THE PIEDMONT BROTHERS BAND
''BACK TO THE COUNTRY''
SEPTEMBER 1 2013
53:48
1. Back to the Country /5:03
2. The Dark Stranger /3:56
3. And Settlin' Down /3:29
4. Little Star /3:00
5. In My Own Small Way /2:55
6. The Road /3:47
7. A True Aching Heart / Ceci's Jig /7:07
8. Colorado /3:59
9. All Is Not Lost (How Sad but True) /4:17
10. Carolina Star /3:31
11. Snowflakes /4:03
12. Waiting on a Train /4:30
13. Little Annie /4:11
REVIEW
By AmericanRoots UK
The biggest problem with this album is knowing exactly where and how to start describing an extraordinary collection of songs that are a very real throwback to the early days of ‘classic country rock’ and if ever an album could be given that label it’s this one. It clocks in at nearly an hour and contains fourteen songs, most of them band originals but also some tremendous covers on which some of the legendary originators of the genre help out with some tremendous playing, vocals and harmonies that are pretty much unsurpassable. And yet, this is very much a band effort with those guests not just adding their names to the roll call but also making a positive contribution. I would imagine they already knew the band from their previous recordings and were happy to help a group that plays with such consummate skill and commitment to the music. Included are Richie Furay (Poco), Jock Bartley (lead guitar in Gram Parsons Fallen Angels and now Firefall), Pat Shanahan (founder member of Rick Nelsons Stone Canyon Band and later New Riders of the Purple Sage) Rick Roberts (Flying Burrito Brothers, Firefall) and Herb Pedersen whose list of credits would take a page on their own, but includes The Desert Rose Band, a band that are often evoked on some of the original songs.
What makes the situation even more extraordinary is that the two men who started the band live on different continents, although the band name comes from the fact that they both live in Piedmont regions! Ron Martin, vocals and guitar as well as songwriter hails from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains whilst Marco Zanzi lives in Varese, Italy in the Pre alps area. They got together thanks to a shared love of country rock having met on a Byrds website and the rest as they ……..……..!
Whilst the album is impossible to label as anything other than country rock, it often blends European and Celtic folk with country and rock, bringing a freshness to some excellent originals as well as the ‘old’ classics.
To give some idea of the work involved in putting this album together it is probably necessary to list the names and instruments of those involved, so here goes. Ron Martin, vocals and guitar, Marco Zanzi, vocals, banjo, lap steel, dobro, mandolin, auto harp, dulcimer, bass, keyboards, Francesco De Chiara plays mandolin, flutes and pipes, Manuel Corato, vocals, guitars, keyboards, Francesco Fruegiuele on electric bass and guitars, Mike Gallivan, electric bass and guitars, Anna Satta, fiddle, Franco Svanoni, drums and percussion, Katherine Kelly Walczyk, vocals, Stefano Zanrosso on upright bass, guitars, trumpet and percussion. Occasionally a strong Italian vocal accent was easily detectable but in many ways this adds appeal, knowing that the music so many in the English speaking world loved, was not isolated to just us but was being picked up on wherever music was played, as evidenced by the variety of nationalities playing generic country music that is sent out to reviewers such as me thanks in no small part to the www!
The album opens on a high with their tremendous reworking of the Gene Clark classic, Full Circle, which features both Jock Bartley and Pat Shanahan and in many ways pays a huge tribute to the original and to the skills of this band in still possessing a power and melody that sends a shiver down the spine. This is followed by another old classic in (I Like) The Christian Life, a song written and made famous by the Louvin Brothers and latterly the Byrds. Here we have guests Richie Furay and Herb Pedersen almost unbelievably singing together for the first time ever! Next up is a Ron Martin original, the excellent I Been Dreamin’ ‘Bout You a song that is reminiscent of so many of it’s progenitors but not exactly like any of them, again with lovely chiming and jangling guitars also featuring Rick Roberts on shared vocal and harmonies and Pat Shanahan on drums. We are treated to Katherine Kelly Walczyk beautiful vocals on Liv Taylor’s I Wish I Were A Cowgirl a song that has a lovely pure country feel, also including excellent steel, dobro and fiddle. There is even a stunning heart wrenching version of Dougie McLeans This love will carry, performed very much as the Celtic folk song it is with Rosella Cellamaro’s beautiful vocal providing a gorgeous break to the dominant country rock. The final track on the album is the epic (over ten minutes) The Highlander Suite, written by various members of the band as a‘three parter’ and well worth the cost of the album for this alone. There are more excellent songs and performances from all involved but I suggest you buy it and feel yourself transported by some highly evocative songs spread over the best part of an hour!
Some might say the album is too much of a throwback but there has to be an argument in favour of keeping ‘traditional music’ alive and country rock is as relevant a part of that tradition as any other sub genre. I know the sound has developed and changed over the last few decades, genres such as alt. country for example being an updated version that has much of it’s roots in country rock, but this genre was a powerful influence on many way back in the 1960s and 70s. Maybe there is even something in the suggestion that Hank Williams played a lot of country rock and people are still attaining great credibility and credit for following in his shoes. If this album was all covers I probably wouldn’t even be writing about it but the band originals are worthy of the recording and much of the sound does include a folksiness that wasn’t really part of the generic sound forty to fifty years ago. I can’t say I like everything on it but I do love the album. I would say that if you are a fan of the Byrds, Desert Rose band, Poco and others of the great classic country rock bands you will almost certainly love it too!
Whilst nothing particularly new is brought to the classic songs that are covered on this album they are a superb exercise in heartfelt and tremendously skilled lead vocals, harmonies and playing, but also illustrate the quality of the writing and matchless arrangements of the originals, bringing a general freshening up that should make people want to explore those originals. The new songs however do bring a freshness and in many ways an update to a classic musical genre that may hopefully get new listeners to investigate the originals from the late 1960s and 70s. Do that and I’m pretty sure the Brothers will be vindicated as well as having many new fans!
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
By Ray O'Neill - Sydney, AUSTRALIA
In the beginning there was the sixties and the seventies and the common passion for the Beatles, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, CSN&Y and the Bakersfield Californian country sound, from Buck Owens to Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman. Even if Ron Martin hails from Eden , North Carolina, and Marco Zanzi from Varese this was no barrier when it came to a shared passion for the love of music.
Ron MartinBorn and raised in North Carolina, since his schooldays Ron Martin has performed in different bands: “Kaleidoscope”, “The Wampus Cats” and “Shiloh”. These bands enabled him to enjoy some popularity.
Marco Zanzi follows a similar path, in the beginning he plays and sings in minor local bands, but later he has more significant experiences in Marco Zanzi“La Signora Stracciona”and “The Steamboat Willie” and with both bands he performs Italy. In this period he is captivated forever by the country rock sound by groups like Poco, Burrito Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Eagles: through them (and especially the project ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’) he discovers the Bluegrass and soon falls in love with the 5-string banjo (in that period an almost unknown instrument and difficult to find).
But the real meeting place of Ron and Marco has been the Web. The development of the Internet had allowed them to get to know each other thanks to a Website dedicated to the Byrds (‘My Songbook’, created in 2000 by Zanzi with his English friend David Reynolds), but above all thanks to the common and active participation at various newsgroups: “Gene Clark List” and “Byrdmaniax”, but mainly “Acousticharmonies”, which is an incredible resource both musical and human. Here Ron and Marco collaborate for the first time on a musical project and they are involved in the making of a CD, which involves musicians from different countries (USA, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Holland…).
The name Piedmont stands for the Italian "pedemontana", because Ron lives at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachians chain and Marco lives on the offshoots of the Prealps. Therefore, here is the “Piedmont Project” that combines both common musical interests and environmental similarities. IRon and Marco at Big Gray 2007n Spring 2007 Marco Zanzi goes to Ron in the USA, he meets his companion Suzon, his family, his friends and he finds a landscape that recalls Varese. With his American friend he goes to “Merlefest”, probably the most important Music festival dedicated to the ‘American’ genre (acoustic, country, bluegrass, folk, blues, Celtic…), and he records three pieces at the Flyin’ Cloud Studio of Doug Rorrer, in Eden, NC. Here arises the idea to create the “Piedmont Brothers Band”, where the two brothers are Marco and Ron and the band is composed of musician friends having in common the same passion. Thanks to the Internet again, the music knocks down the barriers and flies over the Ocean. Ron sends his original pieces (Martin is a composer, too), Marco arranges and reworks them, thanks to his wonderful musical ear and love for production. He involves his friends, records and sends his pieces to Eden where Ron listens to them, comments on them, goes to the Studio and records his voices with the precious help of the Chief engineer Doug Rorrer. And then he sends them back to Italy for the final mixing.
The Circle
From February 2003 Ron Martin has a battle with lyposarcoma that obliges him to have constant inspections and treatment. But Ron is a fighter: he fights with the medicine, he fights with the Faith, but also with the music, that is his inseparable companion. In June 2003 he makes with the help of his friends a CD called “The Circle” (Flyin’ Cloud Records FC 046 – www.flyincloudrecords.com), in which he reveals his gift as interpreter and whose income goes to the research by the ‘Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative’.
And finally the ‘Piedmont Brothers Band’ meet: Ron crosses the Ocean in July 2008 to arrive in Italy with the aim to play in a few concerts, but above all to finish the first CD of the band ‘Bordertown’, which is a particularly significant title as both Eden and Varese are really border towns (Virginia and Switzerland).
BordertownThe CD, officially presented on 31st October 2008, mainly contains Ron’s own compositions, arranged and produced by Marco Zanzi. The CD has received significant approvals by the critics, boBuscaderoth in the United States and in Italy, which have particularly underlined its uniqueness and originality. Encouraging critical receptions of the CD appeared in the specialized magazine ‘Buscadero’ (n° 308 - January 2009) and JAM (n° 156 - February 2009) and in the English monthly magazine “Maverick – the voice of country, folk, bluegrass and roots music” (n° 85 - August 2009), among the most appreciated in the field. Among the radio stations that broadcast and have broadcast pieces by The Piedmont Brothers Band are Radio Popolare Network (Milan), Radio Missione Francescana (Varese), Radio Lupo Solitario (Samarate), Radio Voce Spazio (Alessandria), WUMB Folk Radio (Boston, MA), MVY Radio (My Back Pages), UIC (Chicago, IL), WPKN-FM (Connecticut), CKUT (Montreal, Canada), Radio Port Phillip (Melbourne, Australia). The writer and journalist John Einarson (respectable Canadian historian of rock music and author of 12 books) has described ‘Bordertown’ as “My new favourite Country Rock album” and Paolo Vites (writer and editor of the musical magazine ‘JAM – Viaggio nella musica’) “...it seems to come back to legendary albums as Pickin’ up the Pieces by POCO or the first by The Flying Burrito Brothers”.
The Piedmont Brothers Band, or better, the Piedmont Project (to better underline its being an unconventional Open Source Band), is now a reality and around the starting group composed by Ron and Marco a more stable group of musicians and friends has developed. It is made up in part of members who had been involved in the Bordertown recordings and in part by new musicians. What is more, Marco has been constant part of the “Out Of Size” band from Milan since 2010 after participatinLights Of Your Partyg as guest in the making of their new second CD “Tap Your Feet” - ©2010 TEMPI: with them he performed during the closing event of the 2010 edition of the “Meeting for Friendship among Peoples” in Rimini. This new collaboration together with new contributors from the United States (the violinist Courtney-Lynn Burroughs and the guitarist Taylor Rorrer and a higher participation of Doug Rorrer concerning both music and production) have led to the making of the second album titled ‘Lights Of Your Party’ coming out in the United States by the Flyin’ Cloud Records (www.flyincloudrecords.com) and in Italy by the publisher TEMPI (www.tempi.it) in Spring 2011. This new CD sees the presence of guests from the “Out Of Size”, of Carlo Pastori, Marcello Colò and Walter Muto of the “Signora Stracciona”, of Stefano Dall’Ora (among the best European double-bass players), of the German guitarist Horst-Peter Schmidt, of the bass player from Colorado, Mike Gallivan, and of the bass player from North Carolina Mike Gallimore: beyond being great musicians, they are also great friends and mates along the wonderful life path.
Even if unfortunately Ron lives and works in the United States, thus not being able to be always here in the live shows, his presence can be experienced through his songs that are the heart of the Piedmont Brothers Band’s repertoire, which is also enriched with original pieces by Marco Zanzi, Francesco de Chiara and Francesco Frugiuele and with pieces taken both from the American popular tradition and composed by famous musicians like Nanci Griffith, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn. The Piedmont Brothers Band’s musical genre is quite various, but for sure it can be considered part of the ‘American’ genre, a term created recently and that includes Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Gospel, Blues and Celtic influences.
2011 brought more opportunities for Marco and Ron. Live shows were booked for July and Ron after another battle with illness showed his inner strength and commitment by making the journey to Italy in July. A few warm up gigs were organised leading up to a live concert at the Sala Fontana Theatre in Milan. This concert was recorded and both a DVD and audio releases are available of this performance that showcases the talents of the Piedmont Brothers Band.
During his stay in Italy, Ron was able to share some demos of his new songs with Marco. These songs would later be turned into recorded productions that would be available on the next Piedmont Brothers release. With the need for a touring band some changes were made and Katherine Kelly Walczyk agreeing to add her vocal talents to the band.
With the touring Piedmont Brothers Band now organised, Marco now turned his time to going through many of the demos and coming up with production ideas for the new cd. The new cd entitled “III” was just released in September 2012. Encompassing both the style and incredible production of the two previous cd’s Bordertown and Lights, "III" is a combination of original songs and classic covers. Fellow Piedmont Brother, Mike Gallivan, who lives in Colorado, was able to draw upon his friendship and connection with many of the great 60’s and 70’s country rock pioneers, and enlisted their talents in the making of "III".
Joining the Piedmont Brothers Band on “III” are Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco), Herb Pedersen (The Dillards, Desert Rose Band), Rick Roberts (Flying Burrito Brothers, Firefall), Jock Bartley (Gram Parson’s Fallen Angels, Firefall) and Patrick Shanahan (Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage). These great artists have put their support behind The Piedmont Brothers Band and the passion, emotion and feeling caught on the recordings brings back the spirit of the glory days of country rock.
Gene Parsons (The Byrds) has agreed to add his talents to future tracks which make the next recordings plus other recorded and not used for “III” to be worth waiting for. So stay tuned for other Piedmont Brothers releases to follow.
The dream and the meeting between two men of different age, culture, job and countries but united by the common love for music, by the same desire to play and communicate and also by deep spiritual and human values have performed this ‘miracle’. Thus showing that universality, love and peace are not only abstract and ideal words, but they can also become real and make our world better.
''BACK TO THE COUNTRY''
SEPTEMBER 1 2013
53:48
1. Back to the Country /5:03
2. The Dark Stranger /3:56
3. And Settlin' Down /3:29
4. Little Star /3:00
5. In My Own Small Way /2:55
6. The Road /3:47
7. A True Aching Heart / Ceci's Jig /7:07
8. Colorado /3:59
9. All Is Not Lost (How Sad but True) /4:17
10. Carolina Star /3:31
11. Snowflakes /4:03
12. Waiting on a Train /4:30
13. Little Annie /4:11
REVIEW
By AmericanRoots UK
The biggest problem with this album is knowing exactly where and how to start describing an extraordinary collection of songs that are a very real throwback to the early days of ‘classic country rock’ and if ever an album could be given that label it’s this one. It clocks in at nearly an hour and contains fourteen songs, most of them band originals but also some tremendous covers on which some of the legendary originators of the genre help out with some tremendous playing, vocals and harmonies that are pretty much unsurpassable. And yet, this is very much a band effort with those guests not just adding their names to the roll call but also making a positive contribution. I would imagine they already knew the band from their previous recordings and were happy to help a group that plays with such consummate skill and commitment to the music. Included are Richie Furay (Poco), Jock Bartley (lead guitar in Gram Parsons Fallen Angels and now Firefall), Pat Shanahan (founder member of Rick Nelsons Stone Canyon Band and later New Riders of the Purple Sage) Rick Roberts (Flying Burrito Brothers, Firefall) and Herb Pedersen whose list of credits would take a page on their own, but includes The Desert Rose Band, a band that are often evoked on some of the original songs.
What makes the situation even more extraordinary is that the two men who started the band live on different continents, although the band name comes from the fact that they both live in Piedmont regions! Ron Martin, vocals and guitar as well as songwriter hails from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains whilst Marco Zanzi lives in Varese, Italy in the Pre alps area. They got together thanks to a shared love of country rock having met on a Byrds website and the rest as they ……..……..!
Whilst the album is impossible to label as anything other than country rock, it often blends European and Celtic folk with country and rock, bringing a freshness to some excellent originals as well as the ‘old’ classics.
To give some idea of the work involved in putting this album together it is probably necessary to list the names and instruments of those involved, so here goes. Ron Martin, vocals and guitar, Marco Zanzi, vocals, banjo, lap steel, dobro, mandolin, auto harp, dulcimer, bass, keyboards, Francesco De Chiara plays mandolin, flutes and pipes, Manuel Corato, vocals, guitars, keyboards, Francesco Fruegiuele on electric bass and guitars, Mike Gallivan, electric bass and guitars, Anna Satta, fiddle, Franco Svanoni, drums and percussion, Katherine Kelly Walczyk, vocals, Stefano Zanrosso on upright bass, guitars, trumpet and percussion. Occasionally a strong Italian vocal accent was easily detectable but in many ways this adds appeal, knowing that the music so many in the English speaking world loved, was not isolated to just us but was being picked up on wherever music was played, as evidenced by the variety of nationalities playing generic country music that is sent out to reviewers such as me thanks in no small part to the www!
The album opens on a high with their tremendous reworking of the Gene Clark classic, Full Circle, which features both Jock Bartley and Pat Shanahan and in many ways pays a huge tribute to the original and to the skills of this band in still possessing a power and melody that sends a shiver down the spine. This is followed by another old classic in (I Like) The Christian Life, a song written and made famous by the Louvin Brothers and latterly the Byrds. Here we have guests Richie Furay and Herb Pedersen almost unbelievably singing together for the first time ever! Next up is a Ron Martin original, the excellent I Been Dreamin’ ‘Bout You a song that is reminiscent of so many of it’s progenitors but not exactly like any of them, again with lovely chiming and jangling guitars also featuring Rick Roberts on shared vocal and harmonies and Pat Shanahan on drums. We are treated to Katherine Kelly Walczyk beautiful vocals on Liv Taylor’s I Wish I Were A Cowgirl a song that has a lovely pure country feel, also including excellent steel, dobro and fiddle. There is even a stunning heart wrenching version of Dougie McLeans This love will carry, performed very much as the Celtic folk song it is with Rosella Cellamaro’s beautiful vocal providing a gorgeous break to the dominant country rock. The final track on the album is the epic (over ten minutes) The Highlander Suite, written by various members of the band as a‘three parter’ and well worth the cost of the album for this alone. There are more excellent songs and performances from all involved but I suggest you buy it and feel yourself transported by some highly evocative songs spread over the best part of an hour!
Some might say the album is too much of a throwback but there has to be an argument in favour of keeping ‘traditional music’ alive and country rock is as relevant a part of that tradition as any other sub genre. I know the sound has developed and changed over the last few decades, genres such as alt. country for example being an updated version that has much of it’s roots in country rock, but this genre was a powerful influence on many way back in the 1960s and 70s. Maybe there is even something in the suggestion that Hank Williams played a lot of country rock and people are still attaining great credibility and credit for following in his shoes. If this album was all covers I probably wouldn’t even be writing about it but the band originals are worthy of the recording and much of the sound does include a folksiness that wasn’t really part of the generic sound forty to fifty years ago. I can’t say I like everything on it but I do love the album. I would say that if you are a fan of the Byrds, Desert Rose band, Poco and others of the great classic country rock bands you will almost certainly love it too!
Whilst nothing particularly new is brought to the classic songs that are covered on this album they are a superb exercise in heartfelt and tremendously skilled lead vocals, harmonies and playing, but also illustrate the quality of the writing and matchless arrangements of the originals, bringing a general freshening up that should make people want to explore those originals. The new songs however do bring a freshness and in many ways an update to a classic musical genre that may hopefully get new listeners to investigate the originals from the late 1960s and 70s. Do that and I’m pretty sure the Brothers will be vindicated as well as having many new fans!
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
By Ray O'Neill - Sydney, AUSTRALIA
In the beginning there was the sixties and the seventies and the common passion for the Beatles, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, CSN&Y and the Bakersfield Californian country sound, from Buck Owens to Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman. Even if Ron Martin hails from Eden , North Carolina, and Marco Zanzi from Varese this was no barrier when it came to a shared passion for the love of music.
Ron MartinBorn and raised in North Carolina, since his schooldays Ron Martin has performed in different bands: “Kaleidoscope”, “The Wampus Cats” and “Shiloh”. These bands enabled him to enjoy some popularity.
Marco Zanzi follows a similar path, in the beginning he plays and sings in minor local bands, but later he has more significant experiences in Marco Zanzi“La Signora Stracciona”and “The Steamboat Willie” and with both bands he performs Italy. In this period he is captivated forever by the country rock sound by groups like Poco, Burrito Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Eagles: through them (and especially the project ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’) he discovers the Bluegrass and soon falls in love with the 5-string banjo (in that period an almost unknown instrument and difficult to find).
But the real meeting place of Ron and Marco has been the Web. The development of the Internet had allowed them to get to know each other thanks to a Website dedicated to the Byrds (‘My Songbook’, created in 2000 by Zanzi with his English friend David Reynolds), but above all thanks to the common and active participation at various newsgroups: “Gene Clark List” and “Byrdmaniax”, but mainly “Acousticharmonies”, which is an incredible resource both musical and human. Here Ron and Marco collaborate for the first time on a musical project and they are involved in the making of a CD, which involves musicians from different countries (USA, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Holland…).
The name Piedmont stands for the Italian "pedemontana", because Ron lives at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachians chain and Marco lives on the offshoots of the Prealps. Therefore, here is the “Piedmont Project” that combines both common musical interests and environmental similarities. IRon and Marco at Big Gray 2007n Spring 2007 Marco Zanzi goes to Ron in the USA, he meets his companion Suzon, his family, his friends and he finds a landscape that recalls Varese. With his American friend he goes to “Merlefest”, probably the most important Music festival dedicated to the ‘American’ genre (acoustic, country, bluegrass, folk, blues, Celtic…), and he records three pieces at the Flyin’ Cloud Studio of Doug Rorrer, in Eden, NC. Here arises the idea to create the “Piedmont Brothers Band”, where the two brothers are Marco and Ron and the band is composed of musician friends having in common the same passion. Thanks to the Internet again, the music knocks down the barriers and flies over the Ocean. Ron sends his original pieces (Martin is a composer, too), Marco arranges and reworks them, thanks to his wonderful musical ear and love for production. He involves his friends, records and sends his pieces to Eden where Ron listens to them, comments on them, goes to the Studio and records his voices with the precious help of the Chief engineer Doug Rorrer. And then he sends them back to Italy for the final mixing.
The Circle
From February 2003 Ron Martin has a battle with lyposarcoma that obliges him to have constant inspections and treatment. But Ron is a fighter: he fights with the medicine, he fights with the Faith, but also with the music, that is his inseparable companion. In June 2003 he makes with the help of his friends a CD called “The Circle” (Flyin’ Cloud Records FC 046 – www.flyincloudrecords.com), in which he reveals his gift as interpreter and whose income goes to the research by the ‘Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative’.
And finally the ‘Piedmont Brothers Band’ meet: Ron crosses the Ocean in July 2008 to arrive in Italy with the aim to play in a few concerts, but above all to finish the first CD of the band ‘Bordertown’, which is a particularly significant title as both Eden and Varese are really border towns (Virginia and Switzerland).
BordertownThe CD, officially presented on 31st October 2008, mainly contains Ron’s own compositions, arranged and produced by Marco Zanzi. The CD has received significant approvals by the critics, boBuscaderoth in the United States and in Italy, which have particularly underlined its uniqueness and originality. Encouraging critical receptions of the CD appeared in the specialized magazine ‘Buscadero’ (n° 308 - January 2009) and JAM (n° 156 - February 2009) and in the English monthly magazine “Maverick – the voice of country, folk, bluegrass and roots music” (n° 85 - August 2009), among the most appreciated in the field. Among the radio stations that broadcast and have broadcast pieces by The Piedmont Brothers Band are Radio Popolare Network (Milan), Radio Missione Francescana (Varese), Radio Lupo Solitario (Samarate), Radio Voce Spazio (Alessandria), WUMB Folk Radio (Boston, MA), MVY Radio (My Back Pages), UIC (Chicago, IL), WPKN-FM (Connecticut), CKUT (Montreal, Canada), Radio Port Phillip (Melbourne, Australia). The writer and journalist John Einarson (respectable Canadian historian of rock music and author of 12 books) has described ‘Bordertown’ as “My new favourite Country Rock album” and Paolo Vites (writer and editor of the musical magazine ‘JAM – Viaggio nella musica’) “...it seems to come back to legendary albums as Pickin’ up the Pieces by POCO or the first by The Flying Burrito Brothers”.
The Piedmont Brothers Band, or better, the Piedmont Project (to better underline its being an unconventional Open Source Band), is now a reality and around the starting group composed by Ron and Marco a more stable group of musicians and friends has developed. It is made up in part of members who had been involved in the Bordertown recordings and in part by new musicians. What is more, Marco has been constant part of the “Out Of Size” band from Milan since 2010 after participatinLights Of Your Partyg as guest in the making of their new second CD “Tap Your Feet” - ©2010 TEMPI: with them he performed during the closing event of the 2010 edition of the “Meeting for Friendship among Peoples” in Rimini. This new collaboration together with new contributors from the United States (the violinist Courtney-Lynn Burroughs and the guitarist Taylor Rorrer and a higher participation of Doug Rorrer concerning both music and production) have led to the making of the second album titled ‘Lights Of Your Party’ coming out in the United States by the Flyin’ Cloud Records (www.flyincloudrecords.com) and in Italy by the publisher TEMPI (www.tempi.it) in Spring 2011. This new CD sees the presence of guests from the “Out Of Size”, of Carlo Pastori, Marcello Colò and Walter Muto of the “Signora Stracciona”, of Stefano Dall’Ora (among the best European double-bass players), of the German guitarist Horst-Peter Schmidt, of the bass player from Colorado, Mike Gallivan, and of the bass player from North Carolina Mike Gallimore: beyond being great musicians, they are also great friends and mates along the wonderful life path.
Even if unfortunately Ron lives and works in the United States, thus not being able to be always here in the live shows, his presence can be experienced through his songs that are the heart of the Piedmont Brothers Band’s repertoire, which is also enriched with original pieces by Marco Zanzi, Francesco de Chiara and Francesco Frugiuele and with pieces taken both from the American popular tradition and composed by famous musicians like Nanci Griffith, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn. The Piedmont Brothers Band’s musical genre is quite various, but for sure it can be considered part of the ‘American’ genre, a term created recently and that includes Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Gospel, Blues and Celtic influences.
2011 brought more opportunities for Marco and Ron. Live shows were booked for July and Ron after another battle with illness showed his inner strength and commitment by making the journey to Italy in July. A few warm up gigs were organised leading up to a live concert at the Sala Fontana Theatre in Milan. This concert was recorded and both a DVD and audio releases are available of this performance that showcases the talents of the Piedmont Brothers Band.
During his stay in Italy, Ron was able to share some demos of his new songs with Marco. These songs would later be turned into recorded productions that would be available on the next Piedmont Brothers release. With the need for a touring band some changes were made and Katherine Kelly Walczyk agreeing to add her vocal talents to the band.
With the touring Piedmont Brothers Band now organised, Marco now turned his time to going through many of the demos and coming up with production ideas for the new cd. The new cd entitled “III” was just released in September 2012. Encompassing both the style and incredible production of the two previous cd’s Bordertown and Lights, "III" is a combination of original songs and classic covers. Fellow Piedmont Brother, Mike Gallivan, who lives in Colorado, was able to draw upon his friendship and connection with many of the great 60’s and 70’s country rock pioneers, and enlisted their talents in the making of "III".
Joining the Piedmont Brothers Band on “III” are Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco), Herb Pedersen (The Dillards, Desert Rose Band), Rick Roberts (Flying Burrito Brothers, Firefall), Jock Bartley (Gram Parson’s Fallen Angels, Firefall) and Patrick Shanahan (Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage). These great artists have put their support behind The Piedmont Brothers Band and the passion, emotion and feeling caught on the recordings brings back the spirit of the glory days of country rock.
Gene Parsons (The Byrds) has agreed to add his talents to future tracks which make the next recordings plus other recorded and not used for “III” to be worth waiting for. So stay tuned for other Piedmont Brothers releases to follow.
The dream and the meeting between two men of different age, culture, job and countries but united by the common love for music, by the same desire to play and communicate and also by deep spiritual and human values have performed this ‘miracle’. Thus showing that universality, love and peace are not only abstract and ideal words, but they can also become real and make our world better.
1 comment :
Olà my friend,you remain always the best !! tks also for Yoder and Strahan !!
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