Tim Hoke wrote this review.
I’ve said before that good contradance bands rarely make good sit-and-listen-to bands. I’ve also noted that there are exceptions to that rule, and Hotpoint Stringband can be added to that list. All of the tunes on these discs are danceable, and they are also eminently listenable.
The instrument I notice the most is the banjo. In the hands of Hilarie Burhans, it pops out melody notes, yet remains highly rhythmic, blending with Mark Hellenberg’s drumming to the point where it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. I hear a lot of swing in Mark Burhans’ fiddling, as well as bluegrass and klezmer, but the dance format is never left behind. Marlene Shostak’s piano is driving on the fast tunes, delicate on the slow ones, and she plays a lovely solo on “La Partida.” Rusty Smith’s guitar is often buried in the mix, but when it can be heard, it is a textbook example of what good rhythm guitar should sound like. Likewise, Joe Crum’s bass is not easily heard, but it is often bluesy, a la Willy Dixon. Crum also plays didgeridoo, an unusual instrument for a dance band, perhaps, but Crum plays it to good effect, and it isn’t overused.
Hellenberg’s percussion is lifting, but light, propelling the melodies without overpowering them.
The material tends toward reels and waltzes, played smoothly and evenly. A couple of the tunes I had heard before under different guises; “Mountain Jam” is a reworking of the Donovan song “There Is A Mountain,” and “McGoohan’s Reel” turns out to be the garage band favorite “Secret Agent Man.”
There is a considerable amount of wackiness on these recordings. “Staten Island Hornpipe” starts a false skip and scratch that actually had me rising from the chair to move the needle, forgetting that I wasn’t listening to a vinyl LP. Then the band launched in to the tune for real, and I realized I’d been had. Also good for giggles are the creaking-door fiddle on “Ghoulardi’s Reel” and Hellenberg’s Popeye-voice scatting on “Girlfriend Of The Whirling Dervish.”
Either for dancing or sedentary listening, this group is highly recommended.
(Make ’em Go Wooo, 1999)
(Make ’em Go Wooo, 2001)
Tim also reviewed Hotpoint Special.
