Traverse Theatre
May 2nd, 2023
The house was pack at the Traverse Theatre Edinburgh for the evening’s performance of The Foghorn String band. Hailing from America they enjoy no little popularity, have created an international presence as one of the greatest Blue Grass acts out there. They are a four piece group who took over the room with exciting togetherness. Instruments included banjo, double base, guitar violin and more. They stepped into the room and went straight into that most iconic delivery of music.
We discovered that the band has had more than one line up feeling refreshed by the two new female’s who were present with voices harmonising y with a powerful and full of fun was all that there could be. It was speedy, complex and held the rhythm that the soul taps its feet to. It felt like a community event that must busy itself in the fun these guys have taken to travel the world with.
The instruments and equipment looked like they hailed from a bygone time, and they used a very great microphone that could pick up their voices from quite a distance. They stood in a close group that to my mind again offered some kind of iconic rendering; it was stacked and very figurative.
There was no question to their talent that had a feeling of discarding nerve and exhaustion having been very busy up in a festival north of Scotland saying that a good energy was coming from the audience who were loving this multi dimensional music in the strong style of the blue grass hit.
Storytelling is the purpose as well as the sounds of the music, so deeply rooted in musical culture of any kind. The song’s ‘Tradwell Station’ and ‘Green Sleeve’ (not to be confused with that ancient one) told very well the thicket culture of down there in Southern USA.
It was music that had vocal lyrics, musical lyrics each shared at the whim of this tightest and loosest of bands, the filled room unveiled a great many dedicated followers. Their shows include any and every kind of venue and to all kinds of audiences. They enjoy nights where the room is hot and they fan this heat with more and more of the songs and music that people just love.
Everything was in perfect proportion, from how they looked, sounded and conquered with the fun that this music is always conspiring for. In effect it was the quintessential live concert that outshines fellow groups who perhaps have tried and learning the fast paced music. Compared to this way the Foghorn Stringband play who have found the correct sound of this style so well loved by aficionados and music revellers alike.
The on fire side of this music must be widespread especially in Southern America whose tails were told, but thankfully the howling cry of hard times was softened a little and the energy was moulded more for a celebration of good things. Holding the torch for heroism and failure, it’s wonderful how music can blossom and boom and just continue as a tremendous force for the expression of human life and any other kind, captured in Blue Grass.
In the world of performance it is ever popular and this band have grown far and away above the rest of the forest. Their short songs kicked in once everyone joins and the double bass held is finely form it stole in a resounding testimony of skill and coupling energy.
Nothing but a good time, I could feel all the rows of seats were itching to join in and offered up those whoops that are easily found in a crowd. They faced us with a kind of revelry, totally at ease, lovingly playing and making for some good tones in a big world, see-able for all kinds of reasons.
Daniel Donnelly
Mumble Music 