What began as an informal project in 2013 between vocalists Matthew Backes, Sheila Shukla, and various friends in their Highland Park, New Jersey neighborhood, quickly gelled into the assembly that’s now known as Magnolia Street String Band. Later joined by singer Nick Conte, Bobby Baxmeyer on mandolin, dobro and banjo, Ron Greenstein on bass, Gary Oleyar on fiddle, and co-producer Bob Harris on guitar, the band began playing a steady series of prominent gigs to a growing and increasingly appreciative audience only one year later. Having added festival stages, state fairs, weddings, parties, hootenannies, and honkytonks to their list of live performances, they continue to lean towards a traditional bluegrass sound that still allows room for personality and invention. They bask in three-part harmonies and place a priority on fluid fiddle, banjo and mandolin fills, as well as an approach that finds immediacy and engagement shared solidly in sync.
The band’s new album, By the Light of the Moon — a follow-up to their debut offering, 2019’s Wrong Side of the Rain — offers another example of that carefree combination. Ostensively conceived as a children’s album, it has all the essential elements needed to appeal to adults as well. Not surprisingly, the songs are centered on everyday life and the simple joys found through dreams and discovery. Shukla’s vocals provide an allure all their own, and on songs such as My Garden and the title track in particular, she shares a soothing sense of serendipity that’s gentle and comforting in equal degrees. So too, the rousing, rapid-fire delivery of Slowdown Rabbit and Car Transporter, the sheer charm of the track titled In Your Dreams, and an exceptionally joyful take on the classic, Oh! Susanna, allow for unabashed exuberance as well. There’s no shortage of expressive emotion and compelling instrumental interplay as well.
Given their limited resume, Magnolia Street Street String Band have made great strides courtesy of their initial output. Decidedly down-home and devoid of pretense, they are an ideal example of a roots-relevant style that’s as fresh and fulfilling as ever. One can only hope they continue to keep it coming.
