Customer Reviews

Broke

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Their name inspired by Bill Monroe's Tennessee walking horse, King Wilkie is a Virginia-based band that plays bluegrass that really gallops. While only in their twenties, their high-stepping traditional approach to the music illustrates the horsesense that often only comes with years of experience. King Wilkie's first album, "True Songs," was an independent release in 2003. Now, with their sophomore release, they have the support of the reputable Rebel Records label. The band plays well together with a feisty energy full of bluegrass oats, and their lively set on "Broke" offers plenty to enthuse fans of all ages.

Just as they might open a bluegrass festival set, they blaze from the chute with a one-minute version of Ralph Lewis' "40 West." Tapping material from the backroads of the genre, they give us snappy renditions of the traditional "Little Birdie," Jimmie Davis' "Where the Old Red River Flows," and Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #7." They cover Bill Cox's "Sparkling Brown Eyes" and Will Ramsey's "Some Glad Day." Between band members Ted Pitney (lead guitar) and Reid Burgess (mandolin), the CD also includes six original tunes that offer some memorable lines such as Pitney's "drifting away into loneliness," and Burgess' sentiments to "head down south to that old abode." These are very common themes in bluegrass music and the subject matter for traditional music lovers. With their songwriting, I would encourage them to respect these traditional themes but to also strive for new inspiration messages that tell us things that haven't been heard before. Pitney, for example, gives us a sad and tragic ballad with a new interpretive twist called "Lee and Paige," about a young loving couple's encounter with a train. "Broke Down and Lonesome" is getting some good airplay as a result of being featured on Prime Cuts of Bluegrass, Volume 68.

Pitney and Burgess met at college in Ohio in 2000. After graduating in 2001, they moved to a Charlottesville farmhouse and got the band together that now also includes Drew Breakey (bass), John McDonald (guitar), Nick Reeb (fiddle), and Abe Spear (banjo). Pitney, Burgess and McDonald are the sextet's vocalists. King Wilkie is a band with a lot of horsepower. Galloping in a traditional groove, they will go far on the bluegrass festival and concert circuit. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

I just saw King Wilkie at the Wheatland Music Festival in Michigan where they made a ton of new fans. The crowds really loved the energy and enthusiasm they bring to traditional bluegrass. I got the feeling that the band really appreciates and respects its bluegrass musical roots but still feels free to explore and create new, original material.

King Wilkie's lineup features a mandolin, fiddle, banjo, two guitars, and a bass. Their playing is very clean and tight and their harmonies nice and smooth. The band has a nice, relaxed, unpretentious style that makes them a pleasure to watch and to hear. Whenever they got going on a hard-drivin', fast tempo tune, it was a real kick to see them smile and lean into each other as if they were just really enjoying playing music together.

I've just been listening this afternoon to their CD, Broke. I had to borrow a friend's since they immediately sold out at Wheatland before I could get one. The CD does a great job of capturing their sound and, in some ways, almost has the feel of a live performance. It contains a nice variety of traditional tunes as well as some very strong, original material.

I have a feeling that we'll be hearing a lot more from King Wilkie. If you ever have a chance to see them in person, do it. You're in for a treat and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

It's hard to reconcile King Wilkie's music to their visual image. On record they sound like a mature, polished bluegrass act, but in photos and biographies, their age (they're all under 26) reveal them as old souls. The balance between tradition and youthful spark is a powerful one, combining crack instrumental skills and an obvious love of bluegrass with a willingness to stretch the boundaries.

The opening instrumental, "40 West," stakes their instrumental claim right off the top. Fiddle and banjo, supported by guitar and string bass, form a lively mix. Their playing isn't the sort of flashy work of Ricky Skagg's Kentucky Thunder, providing instead a relaxed back porch feel. Nick Reeb's fiddle and Abe Spear's banjo breakout on traditional tracks like "Little Birdie," but more as flavorful instrumental transitions than solos in the spotlight.

The band writes its signature more uniquely with their vocals, cranking up a youthful yodel for Jimmie Rogers' "Blue Yodel #7" and singing tight harmonies on their fine original compositions. The latter, much like their playing and singing, is surprisingly mature; the sophistication of their cover choices - including traditional tunes and titles by Rogers, Jimmie Davis and Billy Cox - informs their own songwriting.

This is a delightful spin from a band with a bright future.

A damn fine set of high-lonesome style truegrass by some young'uns from down Virginia way... The hype around them has them representing some bridge between the bluegrass old guard and modern youth culture, but mostly they strike me simply as a really good new band -- for one thing, it's nice to hear an album of this caliber that doesn't have a bunch of slick, superpicker, "usual suspect" ringers on it. These guys also write a lot of their own material, with an album highlight being mandolin player Reid Burgess's soulful "Goodbye So Long." If you like Gillian Welch's records, you may find a similar spirit here... They don't go as far afield into musical eclecticism, but they have a similar grasp of folk/bluegrass tradition, and are equally at ease making it their own, and keeping the vibe relaxed and admirably unflashy.

Good record -- well worth checking out!

Well I have to admit I am not a big bluegrass fan. I bought this promo of King Wilkie on a whim and was blew away. Great musicians. Great voices. But most importantly great song writers. The covers are good but the originals stand out. If you like bands like the Old 97s,V-Roys,Whiskeytown ect.you should give these guys a listen.

I love these guys! Great music, good presence and excellent musicianship. This album is sincere and a ton of fun. They're even better live. Go check it out!

Amidst a glut of bluegrass King Wilkie's ancient sound stays close to the twangy Appalachian drone that banjo purists strive for. King Wilkie is six young cats doing traditional old-time and bluegrass tunes. Named after Bill Monroe's favorite horse, they do mostly originals (This flipped me out; I thought I was listening to a 1940's Pete Seeger record) and pay homage to the music's forefathers. "Broke," features 13 tracks of acoustic old-time that will leave you yearning for yet another trancelike ballad. There is a lesson to be learned for their grasp of a dying art. The group consists of Drew Breakley on bass, Reid Burgess on mandolin, John McDonald on guitar and vocals, Ted Pickney on lead guitar, Nick Reeb on fiddle, and Abe Spear on banjo. If Bela Fleck is too Rock & Roll for you, go pick up this record. - all content copyright www.maximumink.com

I found this CD after hearing a song that King Wilkie had on an Americana compilation and decided to give them a chance. I was not disappointed.

The covered material on this CD is solid, particularly Blue Yodel # 7 by Jimmie Rodgers and Where the Old Red River Flows by Jimmie Davis.

The new efforts, by Ted Pitney and Reid Burgess of the group seem fresh, but maintain a definite connection to their Bluegrass forerunners. Broke Down and Lonesome and Goodby So Long are two excellent new songs.

Craftmanship is evident from every member of King Wilkie, and they weave their talents into a pleasing blanket of good ole mountain music.

Highly recommended.

I love this record. I ordered this record after I heard the band's preview on cmt.com. I loved the songs and had to have the album. It has not disappointed me in the least. I cannot understand how you could give this record a negative review. This records sounds exactly how good bluegrass should sound. It has warmth, dynamics, and plenty of depth. Do yourself a favor and buy this record, you will not be sorry that you did. Every person that listens to my copy orders their own copy.

I can't understand how anybody wouldn't like this disc. King Wilkie is the best bluegrass band to come around in years. If you haven't heard them yet, I suggest you buy this first disc. Sure to be a classic.