Emmitt-Nershi Band – New Country Blues

My experience with bluegrass music has tended to lean toward the older side of things. Legends like Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe, and Ralph Stanley are the artists who have thus colored my listening palette to date. Yet, as recent years have passed, I’ve finally stretched out and touched base with some of the younger generations taking up the mantel, enjoying the likes of folks like Nickel Creek, Yonder Mountain String Band, and in a less bluegrassy way, The Duhks.

The Emmitt-Nershi Band comes in with a varying pedigree. Multifaceted talent Drew Emmitt has spent his years as part of jam band Leftover Salmon as well as his own Drew Emmitt Band. Likewise, Bill Nershi has cut his teeth, so to speak, as a founding member of longtime jam band favorite, String Cheese Incident. Toss in rising banjoist Andy Thorn, who’s shared the stage with the likes of guys like Jim Lauderdale and Chris Thile, and guitarist Tyler Grant and you’ve got the best of the old and the new.

And that’s really what this release brings to the land of bluegrass music. While there are certainly the tell-tale elements here, amazing picking, nasally vocals, and soulful harmonies, there is something deeper going on that probes at other musical influences, most particularly jazz. And that’s probably fitting, given the spontaneous nature of jazz and of the jam band dynamic, that these artists harness it so well this time out as well.

For those looking for classic bluegrass fare, they’ll want to check out tracks like album opener, “New Country Blues,” which really benefits from Jason Carter’s vicious fiddle playing, and the harmonious “These Days.” “Road to Destruction” is a track straight out of the hollow, with all the components flowing together fluidly while “Restless Wind” lets everyone step out and show off the goods, particularly Drew Emmitt’s ridiculous mandolin playing.

Yet, it’s where the band takes the road less traveled that this record really sets itself apart. The very cool-named “Surfing the Red Sea” is the first occasion of this and really lends itself to the aforementioned jazz mention. It also carries the slightest hint of surf rock, if you can imagine Dick Dale jamming out on acoustic. “Mango Tango” wanders down a similar path, this time with a subtly Latin-seasoned take on the genre. And in yet another turn, album closer “Costa Rica” lends an island vibe to the roots instruments, conjuring images of quiet water lapping at the seashore as opposed to the Appalachian Mountain range imagery so generally prevalent.

But there are more “traditional” breakdowns as well. “I Come From the Country” is one such and sounds, well, just like it came from the country. You can almost picture the neighbors, albeit amazingly talented ones, out on the front porch pickin’ and a’ grinnin’. Andy Thorn’s “Flight of the Durban” is another such jam and, appropriately, lets him put his banjo skills to the forefront. It’s near impossible to keep your toes from tapping listening to these tracks.

While bluegrass still struggles to get its due among mainstream music listeners, one cannot deny the incredible talent of these men. Combining their experience of jam band dynamics with the glorious history of such an amazing genre, the Emmitt-Nershi Band has made a name for themselves with New Country Blues.

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