At 12:35 AM 1/30/99 -0500, Nancy wrote:
>Hey ya'll, been quiet and lurking past week, but had to let you know about
>this cool band I saw tonight.... Dry Branch Fire Squad. I have not been this
>entertained in days... Any of you familiar with them?
>Comedy, ham bonin, bluegrass, fine pickin, singin!
>
Since Weisberger's asleep at this ungodly hour ... yes, Nancy, you've
stumbled upon a well-known, highly-regarded bluegrass institution who,
despite their fine recordings, probably wouldn't be a household name if not
for their relentless touring. Which actually does relent during the school
year, since Ron Thomasson (the frontman/mando player) is a high school
principal (Do I have this right, Jon?) But for the past 20 or so years
they've hit the boards every weekend and all during the summer. Suzanne
Thomas (the dark-haired singer/guitar/banjo player) has carved out a very
repectable solo career for herself, mentioned frequently on this list.
Though the entire band has incredible chops, they are often noted more for
Thomasson's ingenius and hilarious between-song banter. He is so
entertaining, one tends to forget how truly great and soulful their tunes
can be.
Yep, they've got it all.
Of course, if you've seen them enough times, you realize that Ron's schtick
is eco-friendly, i.e., he tends to recycle a lot of material.
> Bluegrass usually makes me
>nervous,
I think we should explore this further, Nancy.
Erin
