Colorado’s Whitewater Ramble Announces Nevada City Album Release Party w/ Absynth Quintet 4/11
Whitewater Ramble & Absynth Quintet – Thurs, April 11
Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street Nevada City, CA
ALL AGES, Doors: 7:30 PM, w/ Absynth Quintet: 8:30 PM, w/ WWR: 10:00 PM
Tickets: $12 ADV / $15 DOS, Available online at www.minersfoundry.org or at The BriarPatch Co-op
Hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, Whitewater Ramble (WWR) bring their “High-Octane Rocky Mountain DanceGrass” to the Miners Foundry, Thursday, April 11th. This is a special album release party is in support of the national release of their second studio album Roots & Groove. The band has welcomed back Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth as producer for the second time. Carbone worked with the band on their genre-bending debut release All Night Drive in 2010. Joining them are special guests Absynth Quintet for Humbolt County.
Whitewater Ramble (WWR) uses a simple recipe to craft it’s sound: start with bluegrass instrumentation, add drums, and finish with a boundary-less approach to grassing-up everything from disco house grooves to roots to Americana. The Colorado-bred quintet combines the elements of mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar, upright bass, drums and vocals to explore the musical boundaries of multiple genres and to fuel their own mixture of original music and innovative cover song interpretations.
WWR has had the privilege of supporting, touring with and sharing stages with Railroad Earth, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Greensky Bluegrass, Cornmeal, The Infamous Stringdusters, Dark Star Orchestra, Little Feat, Papa Mali, The New Mastersounds, The Gourds, The David Grisman Quintet, Jerry Douglas, Lotus, Splitlip Rayfiled, The Motet, Tea Leaf Green, Henry Butler, Vince Herman and Great American Taxi, Peter Rowan, Tony Furtado and many more.
The Miners Foundry had the opportunity to ask WWR’s Patrick Sites (mandolin, vocals) a few questions before the group rolls into town on Thursday.
When did you realize bluegrass was the genre of music for you?
Not sure we’ve ever realized that…. We love bluegrass, but it’s only a portion of what we use in our sound. We pull a lot from rock, jazz, jam and improve, even some reggae.
What is it about bluegrass you live so much?
Bluegrass at its core is pure and simple, which lends itself to cross-pollination of other forms and genres and blurring the lines of form.
How did you all meet?
Probably not enough time or ways to describe how this group has come together, but jams, parties, open mics, friends of friends, What is special about this group? One minute, we are playing and singing a traditional bluegrass number, the next minute, the bassist is standing on top of his bass playing a synthesizer while the drummers drops dance beats…… all in the same song
What is it like to look out from stage and see entire room dancing to your songs?
It’s the personal goal of everyone in our group, we love artistry, but we love when artistry meets dance party. In other words, it’s extremely satisfying and rewarding, it’s the goal of our live performances each and every night.
What are some of your musical influences?
Diverse, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, Leftover Salmon, Sam Bush, Sound Tribe, String Cheese, Railroad Earth, Gillian Welch…..
How do they reflect in your music?
Some influences are reflecting in writing and lyric only, others in our own playing of each instrument, other reflections in our arrangements.
Your dream musical collaboration?
Any remaining members of the Grateful Dead
What’s it like being a band on the festival circuit?
Fun, fun and more fun. Still work, long hours of travel, but certainly the best part of our year is at festivals.
Is it hard to come home?
Yes and no, it’s still travel and time away from our personal lives but it’s great to walk a proper balance as well.
For someone who has never seen or heard you what should they expect when they come to the show?
Diversity in styles and sound, drinking more than they expected and dancing more than they expected.
What is the secret component of a great string band?
Having drums.
Miners Foundry is pleased to present Whitewater Ramble with Absynth Quintet on Thursday, April 11, 2013. Described as High Octane Rocky Mountain DanceGrass, Whitewater Ramble starts with bluegrass instrumentation, adds drums, and finishes with a boundless approach to grassing up everything from disco house grooves to roots to Americana. Whitewater Ramble is now on tour behind their second studio release Roots & Groove. The album showcases WWR’s growth as songwriters and musicians. Produced by Tin Carbone of Railroad Earth, the album features an array of special guests such as Andy Hall on dobro (Infamous Stringdusters), and Andy Thorn on banjo (Leftover Salmon), Grammy Award winner John Macy on pedal steel and Bill McKay on piano. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the music starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.00 in Advance $15.00 at the Door, and are available online, by phone, or in person at the Miners Foundry, (530) 265-5040, or in person at Briar Patch Co-Op.
Based in Fort Collins, CO, Whitewater Ramble has performed and headlined on every major stage across the Rocky Mountain Region. With over 900 performances under their belt, the group has truly established themselves as one of the hardest working groups in the jam scene today. The quintet combines the elements of mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar, upright bass, drums, and vocals to explore the musical boundaries of multiple genres, and to fuel their own mixture of original music and innovate cover song interpretations. Whether playing an intimate encores, acoustic and unplugged in the crowd, or surfing on top of the upright bass, Whitewater Ramble delivers a powerful and memorable live performance.
Absynth Quintet purvey a truly unique brand of high energy acoustic music. The band’s sound, born and cultured in the fertile hills of Humboldt County, CA, melds a reverent treatment of time honored American music with a reckless, virtuosic and often zany approach to innovation. AQ tap into their diverse musical roots and tease out something fresh, original, and relevant to today’s music scene, while always keeping the foot-stomping influence of blue grass roots present.