Saddle River String Band

Saddle River Stringband, based in Summerside, P.E.I. just released their new Self-titled CD in July 2007, and according to Atlantic Seabreeze, it is absolutely a winner all the way. The group comprises 4 young music artists namely; James Phillips-Troy McArthur-Mike Dixon and Tom DesRoches. Most of the 12 songs on the CD (7 to be exact) were written by the band. The group have literally taken off since the CD was released, and are receiving endless bookings.
To watch the band perform is a joy to behold, for those who love traditional country and bluegrass music and performed in Saddle River's exciting style.They recently performed a showcase at the Evangeline Bluegrass and Traditional Music Festival, and with their performance, they blew the audience away. I attended their live performance, and I was in awe of the band's performance. Their mandolin and banjo playing are outstanding. - www.AtlanticSeabreeze.com

Sometimes things don’t work out exactly as you planned them — and you’re pretty darn glad they didn’t.

The original plan was to go see famed East Coast hip hop underground legend Buck 65 at The Mack last Saturday night.

But, when we discovered that the sold-out event’s organizers had set aside no media passes, I said, “See yuh, Buck. Bring on the bluegrass.”

And they turned out to be key words in a sweet turn-around of musical events last weekend that brought me back to the roots, pure and unplugged, up the mountain and back again, far away from all that’s electric and urban.

It all began at 3 p.m. last Sunday as the P.E.I. Bluegrass and Old Time Music Society put together an afternoon of music at the BIS to raise funds for the orchestration of its Rollo Bay festival this July.

And who took the stage first, singin’ and strummin’, but good ol’ Charlie Hansen, in a trio with Ivan Bulger, also on guitar and vocals, and Glenda Johnston on upright bass and vocals.

In classic bluegrass style, with a single mike in the centre, the trio’s set featured tunes like Where Will We Stand and Somewhere in Between, with each member taking his or her turn at doing lead vocals, as others provided some lovely harmonies throughout songs of an old-time feel.

Up next was one of the premier bands of the Island’s bluegrass community, Bluegrass Revival.

A three-frontwomen-band, with Gail Mullen on vocals and guitar, Shirley Jay on vocals and mandolin and Cherie LeMoine on vocals, their music is also driven by some great banjo by Peter LeMoine and solid bass by Alan MacRae.

The five-piece group kicked off its 30-minute set with a foot-stomping barrage of plucking. This was the intro to the rollicking tune How Mountain Girls Can Love, which got everyone’s toes ’a tapping right away in the crowd that numbered about 60 that afternoon.

Other highlights from the set were Little Birdie (a real chugging, up-tempo tune featuring fantastic banjo work by LeMoine that garnered much applause); Cotton Mill Girls (another hoppin’ and thumpin’ hit); and the a cappella performance of Down to the River, which fully displayed the extent of the exceptional harmony work of Bluegrass Revival, as all five musicians gathered round the mike at the centre singing “Oh brothers, let’s go down, down in the river to pray …”

If you like the sounds of this, you can catch Bluegrass Revival playing next at the QEH fundraiser on April 26 at the Carrefour.

Last but you-bet-yer-sippin’-sarsaparilla-yap-not-least was the well-renowned fierce foursome of Summerside, Music P.E.I. Award 2007 winners for best bluegrass recording and new artist of the year, and this year’s ECMA winner for bluegrass recording of the year, The Saddle River String Band.

“Not bad for four guys who, um, don’t really give a s- -t,” grinned Charlie Hansen in his intro for the boys, as they waltzed up to the stage.

But, as Hansen probably knows, and as most everyone can most likely tell, these four dudes may come off in their extreme laid back state like they don’t care. But as soon as they step up to that mike, it’s time to play ball, and there’s no messin’ around.

From there on in, it’s one sweet, ridiculous, raging steamboat ride down Saddle River, and it’s a trip that you just never want to end.

I’ve been wanting to write about these guys for a long time as every time I see them I just love them more and more. And I’m sure there are thousands across the Island and the Maritimes who would say the same.

Led by Mike Dixon on lead vocals and guitar, with Troy McArthur on banjo and vocals, James Phillips on mandolin and vocals and Tom Desroches on bass and vocals, the band put on one amazing show that afternoon, receiving a standing ovation and bringing on an encore before all was said and done. In their quick picking, their always bang-on vocals (complete with hollerin’ harmonies), their hilarious banter, their outrageous enthusiasm, Dixon’s quintessential cross-eyed kazoo licks and their bring-a-smile-to-your-soul, high-on-a-hilltop energy, these guys have rightfully made quite a name for themselves so far. But, I think, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

-Todd Maclean, April 2008 - The Guardian

SUMMERSIDE, PEI, Canada – A peculiar thing happened to a swinging country-bluegrass band called Saddle River, winners of the 2008 East Coast Music Award for Atlantic Canada’s top bluegrass recording.

Singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan, one of the region’s most promising musicians, left the group when she moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to pursue a music career there. Yet Saddle River grew stronger.

Bass player Tom DesRoches stepped in, joining James Phillips (guitar, mandolin), Mike Dixon (guitar) and Troy McArthur (banjo). Singing duties are shared.

The rejigged Saddle River String Band released a self-titled debut CD, performed at every opportunity and won 2007 PEI Music Awards for the top bluegrass/country album and for the best new-artist recording. Just days ago, the group triumphed at the ECMAs in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

“When we parted ways with Catherine and then Tom joined the band, it seemed like we needed to decide if we’d step up to the next level,” James said. “We’d gotten a little tired of playing at the same old bars to the same half-crowds, and we decided that to make progress and see some new audiences, we’d need a CD.”

With an infusion of original music written by James, Mike and Troy, Saddle River turned undeniably fresh, yet still sounded traditional.

Swagger and sway,
Swagger and sway,
Jaywalking sideways,
Two feet of clay,
Hand around the bottleneck,
Eyes in a mess,
Hang on till Sunday….
But it won’t do no good anyway.
Our daddy has taught us
To swagger and sway.
From “Swagger and Sway”, Written by James Phillips, Recorded by the Saddle River String Band, 2007

“The song ‘Swagger and Sway’ has gotten a lot of compliments, which surprised me,” James said. “When I wrote it, I liked it, but didn’t think it had commercial potential.

“We started out planning to make a folk album of other people’s songs. We’d written one of our own tunes three years ago, and played it ever since. As we geared up to make the CD, I suddenly wrote two songs that seemed to fit. Then Troy dusted off an old one of his and happened to write another. Mike fashioned two, an old one he had and another that’d been unfinished. The next thing you knew, we had seven originals on our 13-track CD.”

Last night I heard you talking
To a man out in the hallway.
I don’t believe I heard his voice before.
I thought it was your brother.
But no, it was another,
And I don’t think you love me anymore.
From “I Don’t Think You Love Me”, Written by Mike Dixon, Recorded by the Saddle River String Band, 2007

“For me, it’s hard to be objective about the CD,” James said. “But I think the original songs turned out really nice. Wanting to capture our lively feel, we did the CD with the one-mike setup that we use live.

“We’ve had an excellent response from the public. When people comment that they like certain songs, it’s usually the original music.”

Popular at festivals and nightclubs, Saddle River takes the music seriously, but still has fun. “When we enjoy ourselves, the audiences do too,” said Troy.

I’m living like some junky down in Nashville.
I should be living right and fancy free.
But I’m standing here, Lord, a’pickin’ down in Nashville,
Wondering why I ever came to Tennessee.
For everyone I see, they pick’er just like me.
I guess it really didn’t turn out like I thought it would.
I’m standing on some sidewalk down in Nashville,
Just wondering when I thought I got so good.
From “Nashville Junky”, Written by Troy McArthur, Recorded by the Saddle River String Band, 2007

“By the summer of 2008, we should expand our range and play at festivals beyond PEI,” James said. “We’ve had offers to appear at some festivals and talk about others.

“There’s been a big resurgence in ‘old-timey’ music,” James said. “We never intended to jump onto a bandwagon. In fact, we started the band just for fun. But we’ve come to like it a lot more than we expected.

“We’ve all played in different groups. We’ve written other types of songs. But those on the CD seemed to fit into the older style of traditional music. Once we put them into that setting, they came to life, and we knew they’d work.”

The original Saddle River, with MacLellan as the lead singer, began four years ago. “Our attitude’s always very unassuming,” James said. “Things just turned out better than we anticipated.

“I used to enjoy the experimental and exploratory nature of songwriting and recording more than performing,” James said. “But with this band we have so much fun that I really enjoy performing.

“By playing with these guys, I’ve become a stronger performer. I’ve learned to entertain crowds and project myself much more.”

Will Saddle River issue another CD? “I hope so,” James said. “Whatever else people in the band may do, I hope we’ll keep coming back to this group.”


<AHREF="http://www.cairnsmedia.com/Feature_frontstoryarticle.html - Cairns Magazine, by Jay Scott Kanes

I caught a long set by The Saddle River String Band at the Summerside Highland Gathering in late June. I'd already met two of the guys, Mike Dixon and Troy McArthur at previous Summerside gatherings. They were called The Rattlesnakin' Daddies and played old blues. With the addition of James Phillips and Tom DesRoches the Saddle River String Band was born. These guys don't appear to be any older than their late twenties or early thirties but they sure have a love of old music. They tackle old country, bluegrass, gospel and blues with a vigour that is rerfreshing to see. Some of their music is from the first half of the twentieth century and the rest is original, written in the old style. They are energetic and fun to watch as they weave in and out around one microphone. Their stage energy is easily transferred to the audience. Their self-titled CD is a good representation of their stage show. Half of the twelve songs were written by band members while the others came from music legends such as Son House and A.P. Carter. They sing with wild abandon, not sticking to traditional four-part harmonies and adding background vocalizations to great effect. Tom plays upright bass, Mike plays guitar and kazoo, Jamees plays mandolin and guitar and Troy plays banjo,guitar and harmonica. They are all top-notch players. The Saddle River String Band works out of Summerside, P.E.I. Their CD was recorded at James Phillips' house with Troy and James as engineers and the band as producers. This CD is great fun by a band that has a love and a reverence for the music they play. Grab their CD and you'll make a point of catching them live. - John Ferguson

The Saddle River Stringband, who feature Troy MacArthur on banjo, James Phillips on mandolin, Tom DesRoches on bass fiddle, and Mike Dixon on guitar, play an intriguing mixture of old-time, country and blues that falls just shy of being bluegrass, and at times on this 12-song set, the group's sound veers almost into jug band territory, with a tiny dose of western swing thrown in for good measure. It's all pretty easygoing and casual, spotlighting original pieces along with a handful of old country blues standards given a string band sheen, including fine versions of the Carter Family's "We Shall Rise" and Mississippi John Hurt's "Louis Collins." ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide - Steve Leggett, All Music Guide