Reviews
[Sud de la Louisiane] is a very exciting record, well balanced in every respect, replete with fabulously classy (and admirably unshowy) yet totally highly energised playing that smacks of long hours satisfying a dance-floor crowd, along with some beauteously edgy vocal harmonies; and what’s more, it proves without a doubt that old-time music still has plenty of mileage and relevance in this cynical day and age. Is this record joyfully feelgood? – hey, you bet! -David Kidman, Folk and Roots, Dec 2011 – READ ENTIRE REVIEW HERE!
The foghorn album’s great album “Sud de la Louisiane” challenges all the rules, dancing across boundaries that others were too afraid to even acknowledge. Every track is a bold bluegrass move. But for these guys bold was never going to be a problem. One of the best albums of the year. – John Shelton Ivany’s Top 21, Oct. 9, 2011
There might not be more aptly named pickers at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass this year than the Foghorn Stringband. At Monday night’s showcase performance, the quartet’s fiddle tunes on steroids cut through the haze of the Nashville Convention Center ballroom and cleared the heads of listeners for the nontraditional acts to follow. – David Morris, Bluegrass Today, Sep 27, 2011
Then, all the way in from Oregon was the Foghorn String Band who had trouble getting off of the [IBMA] stage because of the crowd demanding “just one more.” – Nashville.com, Sep 29 ,2011
For a slice of bona-fide old-time Americana — or, as they describe themselves, the kind of “ass-kickin redneck stringband music” you’d expect to hear on some front porch in Appalachia in the 1930s — there is no better contemporary band than The Foghorn [Stringband] … which has been together for ten years. Based in Portland, Oregon, with four albums to their credit, [The Foghorn Stringband] has long been one of the brightest stars on the thriving Old Time Music Revival scene in the Northwest. – Jackie Morris, Folkworks, Sep 2011
From the opener I Want to be Loved (But Only By You) The Foghorn Trio take us on a magnificent alt country Cajun odyssey laced with moonshine, as they go on the run in what sounds like a soundtrack for a Coen Brothers film. This album is fantastic from start to finish. When you think of harmony you think of the Beach Boys, the Beatles, The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel. It’s time to add in Stephen Sammy Lynd; fiddle, guitar, banjo and vocals. Caleb Klauder; mandolin, guitar, fiddle and vocals. Nadine Landry; guitar, bass and vocals. The Foghorn Trio do all the above but have an incredible natural and primitive feel to the way they sing together. Most of the songs are covers and those which stand out are the Carter Family’s tear jerking Hello Central and a wonderfully rueful version of the Kitty Wells song I Don’t Claim to be an Angel. If those of you out there want to know what bands like Mumford and Sons and their ilk could only ever dream of coming close to, then this is the album to buy. Of course The Foghorn Trio will never have a major breakthrough. They don’t have the required record company folk-cash-till-register-beard-angst-riddled X factor. The trustafarian who in reality listened to Cure records at boarding school, then faked it by throwing the razors away, learning some mandolin and banjo and jumped on the nearest folk sounding bandwagon marked irony. The Foghorn Trio are talented beyond belief and are the real deal. Best of all not a beard in sight. Charlie Brown, The Music Critic, June 23, 2011 (Rated 5 of 5)
When you hear THE FOGHORN TRIO, you know you are listening to real bluegrass music. The trio feature Stephen “Sammy” Lind and Caleb Klauder , who were founding members of the original Foghorn String Band, who have teamed up with Quebec’s Nadine Landry, who certainly leaves her mark on the title track of their new album, “Sud de la Louisiane”. With a lovely mix of banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass and guitar, and some superb vocal harmonies, the trio take us on a music journey back to the music of Doc Watson, The Carter Family, and even Kitty Wells. They have made no attempt to modernise any of the songs. This is a truly authentic old time album- a delight to listen to. Stewart Fenwick, Country Music & Dance In Scotland magazine, June 2011
Age-old music of a different hue comes from Portland-based The Foghorn Trio’s self-released Sud de la Louisiane (foghornstringband.com, 3/5 stars). An offshoot of The Foghorn Stringband, their dedication to old-timey music is so great you can almost hear an old valve radio warming up every time they set their banjo, fiddle and guitar to pumping out cajun, bluegrass, and honky tonk country to swing on your front porch by. Pass the root beer, Martha. Andy Fyfe, Q Magazine, June 2011
“What happens if you play country music in reverse?” asks Stetson-toting mandolin and fiddle maestro Caleb Klauder. “Well, your wife comes back to you, your dog comes back to life and you get your truck back.” “Yeah, and the tears flow up from your beer!” finishes a clued-in audience member. That little cameo pretty much sums up this Country/Folk music cliché-busting night. W&H are attending the highly respected Baltimore Fiddle Fair for the first time and finding it to be friendly, inclusive, efficiently run and enormous fun all round. We’re in the festival’s cavernous marquee and it’s the ideal place to see off both the storm raging outside and the economic depression dogging Ireland in 2011. Now in its’ 19th year and counting the Fiddle Fair is the kind of event that respects talent and encourages long-term friendships to grow. Originally in their guise as The Foghorn String Band, THE FOGHORN TRIO has been coming here for a number of years and on this showing it’s not hard to hear why. They are ideal festival fare with their remarkably authentic old-time sound capable of drawing in the old and young alike. In fact, merely their energy and enthusiasm is enough to melt the coldest of hearts. While they may be based in the urban environs of Portland, Oregon, The Foghorn Trio are clearly steeped in the old time traditions of rural American Roots music. With its’ bluegrass, country-folk and Cajun leanings, their recent album ‘Sud de la Louisiane’ is vintage stuff, displaying a love of a simpler world where the Rock’n’Roll clichés we usually condone are entirely irrelevant. Hunched together in a semi-circle around an old-style communal valve microphone, The Foghorn Trio perform with a refreshing lack of ‘celebrity’ excess. Camaraderie is the watchword and the sum always seems to exceed the parts, even though there’s never any doubting the individual skill and dexterity Caleb Klauder (mandolin, violin, vocals), Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind (violin, banjo, guitar, vocals) and Nadine Landry (guitar, double bass, vocals) bring to the table. There’s one heck of a stylistic melting pot being stirred here. Nadine’s French-Canadian background brings a Cajun feel to tunes like ‘Sud de la Louisiane’, while phenomenal picking and fiddling drives tunes like Kyle Creed’s ‘Liza Jane’ and Noah Beavers’ ‘None of Your Business’ to ever greater heights. It’s by no means all breathless hoe-downs however. There’s also plenty of room for the waltz-time loveliness of Caleb’s self-penned ‘Just a Little’, the god-fearing likes of the Louvin Brothers’ epic ‘Satan’s Jewelled Crown’ and the eerie, mandolin-led ‘Caleb’s Lament’ which – to these ears – has just the briefest twist of ‘St. James Infirmary’ in its’ elegiac melody. Nadine suggests the gentle love song ‘The Right Combination’ is one of “only two non-fatalistic” songs featured in the set, yet while death’s shadow may not seem to hang over the Trio’s material with the kind of pall it does with The Handsome Family, they do wrap up the main set with a curiously sprightly tune called (ahem) ‘The Jaybird Died of Whooping Cough.’ It’s a feisty finish with the trio briefly swelling into The Foghorn Quartet courtesy of a cameo from one of the festival’s other rising stars, Stephanie Coleman. It’s not really the end, of course, for the heartfelt encore ‘Be Nobody’s Darling but Mine’ finds Nadine abandoning her bass altogether for a spin around the floor with the head of the festival organisers’ family, Mr. Brendan McCarthy. It’s the perfect way to bring their Country-Folk master class to a conclusion and in summation I can only say that if I also make it to 72, I hope I am still as fleet of foot as Mr. McCarthy senior. Our rating: 9 stars. Tim Peacock, Whisperin and Hollerin May 2011
The Foghorn Trio have been cited as a significant player on the US folk and old-time music circuit. The album finds them playing a variety of old time-Americana material with respect, energy and a vibrancy that flies in the face of those who may choose to question the relevance of this particular brand of music in the modern era. The album’s opener is a frantic, high-energy romp through the Bill and Mary Reid number “I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You)” and very much sets the tone for what’s to follow. The instrumental track “Gentleman from Virginia” showcases fiddle-playing dexterity that frequently crops up later, while the standout song – an excellent cover of Kitty Wells’ “I Don’t Claim to be an Angel,’ features magnificent, heart-felt harmonies. Essentially, this is what it is: old-time music played very well. Cate Mitchell, Backroads, May 3 2011
Old time – fast, sharp, harsh and exciting as it should be. That’s the trio’s approach throughout – classy playing serving the songs without the flash and chrome they’re clearly capable of delivering.The several tunes – such as “Gentleman from Virginia” and “Nuts and Bolts” – reveal the trio’s roots as dance music players (as members of the Foghorn Stringband). Joyful toe-tapping, square dancing, heel stomping music. If you have any interest in old-timey / american folk / roots of country, or whatever you want to call it, then this album will deliver for you. …you’d be mad to miss them if they’re on in your neck of the woods. Jonathan Aird, April 28, 2011, Independent (8/10)
After reviewing Caleb Klauder’s Western Country for this issue I discovered The Foghorn Trio where Caleb plays mandolin, fiddle and guitar, joining Sammy Lind (fiddle, guitar, banjo) and Nadine Landry (guitar, bass) for a sprightly set of tunes. Some are bluegrass, some country, some old-timey, all terrific fun. Two Klauder originals nestle comfortably among songs by Conway Twitty, Kitty Wells and Doc Watson among other less well known sources.Sud de la Louisiane from the very first note is a wonderful, warm album. Michael Tearson, SingOut! (Vol. 54 #2, Spring 2011)
Their website tells us that they play “ass kickin’ redneck stringband music” and that’s a pretty good description of the music this trio play. It’s accomplished, lively and lived-in. A mix of original and songs from The Carter Family, Kitty Wells and Doc Watson amongst others all sung with a passion that takes it beyond the notion of mere pastiche. It draws from a deep well but comes out fresh due to the fact that the trio of Caleb Kaulder, Stephen Lind and Nadine Landry have an obvious love for and skill in playing this essential raw and stripped down music. Lonesome Highway (April 17, 2011)
Based around founding members of The Foghorn Stringband, Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind and Caleb Klauder plus Quebec-born Nadine Landry, the sound they make on ‘Sud de la Louisiane’ taps into a world of Kentucky bluegrass, Louisiana Cajun and Appalachian folk. It’s an ancient world where Elvis Presley (never mind Lady Gaga) is merely a glint in the eye of the future and terms like ‘credit crunch’ are wholly alien to the lexicon. Tim Peacock, Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (April 2011)
The meat of the album is in god fearin’ honest homilies delivered in the style of the likes of the Carter Family along with strong instrumentals that feature the band’s dexterity. The majority of the songs are covers and they are astonishingly good at capturing the earnestness, innocence and to be fair the slightly hokum quality that is a quintessential ingredient in the pleasure one gets from listening to pre war country music. Paul Kerr, Blabber ‘N’ Smoke (April 4, 2011)
Now this is a seriously polite and downright reverential album. The Foghorn Trio – a cut down version of the Foghorn String Band, it would seem – take fourteen songs, both self penned and a substantial number of traditional favourites and make with the kind of immaculately played fiddle driven old timey country music that will bring joy to the hearts of urban countryphiles everywhere. Bluesbunny Independent Music Reviews (April 2011)
I haven’t heard another contemporary act who come as close to recreating the sound of mountain music as it was first recorded back in the middle decades of the twentieth century; it’s as if these guys have even got the mindset of those pioneers, so close do they come in every respect. It’s there in the feverish vigour of the fiddle playing, it’s there in the pacing, it’s there in the tone of voice when they sing and, most of all, it’s there in those little cracks in the otherwise perfect sound, the cracks where the honesty of their intentions shines through. If old-timey fiddle music is your kind of thing, then you absolutely must give these guys a listen; you’ll be in square-dance heaven. John Davy, Flyin’ Shoes (March 28, 2011)
Dear Foghorn Stringband, What a long strange trip it’s been! From your origins in the punk, DIY world of Portland’s urban old-time community to a major label signing with Nettwerk, you’ve been the seminal stringband of the past decade and you’ve inspired countless young musicians (myself included) to pick up fiddles, banjos, guitars, and to hop trains over to Portland for all night picking parties and moonshine square dance raves. What amazes me is that throughout you’ve been the same band with the same mission: to play the hell out of your favorite country and old-time tunes and songs with no hint of irony. We all projected our own ideas and fantasies on to the band, but you guys were hard as granite. You just played and played, never caring for the music industry or the hipsters’ world of indie roots music. And that’s always been the key to your music. Devon Leger of Hearth Music, American Standard Time (February 24, 2011)
Much has been said about certain urban revivalists that resurrect and even profit from the music of a culture to which they are outsiders. Well that ain’t Foghorn. I know nothing about the heritage of the Trio, other than the fact that Sammy saws a fiddle tune that could beat the devil, Caleb totally owns every song he sings, and Nadine has some deep French-Canadian family links. And the truth is, I don’t give a flying flock where they come from. In my book, when you play your music well enough to help define the genre, you’re IN. That’s exactly what Foghorn Trio does for traditional American folk music. Sud de la Louisiane will float you down a big muddy river to a red-hot front-porch pickin party that goes on all night. Stuart Mason, Fiddle Freak (January 21, 2011)