FOX TOWER BLUEGRASS BAND - REVIEWS
Which of the following are not German? Bratwurst. Sauerkraut. Bluegrass.
Schnitzel. Ok. it’s a trick question. The Fox Tower Bluegrass Band plays
bluegrass even though by definition its got to be non-traditional. No, they aren’t
going to fool you into thinking they’re from Appalachia. They have accents and
thick ones too. But hey - They’re German! And even I can’t sound like Del McCoury.
Here’s the important part: Don’t let that stand in your way of hearing a fine band
that embraces the American tradition yet adds flavors of their own culture.
Sort of like Dusseldorf mustard on Southern Barbecue.
The first cut, The Old Town, lets you know immediately that they’ve got the
chops to handle themselves with assurance and imagination. Within seconds
we’re handed minor key melodic banjo, and swaggeringly self confident
diminished chords. The immediate impression is that these guys can not only
play but they’re having fun doing it. One of the most interesting aspects of
hearing music (of any kind) played by those without preset stylistic limitations
is finding those elements that traditionalists would never include.
The timing of the tune Between 7 And 8 is a good example.
Alternating
between 7/8 and 4/4 (I think), it throws down a gauntlet as if to say, “Try to tap
your foot to this, I dare you! Corcaigh, a very complex melody by Andy Glandt,
adds pennywhistle and bodhran to the standard instrumentation with perfect
effect since it has a strong Irish feel anyway. While most of the selections
are originals, one of the real showpieces of the CD is Georgia On My Mind.
It’s over seven minutes long and starts slowly with a jazz/pop feel eventually
mutating to a full-blown breakdown giving everyone a chance to show off.
Personnel include Martin Wesholleck on guitar, Andy Glandt on banjo,
Andreas Waldmann on bass and Georg Baehr doing double duty on mandolin
and fiddle.
Everyone sings at one time or another. Some ultra-traditionalists
have a tendency to quote Mark Twain when they hear a foreign bluegrass band.
Twain said, “The remarkable thing about a dog walking on its hind legs is not
how well he does it, but simply that he does it at all”. Don’t be tempted to feel
that way about The Fox Tower Bluegrass Band. They’re accomplished, creative,
gutsy, and just plain good on their own merits.
By: Dale Desmuke Tricopolis Staff Writer
October 13th. 1999
I got to see the Fox Tower Bluegrass Band at Starr's Live! At Pascual'sin the River Market. It was a treat, and the musicians, even though they are from Germany, had as intense a relationship with American mountain music as anyone I've seen from even Mountain View. Now I'll admit that I found the heavy German accents in the vocals a bit amusing on a couple standard classics like, say, "Georgia On My Mind" (which came out something like "Cho-Ja On My Meint"), but it was a charming twist to an old country tune... And it showed they had balls, too, to even sing it in the Southern USA... The musicianship was superb all around, and rather than just the front man/spokesman doing all the talking with the crowd, each player essentially established a rapport with the audience...veryvery cool...
By www.nightflying.com/notes.html
After a showcase by Jim Hurst and Missy Raines, I overheard a well-dressed young
man speaking to the musicians, his German accent catching my attention.
While not wanting to eavesdrop, his story was fascinating. Georg Bahr is a
member of Fox Tower Bluegrass Band, from the former East Germany. The group
was in the states for an eight-week tour and to attend IBMA. At the risk of seeming
ill mannered, I interjected into the conversation, introducing 'iBluegrass Magazine'
and myself. Georg later came by our trade show table with bandleader Andy Glandt.
Fox Tower Bluegrass Band accepted our impromptu invitation to perform in the
iBluegrass hospitality suite the next day. Their performance left many of us
crowded into the suite awestruck. The set was also broadcast via the Internet.
Fox Tower Bluegrass Band's brand of progressive bluegrass is fresh, original and
exciting, much in the vein of their heroes New Grass Revival. Look for a review
of their newest project upcoming in „iBluegrass", and keep your ears open for
them in the future.
Michael Routh, „iBluegrass Magazin"
As always at Guildtown, there was plenty of humour about but the final
band on stage, The Fox Tower Bluegrass Band, probably stole the show in
that department. Half-way through their set they gave a breathtaking,
instrumental rendition of a jazz tune which the audience were told they
"knew but might not recognise". With the audience enraptured by the
technical brilliance of the banjo, fiddle and guitar the band suddenly
broke into singing ‘Nine Pound Hammer’ to the same tune, to the great
amusement of everyone in the hall.
For imaginative and tasteful musicianship Fox Tower were on a different
plane. Whatever people’s views on how far a band can diversify from
bluegrass and still call it bluegrass, the audience certainly showed
their unqualified appreciation of what was a first class performance..
