Rob Garland Photographers » 2008

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Archives for October 2008

Relix Magazine Article

This article was just published in the November 2008 issue of Relix magazine:

Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs, The Paramount Theater, Charlottesville, VA, 9/8/08ï¿½ï¿½

Photo Rob Garland

Bruce Hornsby has always been game for new musical adventure. From the world of pop-rock radio to jazz clubs to tours with the Grateful Dead, Hornsby has made it clear he likes to stretch the bounds of his piano prowess. His latest endeavor is a collabor- ation with iconic mandolin ace Ricky Skaggs and his well-oiled machine of a bluegrass band, Kentucky Thunder.

For two solid hours the duo tackled material from its eponymous 2007 album, along with a handful of familiar high-lonesome favorites. Right out of the gate it was apparent that Hornsby had found a comfortable place in the sounds of the Appalachian hills. He grinned from ear to ear as his fingers fluttered through solos traded with Skaggs, banjo-picker Jim Mills and fiddle prodigy Andy Leftwich on standards like Bill Monroeï¿½s speedy instrumental ï¿½Bluegrass Breakdownï¿½ and The Stanley Brothersï¿½ ï¿½Little Maggie.

But this night wasnï¿½t just about bluegrass, as Hornsby and Skaggs showcased their mutual affinity for a range of rural genres. Skaggs plucked some dusty hill-country guitar on a version of Roscoe Holcombï¿½s ï¿½Hills of Mexico,ï¿½ while Hornsby added zydeco flavor with his accordion to Skaggsï¿½ ï¿½Cajun Moon. The spirit was more collaborative on ï¿½Gulf of Mexico Fishing Boat Blues,ï¿½ which found Hornsbyï¿½s plaintive, folksy vocals and jazz-flavored ivories leading a journey that Skaggs followed with nuanced pastoral mando runs.

Hornsby also took the opportunity to reinvent some of his most well-known tunes within the acoustic confines, including a countrified revision of ï¿½The Way It Isï¿½ and a darker, more somber minor-key look at ï¿½Mandolin Rain,ï¿½ which featured completely reworked timing.

When it became apparent that Skaggs and Hornsby had mastered each otherï¿½s music, there was only one thing left to playï¿½a sunny, hopped-up and harmonized take on Rick Jamesï¿½ ï¿½Super Freak,ï¿½ which was the perfect exclamation point to this intermingling of mountain high and piano cool.

29 October 2008 |