized crowd to Dan...On a Monday that topped out at 105 degrees the Boxcar Bandits packed in a healthy sized crowd to Dan’s Silverleaf with the draw of a free show filled with a few hours of amazing bluegrass and the relief of two dollar beers and air conditioning. The Bandits even graced the crowd with two sets. The band, normally a six piece outfit, had two guest performers, Burton Lee on the Dobro (from the group Eleven Hundred Springs) and Andy Rodgers (the former bass player for Oso Closo on banjo) sitting in on the first and second sets, respectively.
Few bands have the unique gift of every member being a virtuoso at their instruments; the Boxcar Bandits are one of those lucky few. Fiddle player, Austin Smith has the fastest fingers this side of the Horseshoe Casino card sharks and accordion player Ginny Mac sets her accordion aflame with her knockout solos. Not only can they play, each member is a talented singer which showed as they traded off vocal duties for nearly every song, with percussionist Grady Don Sandlin, bass player Ryan Williams, guitarist Hillary Early and mandolin player Texas Rex Emerson taking most of the leads. The great thing about this group is that Sandlin and Williams, who are mostly rhythm section players for other bands, get the chance to show off their excellent skills as lead vocalists.
The Bandits played through a set list of original material from their album “Smells Like Grass,” and covered songs like ‘Operator’ by Jim Croce and the traditional ‘All for Me Grog’ where they sang “It’s all for me beer and tobacco!” The Bandits seem to have a knack for blending the traditional bluegrass sound with Caribbean island rhythms to create their self-titled ‘Skunkgrass’ sound.
This show was the last show the Bandits will be doing in Denton for the next couple of weeks because they will be embarking on a US tour with stops in North Carolina, West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Colorado, and then back to Texas. The show was a fine send off for one of Denton’s hardest working bands, and when a band says that their “Highway is my home” in their lyrics, you know they’ll have a great tour.
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Boxcar Bandits offer mountain jams anyone can enjoy
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Here's a review of our NX35 2010 set:
by Tim Monzingo
Sat. March 13th 2010
There was hardly a...Here's a review of our NX35 2010 set:
by Tim Monzingo
Sat. March 13th 2010
There was hardly a foot that could stop tapping. The people on the dance floor cast aside all inhibitions for the sake of pure, unadulterated joy. The patio was packed with barely enough room to stand and bounce to the mountain tunes pouring out of the mandolin, banjo, snare and stand-up base. The accordion and violin player's faces were contorted in ways that only lightning bolts of musical energy can create.
The Boxcar Bandit show at Sweetwater can be described as nothing less than religious for fans of the bluegrass genre. From classic bluegrass tunes to homegrown jams, the band played a show that could compete with such names as Old Crow Medicine Show and Yonder Mountain String Band.
The urban-rural feel that has been attributed to Denton has no better example than the people in cowboy hats dancing next to hippies and hipsters on the crowded Sweetwater Grill & Tavern patio. The end of each tune brought more than a cheer from the crowd; more like the enthusiastic death-by-bluegrass scream exhaled by Appalachia's deepest rooted families.
They couldn't get enough of it and if that was all they could stand in life, so be it. The fervor of the crowd was unrivaled by any show so far at the conferette. Fans of anything with a palpable soul and a living energy should look into Boxcar Bandits for a romping, roll-in-the-hay good time.
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"New Grass, New Guard"
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The Fort Worth Weekly published an article in their Hearsay on October 3, 2007, entitled “Newgrass, ...The Fort Worth Weekly published an article in their Hearsay on October 3, 2007, entitled “Newgrass, New Guard” regardin’ the Rolling Trainwreck Country Show, spearheaded by 100 Damned Guns, at our favorite place and yours, Fred’s Cafe in the Fort. Here’s what they had to say about us:
“Boxcar Bandits are fun and mix up time signatures to good effect”
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Boxcar Bandits Call Style "North Texas Skunkgrass"
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Look for the beards.
That’s a sure sign you’ve arrived at a Boxcar Bandits show.
“We’re all ve...Look for the beards.
That’s a sure sign you’ve arrived at a Boxcar Bandits show.
“We’re all very hairy fellows. Everybody has a beard of some form or another,” explained band member Rex Emerson. “When we roll up to a place, it’s like the barbarians have arrived.”
Barbarians, maybe, but with bluegrass in their blood.
The Denton-based five-piece band will play at 9pm Thursday at the Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.
The group’s sound is rounded out by guitar, percussion, bass, fiddle and mandolin.
“We call it North Texas Skunkgrass,” Emerson said. “We’re influenced by that old ragtime style.”
The band’s first album, “Smells Like Grass,” was released in August. The nine-track record includes all original songs.
A second project is in the words. “Far Mountain Gravy” will be released later this year, Emerson said.
The band will play a series of shows in June, take a break for recording in July, and then hit the road again to wrap up the summer.
Performances are lively, with an emphasis on quickly paced bluegrass rhythms, Emerson said.
“A lot of people come out and start dancing around right away,” Emerson said. “It turns into a big party, beards and all.”
Tickets to Thursday’s concert are $6.
For information, call 806-374-0094.
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This Friday Night is your chance to bend Friday the 13th over and take proper care of it
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Here's what they had to say about us:
"And rounding it out are local bluegrass whiskey-killers ...Here's what they had to say about us:
"And rounding it out are local bluegrass whiskey-killers The Boxcar Bandits.
I think these guys were Bukowski's favourite bluegrass band, but i may just be abusing the eponymous editorial license for me to mention it."
Hehe...
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This week's local music picks
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Here's what they had to say:
"It's nothing but fun when these Denton dudes get together to play l...Here's what they had to say:
"It's nothing but fun when these Denton dudes get together to play loose, beer-soaked bluegrass. There are two shows this weekend – one in Little D and another in Fort Worth."
supersonic
