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Tracks - (click
a song title to
hear a sample)
• Age
of Innocence (Bill Giese & Kate MacKenzie)
• Gravy Train (Steve
Chiasson)
• Five Geese (Chris
Prickitt)
• Mr. Coachman (W.C. Thompson & R.
Reno)
• I Don't Have to Dream (Claire Lynch & Randy
Archer)
• Daddy's Gone
to Knoxville (Mark Knopfler)
• Choices (Jens & Uwe
Kruger, Joel Landsberg)
• Gone at Last
(Paul Simon)
• Cherokee Shuffle
(Norman Blake)
• Little
Bird of Heaven (Martha Scanlan)
• Is This
a Dream (Bryant Woods)
• Still
We Go to War (Chris Prickitt)
• The Cracked
Pot (Greg Boardman)
• Try Love (Steve Chiasson)
Reviews
Evergreen’s
fourth project is a well-focused snapshot of
a fine Maine-based acoustic band in the prime
of its musical life. A knack for interesting
and unusual instrumental arrangements and appealing
vocals give the band a unique sound on the Northern
bluegrass circuit.
Apparently, since the group’s founding
by Steve Chiasson in 1991, Evergreen has grown
in the way that any roots group – left
untainted by ego and willing to adapt to change – ought
to grow: they produce that unified voice characteristic
of musicians who know and like one another, and
who trust in one another’s strengths. I’d
be willing to guess that the fun they have in
their living rooms and on their porches comes
through in their recordings and stage performances,
and all in all, it gives an ease to their music,
which is hard to resist.
But that ease – the ease of accomplished
players – sometimes disguises songs which
are more dramatic, more evocative than, say,
their cover of Mark Knopfler’s catchy “Daddy’s
Gone to Knoxville.” I especially like the
stormy skies, which loom in Chris Prickitt’s “Five
Geese.” Here is a guy who knows when to
let his banjo paint the scene, with clean, hurrying
runs just like those birds breaking free over
the horizon, yet it is all evidently grounded
in a lifetime of listening to a broad range of
musical genre. In fact, the best cuts on this
record are the original tunes; Prickitt also
offers the thoughtful “Still We Go to War,” and
Steve Chiasson’s “Gravy Train” and “Try
Love” are at the heart of 4|Evergreen.
Instrumentally, without question, mouth harp
and banjo are signatory here. Joe Kennedy reminds
us of the harmonica’s versatility as both
a lead and backing instrument, as he covers much
of the ground usually staked by mandolin and
fiddle, but the clarity of his playing, integrated
with Prickitt’s intelligent lines, gives
the band a bright sound which is both crisp and
warm. In their hands, the old-time fiddler’s
standby “Cherokee Shuffle” is given
a new zest, and Paul Simon’s “Gone
at Last” (think back to his gospel-influenced
work with the Dixie Hummingbirds) becomes an
acoustic pile driver. Nel Kennedy’s solid
bass work and Chiasson’s muscular guitar
rhythms hold it all together and lend cohesiveness
to a widely varying song selection. Guest musicians
include Ed Howe, perhaps Maine’s most highly
regarded fiddler.
Every listener has his own secret desires. As
for me, I’d love to hear an album of all
original songs by Evergreen, but of course, that
is easy to say but hard to do. Secondly, although
I understand the democratic appeal in letting
each band member take a turn as lead singer,
I would say that Chiasson’s voice is best
suited to this repertoire. With him at the mic
on every tune, harmonies by Joe and Nel Kennedy
and by Prickitt could still firmly underpin his
folksy approach.
Still, as it stands, 4Evergreen is a strong effort
by four friends who are clearly mellowing together
as they continue to nurture their love for this
music. They have been smart enough to let time
take them in the right direction. The least we
might do is to take the time to listen.
Jeff
Trippe — Maine
Folk Music.com-- (back
to top)
The
best thing about traditional Americana music — the kind that's arisen from the likes of the
Carter Family, Bill Monroe, and Jimmy Rodgers
— is that it's so accessible. It's the people's
music. Our common
understanding
of the
tradition
allows
us to both participate in it and to truly appreciate
those bands that can work within the framework,
make it their own, and maybe rise above it and
say something of substance along the way - as
Evergreen has done.
What's always impressed me most about Evergreen
is how sure of themselves they are. These folks
are clearly music fans as much as they are
musicians. They choose
songs they like, and play them in ways that best show off their considerable
talents. They also have an energy that's undeniable. It's no wonder that top-drawer
musicians like dobro player Bill Smith, mandolinist Bill Thibodeau, fiddler
Ed Howe and drummer Dave Stinchfield are eager
to provide their chops to this, Evergreen's
fourth full-length album.
Evergreen is versatile and creative, with all four members providing lead vocals.
As each takes a turn fronting the band, each lends a different personality
to it, very much keeping the album from running one song into the other.
Joe Kennedy's harmonica really defines Evergreen's sound. It contemporizes
the band's aesthetic and makes it of the moment rather than simply a picture
of the
past, avoiding the pigeonhole so many "traditional" bands find themselves
in.
Chris Prickitt doesn't simply display the band's moral compass with "Still
We Co to War," (an admirable turn in these days of political complacency)
but with his crisp banjo work he gets the heart racing on originals like "Five
Geese."
Nel Kennedy is formidable on the bass and the songs she fronts are an education
in great female songwriters. Her slightly quavering tenor is timeless in all
the right ways, echoing Sara Carter herself.
Steve Chiasson always provides a palpable bounce with his rhythm playing and
sings with a smile in his voice. He's the band's workhorse too, engineering
and producing the record; heck, even doing the graphic design.
Together, like every great band, they are much more than the sum of their parts.
Take the time to really listen to what they've got to offer you here - you're
going to like it. 4Evergreen is honest, impressive, and a lot of fun.
Sam Pfeifle (from the liner notes)-- (back
to top)
This
project marks the fourth album for this Maine-based
group.
Evergreen consists of Steve Chiasson on guitar
on guitar, Chris Prickitt on banjo, Nel Kennedy
on bass, and Joe Kennedy on harmonica. This release
also includes some excellent guest musicians
as well.
The
album is full of energy and makes good use
of the band’s individual talents.
Especially impressive is the instrumental Cherokee
Shuffle. Joe turns it into a harmonica tour-de-force
with some fancy "mouth work." Nel switches
over to mandolin on Little Bird Of Heaven, leaving
the bass work for hubby Joe. Evergreen is blessed
with songwriting talent. Steve Chiasson is credited
with Gravy Train and Try Love. Five Geese and
Still We Go To War were penned by Chris Prickitt.
Overall,
this is a very respectable release from Evergreen.
They’ve got talent and energy.
Hopefully they will be venturing beyond New England
Very soon.
Robert
Steelman — Bluegrass Music Profiles-- (back
to top)
Evergreen
is a versatile New England ensemble that
has been playing music together since the
early 1990s. They mix various elements
of bluegrass, blues, swing and jazz into
a highly enjoyable style. The band is comprised
of Steve Chiasson, guitar; Joe Kennedy,
harmonica; Nel Kennedy, bass and Chris
Prickitt, banjo. All members of the band
sing.
The CD opens with "Age of Innocence" written
by Bill Geise and Kate MacKenzie. Joe's harmonica
and Chris' banjo drive this tune about the wish
to return to a simpler time. "Gravy Train" by
Steve Chiasson follows with the universal question
of why some people lay the track while others
ride on it. "Five Geese" by Chris Prickitt
is about the change of the seasons as a metaphor
for the restlessness that we all feel.
A particular favorite of mine, "Little Bird
of Heaven" by Martha Scanlon has an arrangement
that features Nel's mandolin and Chris' clawhammer
banjo. "Cherokee Shuffle," attributed
to Norman Blake, shows off the instrumental prowess
of the entire band. Mark Knopfler's "Daddy's
Gone to Knoxville' is an unusual inclusion. The
swing treatment featuring tasty harmonica and
banjo belies its rock origins.
No matter what your politics may be, there's
a great deal of truth in Chris Prickitt's "Still
We Go To War." It describes the blind eye
we take to natural disasters such as floods,
earthquakes and global warming but yet we go
to war. It may be simple coincidence that the
next tune, an instrumental, is called "The
Cracked Pot," but I think not. "Try
Love" by Steve Chiasson closes the CD with
a song about the fear of intimacy and suggests
that we just try love. Good advice, I'd say.
Evergreen is a multitalented quartet of fine
players, singers and songwriters, and 4|Evergreen
is a collection which allows each member to shine
in
their own
individual ways.
TD
— Sing Out! Magazine-- (back
to top)
Evergreen
makes acoustic
music of a high standard with elements
from diverse musical directions — especially
folk, bluegrass and country. After listenng
to their last three albums, I came to the
conclusion that one cannot put their music
into any one category. Their urban vocal style
and the dominant harmonica are the trademarks of this folk-grass band. As an admirer of traditional
Appalachian bluegrass music, I recognize the
influences of pure mountain music in their
musical expression, and it is this that has
made me an Evergreen fan from now on.
Ted
Clark — Grensland
Int. Radio-- (back
to top)
New
England's Evergreen has been entertaining audiences
for more than sixteen years with elements of
blues, country, swing, and folk music.
The band's makeup has remained relatively constant
in recent years, and this has created a strong
sense of continuity in their music. The band's
fourth recording project is appropriately titled
and presents a collage of originals and material
drawn from a myriad of sources. It is the harmonica
of Joe Kennedy and the lead vocals of Nel Kennedy
and Steve Chiasson that imparts a laid-back
aura to the performances. The fourteen selections
include "Gone at Last," Nel's rendition of
"Little Bird of Heaven." and the poignant "Still
We Go to War," by bandmember Chris Prickitt.
This set of performances leaves no doubt as
to why Evergreen is truly Maine's premier American
roots music ensemble.
Les
McIntyre — Bluegrass
Unlimited-- (back
to top)
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