My transition from being a kid who grew up listening to punk rock to a jaded old man who now also loves roots music and more traditional American folk music didn’t happen until I really heard that country-influenced music played with the same grit and intensity that I loved about punk. It just seems natural. One such band traveling down such a road is Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s .357 String Band. Their sophomore album, Fire & Hail is full of high-octane punk bluegrass that sounds something like Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys covering Minor Threat. It’s a raucous and twangy chickin’ pickin’ good time as the banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and dobro battle it out in a no hold barred bluegrass cage match. This is some serious mountain music that ain’t from anywhere near Appalachia but that don’t mean these guys can’t get down. This makes me wanna get wicked drunk.
MP3 | .357 String Band – Fire & Hail Fire & Hail
MP3 | .357 String Band – Down On A Bender Fire & Hail
True. What a band, this band.
Decent review. Amazing band.