From: "Doug Bright" <75366.2463@compuserve.com> To: Subject: Article: December, 1981 Date: Friday, March 18, 2005 3:59 PM BLUE RIDGE EXPRESS: A TRAIN THAT'S RIGHT ON TIME BY DOUG BRIGHT FROM HERITAGE MUSIC REVIEW: December, 1981 I guess I might as well admit it. My expec- tations were somewhat mixed that Thursday evening in November when I went to hear Blue Ridge Eprress for the first time at Doc Maynard's. I'd heard too many Northwest bluegrass bands with sterilized voices and show-off instrumentalists who sounded like they'd learned their stuff from computer print-out sheets. Consequently. I wasn't quite ready for the surprise I got when I took my first ride on the train they call the Blue Ridge Express. As I walked in, the first sound that greeted my tired, cynical old bluegrass ears was a vibrant "Col- umbus Stockade Blues" with a driving melodic banjo and the best vocal harmony since the days of the Round Town Girls. Just when I was almost convinced that Seattle bluegrass had died and gone to hell, it was beginning to look like there might be some hope after all. Every Instrument was played with a fin- esse and confidence reminiscent of the great old days of Jim and Jesse's Virginia Boys, avoiding the common extremes of amateurish simplicity on the one hand and tasteless flashiness on the other. There's a time and place for every instrument in this band. Their precise arrangements reflect plenty of good mental work, yet no spontaneity is lost in the process. Without exaggeration, this is the most excitingly professional bluegrass band in the Seattle area today. Blue Ridge Express has been in existence about a year and consists almost entirely of imported talent. Mack Roberts comes to us from Boston and plays five-string banjo in a driving bluegrass style that reflects an obvious fondness for the Bill Keith approach. The fiddler, Wendy Marcus from New Jersey, plays with a down-home sincerity that's nothing short of remarkable. Marty Lepore, who takes a gently swinging, melodic country approach to the Dobro, comes from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Jane Barwell from Houston plays lead guitar and mandolin in a manner that is crisp, confident, creative, and above all, refreshingly country. Blue Ridge Express draws its material from a wide range of sources extending all the way from tradition- al bluegrass to swing to contemporary, but it's all done with a very believable and unmarred country sound. Lead vocals are carried by rhythm guitarist Ju- lie Miller, the only native Washingtonian of the group. Her voice is quite versatile and unmistakably professional. She uses just enough vibrato to give the contemporary material a slightly urban folk sound, but on bluegrass tunes that demand the "high, lonesome sound", she wisely turns off the vibrato altogether and her voice takes on an irresistibly strong down- home edge. These two elements in combination make her the most generally versatile and compelling female country singer I have yet heard locally. The back-up vocal harmony is carried by the other two ladies with the same kind of sincerity and authenticity. This is especially true on tunes like Kitty Wells "Honky Tonk Angels" and the bluegrass standard "Think of What You Done". The group's traditional bluegrass is extremely well done, but it isn't based on slavish imitation of anyone. Flatt and Scruggs' "Cora Is Gone", originally set in waltz time, is presented at a stan- dard bluegrass trot and believe it or not, it works. The band's experimentation goes still further with a bluegrass arrangement of Paul Simon's "The Leaves That Are Green" and the Duke Ellington Orchestra favorite "Caravan". Yet even at their most experimental pos- ture, Blue Ridge Express retains a roots-based ap- proach, changing material to fit their orientation rather than the other way around. As if all that good bluegrass were not enough, Blue Ridge Express has added a new attraction, and it's called swing. A typical example is a fine old western tune called "Oklahoma Blues" that features a fine melodic swing Dobro, the usual impressive three- part harmony, and--guess what--yodeling: Julie does that, too. In fact, if you really want to see her out- do herself, just ask her for an old Patsy Montana tune from the '30's called "Cowboy's Sweetheart". You'll be glad you did. If you like a side order of dixie- land with your bluegrass, look no farther. The din- Ing car on the Blue Ridge Express serves up a tasty Lil Armstrong number called "Big Butter and Egg Man" garnished with red hot Texas swing fiddle and three-part kazoo harmony straight from old New Orleans. There's a lot more I could say, but don't take my word for it; go and see for yourself. It's my bet that Blue Ridge Express is a train you'll ride over and over again. You'd better hurry, though: empty box-cars will be in short supply. ----------------------------------------