Sunset Road’s Best Folk Albums of 2015
By Folk Department
Pete, host of Sunset Road (Friday, 4-6 pm est)
Sunset Road best of 2015, in no particular order (Artist: Album, Label):
Old Man Luedecke: Domestic Eccentric, True North
Multiple Juno award-winning singer/songwriter/clawhammer banjoist Old Man Luedecke recorded this in the dead of winter in a cabin he built in Nova Scotia, with Tim O’Brien producing. He’s been to Charlottesville a coupla times now, don’t miss him next time!
Anna & Elizabeth: Anna & Elizabeth, Free Dirt
Anna & Elizabeth have a well deserved cult following, fuelled not least by the crankies they hand-make and deploy in their shows (look them up…). This cd is honest-to-goodness down-to-earth old time duet singing with a few curveballs thrown in for good measure.
Mr Sun: The People Need Light, Compass
New quartet led by fiddler Darol Anger on his latest project. Stellar playing & great arranging (as one would expect) all around.
Ethan Jodziewicz & Tatiana Hargreaves: Ethan Jodziewicz & Tatiana Hargreaves, Self Release
6 track EP by young bass/fiddle virtuoso duo. Ethan also plays with Mr Sun(above). Expect more great things from both of them in the future.
The Buck Stops Here: The Buck Stops Here, Self Release
The Buck Stops Here are an all-woman string band quartet from the Shenandoah Valley…great material, some original, with tight harmony singing and musical chops to spare.
Tony Furtado: The Bell, Self Release
First self-released cd project by veteran banjoist/slide guitarist/songwriter who has aged extremely well.
Seth Swingle: Solo 5- & 6-String Banjo, Deux Lions
Seth is a local banjo (and kora!) wunderkind & this cd is a real old-time banjo tour de force.
Slocan Ramblers: Coffee Creek, Slo Music
Bluegrass band from Toronto, with a great sound that proves they love playing …. & hanging out …. with each other. Go see them when they come to town in May.
John Ashley Murphy: Midstream, Self Release
Another local, one of my favorite harmonica players, John Ashley Murphy finally puts out his debut solo cd, with much more than the old time music than we are used to hearing him play with C’ville OT band Faster than Walking.
Tim O’Brien: Pompadour, Howdy Skies
Tim O’Brien shows, yet again, why he’s one of the best multi-instrumentalists out there.
Walker’s Run: Silver (EP), Self Release
3 track EP by the band fronted by former Sunset Road-er Brennan Gilmore. Bluegrass-inflected music has never been so trippy.
Danny Kniceley & Jack Dunlap: Chop Shred & Split, VFH
Jack Dunlap was mentored by mandolinist Danny Knicely as part of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Folklife Apprenticeship program, & this cd is a resulting product of that association. Best mandolin cd of 2015, by far.
Alex Caton: Never Take A Daisy Down The Mine, Self Release
Lovely project exploring local fiddler & banjoist Alex Caton’s family roots in the mines of England.
Roochie Toochie And The Ragtime Shepherd Kings: Recordings On Honest-To-Goodness Wax Cylinder, Self Release
Winners of the Neo-Traditional Band Competition at the 2015 Appalachian String Band Festival. Best recording concept cd of 2015…recorded just as the title says. Wax cylinder because that’s the medium which was used to record the originals from which this project was drawn. The band’s performances are *tight*, & they are really entertaining to watch.
