PHIL NUSBAUM
The Dark Before The Storm
The Dark Before The Storm – From Moville to
Red Oak – Stumbling – Forever Yours – A Fine Day – Boys Of
Wexford/Scotland The Brave/Come Dance And Sing – Limehouse Blues –
Remembrance of You – Wind Chill – Blues For Shorty – In Your Face
Red Oak – Stumbling – Forever Yours – A Fine Day – Boys Of
Wexford/Scotland The Brave/Come Dance And Sing – Limehouse Blues –
Remembrance of You – Wind Chill – Blues For Shorty – In Your Face
This enchanting CD was recorded in a number of sessions
utilizing the very obvious talent of a number of terrific acoustic
musicians in Minnesota. Standing out front of course is the ‘5-string
banjo’ of Phil Nusbaum, but he also used a trio of fiddlers on various
songs that created an atmosphere of very different sounding banjo
interpretations of various musical endeavors that ‘matched’ the
additions of the fiddlers, as well as some super original
banjo ‘licks.’ Ron Siegel, Joe Davoli, and Gary Schulte provided the
violin/fiddle additions throughout, and it made for a valid listening
experience, quite a lot different than a typical ‘bluegrass’ music show,
including some bluegrass of course but much more, even including a trip
into very ‘old-time’ sounding music that isn’t very bluegrass like at
all, and certainly not heard very much anymore, so that alone made the
musical adventure super fun to listen to. I was hoping there might be
lyrics to “From Moville to Red Oak” both Iowa towns of importance to me
personally, instead it’s a delightful interlude to the trickly little
things the fingers can do on a five-stringed instrument not often found
in melody lines like this. Phil created this one, along with quite a
few other numbers, some of them he wrote from snookering as they often
call it in developing musical melody lines. All of these numbers are
super well done. The first vocal number is an old Carl Perkins song
“Forever Yours” which definitely took me back to the ‘twenties’ in style
and vocal interpretation. What fun this must have been to record.
Another interesting song is “Limehouse Blues” a roaring twenties style
song, but on the 5-string rather than the 4-string tenor banjo. This
entire CD is kick-back to what music was like in the past, and what it
sounds like in the present, and will certainly extend into the future.
Phil Nusbaum, who does a lot of radio work for National Public Radio in
the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, is being recognized for his long tenure
playing and promoting old-time music with a new twist, by being inducted
into America’s Old Time Music Hall of Fame this year at the 40th annual
convention of the National Traditional Country Music Assn. (August
31-Sept 6, LeMars, Iowa) on Thursday, Sept 3. The last song on this
album “In Your Face” uses a heavy bass line to do exactly that.
Thoroughly enjoyable, this album goes to the Rural Roots Music
Commission, hopefully they’ll still have time to consider it for
honorarium this year, but I might be too late.
utilizing the very obvious talent of a number of terrific acoustic
musicians in Minnesota. Standing out front of course is the ‘5-string
banjo’ of Phil Nusbaum, but he also used a trio of fiddlers on various
songs that created an atmosphere of very different sounding banjo
interpretations of various musical endeavors that ‘matched’ the
additions of the fiddlers, as well as some super original
banjo ‘licks.’ Ron Siegel, Joe Davoli, and Gary Schulte provided the
violin/fiddle additions throughout, and it made for a valid listening
experience, quite a lot different than a typical ‘bluegrass’ music show,
including some bluegrass of course but much more, even including a trip
into very ‘old-time’ sounding music that isn’t very bluegrass like at
all, and certainly not heard very much anymore, so that alone made the
musical adventure super fun to listen to. I was hoping there might be
lyrics to “From Moville to Red Oak” both Iowa towns of importance to me
personally, instead it’s a delightful interlude to the trickly little
things the fingers can do on a five-stringed instrument not often found
in melody lines like this. Phil created this one, along with quite a
few other numbers, some of them he wrote from snookering as they often
call it in developing musical melody lines. All of these numbers are
super well done. The first vocal number is an old Carl Perkins song
“Forever Yours” which definitely took me back to the ‘twenties’ in style
and vocal interpretation. What fun this must have been to record.
Another interesting song is “Limehouse Blues” a roaring twenties style
song, but on the 5-string rather than the 4-string tenor banjo. This
entire CD is kick-back to what music was like in the past, and what it
sounds like in the present, and will certainly extend into the future.
Phil Nusbaum, who does a lot of radio work for National Public Radio in
the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, is being recognized for his long tenure
playing and promoting old-time music with a new twist, by being inducted
into America’s Old Time Music Hall of Fame this year at the 40th annual
convention of the National Traditional Country Music Assn. (August
31-Sept 6, LeMars, Iowa) on Thursday, Sept 3. The last song on this
album “In Your Face” uses a heavy bass line to do exactly that.
Thoroughly enjoyable, this album goes to the Rural Roots Music
Commission, hopefully they’ll still have time to consider it for
honorarium this year, but I might be too late.
REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – www.ntcma.net
for Country Music News International Magazine