Customer Reviews

White Room

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

 

 

Bluegrass purists will be interested only if they want to broaden their horizons. But that's not a bad thing. After all, when Bill Munroe invented the style of country music now known as Blue Grass (after Bill Munroe and His Blue Grass Boys) he was trying to develop a technique and tone that was his own.
The Cache Valley Drifters' White room foregoes the often copied high lonesome sound of traditonal bluegrass for something more their own -- call it the warm mellow sound. Unlike much of blue grass music that you can hear, their playing never sounds rushed. The traditional influences are clearly there -- not just blue grass but "mountain music" laments, folk ballads, and an assortment of traditional and more modern elements.

But it all comes together in a pleasurable style that doesn't try to knock your socks off. But that's not to say that there is anything lacking in technique or talent. Listen to the mandolin on this CD -- calling this fellow proficient is like calling David Grisman adept.

I, too, remember listening to this band, or one of it's iterations over 20 years ago in Santa Barbara. Back then they were usually missing a banjo player but they had two guitarists, a flat picker and a finger-picker. What a combination! that band was hot hot hot!

On White Room, the band isn't trying to excite a night club audience that's knocking back pitchers of beer. It's a more studied and artful approach. The title track is a stark case in point. They have taken an old Jack Bruce tune from the days of the original hard rock trio "Cream" and put it to their own use. It's the first track on the album -- if you start out expecting pure bluegrass, this track will give you pause. But relax and give it a chance. Treat as an acquired taste. Open your mind and the CVDs will fill it with warm soulful sounds.

If you like string bands -- listen to this one.

Superb harmonies, fantastic instrumental work, and wonderful variety of tune selection. Flawless guitar and mandolin work on every cut. The blend of voices is like honey in its smooth richness. I cannot say enough about this CD! Twenty five years ago, I had the pleasure of whiling away many a Sunday afternoon at the Cold Springs Tavern, an old stagecoach stop near Santa Barbara, where these guys played. They never failed to make the place ROCK, and this CD captures the essence of what CVD is about ... WOW. This is electric bluegrass like nobody else does it!

I absolutely stumbled upon this CD and bought it for two reasons: I'm a bluegrass music fan and the price was reasonable. I knew nothing about them and was stunned the first time I played the CD through. Here is a band that plays some tunes familiar to me (White Room, Boy In A Bubble)in a wonderful, unique way. Then there are the other cuts----what a marvelous blend of vocals, fantastic instrumentalists doing some amazing things, and a sound that can only be described as a blend of Crosty, Stills, Nash, and Young, America, and perhaps Country Gazette. It is such an easy CD to listen to that it's become one of my favorites. I highly recommend this MOST musical album.

I was fortunate enough to catch the Cache Valley Drifters a couple of years ago at a huge bluegrass festival in Tacoma, WA called "Wintergrass." They absolutely made the festival for me. Four extremely talented musicians with a remarkable ability to add their own style to all the tunes they do. The lead singer, Wally Barnick has a terrific voice that just seems to lend itself perfectly to their sound. I only recently heard the original version of "White Room" by the rock group Cream. Hearing this version after listening to the Cache Valley Drifters redition was fascinating. Cream renders it a very average sounding rock tune. The drifters work magic with the tune. Their creativity and sheer instrumental talent is riveting. These guys are producing some of the highest quality music obtainable today. Get this album, it will remind you how good music can be.

This group has an uncanny sense of feel for the best possible way to translate emotion in to their songs. They possess tremendous capacity & capability as Technicians combined with their passion generated in their music as artists. I have read in "Bluegrass Unlimited" that they have a new CD out now. I will continue to search for it until I can find it as I Know that I can't go wrong with it.

We used to live in Santa Barbara, CA and had the pleasure of listening to these guys play at an old tavern up in the mountains. Wish we could still hear them live, but this recording takes us back and gets our toes tapping and our vocal cords vibrating! Great "folksy" tunes.

I went to College in San Luis Obispo, California in the mid 70's and these guys were regulars in the college taverns and bars. I can remember many wonderful memories of listening to this great music in College, what a treat to find them available on CD

I can't believe I waited to buy this CVD cd so long. What the CVDs did for "White Room" is genius. It will always be my favorite version of the old classic, and it bears little resemblence to the original (no offense Mr. Clapton, but you've been outdone). This cd is pure enjoyment, my other 2 best picks were the last 2 cuts "Joanne" and "Lighthouse". I've listened to this cd about a dozen times in 2 weeks. These guys are incredible musicians and cross over way beyond bluegrass.

A few days ago I got my old turntable out of storage and had great time playing music I hadn't heard in well over a decade. One of the first albums i reached for was the cache valley drifters. I was a dj on a station in san luis obispo and we played these guys all the time. Today, on a whim i went to cdnow to do a search and I find this new album. although i haven't heard it yet, if it comes close to what i heard at the spindle and the various places i used to love to hang out and listen to the drifters, i'm sure i won't be disappointed. and if ya see walt, tell him doug says "hi."

I, too, used to go to Cal Poly, SLO. The first time I saw these guys was at the Great American Melodrama, in Oceano, in the midst of a terrible Pacific rainstorm. They were singing Russian River.

Later I saw them many times at the old Spindle, by the mission. Great music.