Customer Reviews

New Country Blues (Dig)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Drew Emmitt (from Leftover Salmon) and Bill Nershi (from String Cheese Incident) have been playing together semi-frequently on the bluegrass jamband touring scene for a while now, and fans have been waiting for an official release with better sound quality than the bootlegs floating around out there. New Country Blues does not disappoint. The pairing of Emmitt and Nershi makes perfect sense. Their respective bands both have their roots in bluegrass, but play music with utter contempt for the concept of genre boundaries, and the two play complementary instruments (mandolin and guitar). What is most surprising about the Emmitt-Nershi Band, then, is how traditional they frequently sound. Leftover Salmon billed themselves as "polyethnic cajun slamgrass," and while SCI didn't have their own genre moniker, they blended their bluegrass with more rock and jazz. When Emmitt and Nershi play together, they seem to meet on common ground-- bluegrass. The result is an album that is more traditional than one might expect from a Leftover Salmon-String Cheese Incident cross-over, or even from Drew Emmitt's wonderful solo albums. Of course, "traditional," is relative. Bill Monroe would scoff at the very idea of calling this one bluegrass, but John Hartford would surely love it, and one gets the impression that the band was going for something in the vein of Hartford's classic, Aereo-plain. Of course, they stretch out instrumentally, and they incorporate some Grisman-type newgrass, but compared to anything by LoS or SCI, this album sounds almost anachronistic. That isn't to say that the album lacks vitality. It is an all-around satisfying album that doesn't have the energy you would get from one of their live shows, but has better sound quality than the bootlegs. It is also more lively than Nershi's previous side project, Honkeytonk Homeslice. Here's hoping Emmitt and Nershi put out a well-recorded live album soon.

Finally, if you like this stuff, do yourself a favor and check out Larry Keel.

Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi together are greater than the sum of the parts. The sound is definitely bluegrass, but also country/rock/and I don't know how to describe it! Great variety here, and very lively. One song, "Wait until Tomorrow," reminds me of the Desest Rose Band! This CD is much broader than than the usual bluegrass, which is often too "twangy" for my taste.

This album is great! Drew Emmitt and Billy Nershi are great musicians on their own and when they get together nothing can stop them. They get back to their roots of bluegrass and get down so get out your dancing shoes when you're listening to this one! If you like bluegrass you will love Emmit-Nershi Band. They have a show at Delfest this summer in Cumberland, MD along with many other performances around the country! Dont miss your chance to see them live today!

this album is awesome - does not disappoint! i'm super excited to see them this year at SpringFest in a few weeks. Who's in?!

I was first drawn to these guys because of Bill Nershi, the bluegrass based guitarist out of The String Cheese Incident, but after being introduced to the rest of the band, I have become a full on Emmitt-Nershi enthusiast! Our first encounter came at Rothbury 1 in 2008 on a sunny afternoon. It was Sunday, so people were a little tired by now, but once the notes started to fly, the feet were movin so fast that a cloud of dust arose. Now, this show was a bit before the release of this cd, New Country Blues, but nevertheless, the experience was so great that I couldn't help but purchase a copy when it came out! And I love it, the title track, New Country Blues, and another, These Days, are among my favorites. Do yourself a favor, do NOT pass this one up!! = )

Gotta love Nershi jammin out on some sweet tracks. Great mixture of hoppin around time music and some soothing jams. Also I've always loved restless wind and its great to hear it with some awesome twang. Can't wait to see him the end of March at Suwannee springfest in florida. Gonna be a great time. See you there.

I don't know why these two haven't collaborated to this extent before. After knowing each other for over a decade, Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi blend extremely well together. This is bluegrass on a new level with the energy of two great Colorado bands known for their intensity. The Emmitt-Nershi Band is playing Suwannee Springfest March 24-27. Their music translates even better live and they usually play some cool covers like you've never heard them before. This debut demands a follow up!

A successful collaboration for Leftover Salmon's Drew Emmitt and The String Cheese Incident's Bill Nershi. The two blend country and bluegrass beautifully, from covering Cheese's "Restless Wind" to the more island song "Costa Rica." This is a great live album for new Emmitt-Nershi fans, along with long time fans of String Cheese and Leftover Salmon. Watch out for these guys at Suwannee Springfest in March 2011!