Special Consensus has been getting a lot of attention of late for Chicago Barn Dance, the title track on their just-released album from Compass Records. The song is currently #1 on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay chart, so it’s obviously a hit with bluegrass radio, mighty helpful when you can’t tour in support of a new project.
The band was founded and is based in Chicago, where banjo player and fearless leader Greg Cahill resides, but these days the other band members live in Nashville. But their ChiTown roots are on display for this record, where each track was selected because of its relevance to that theme.
Bluegrass history buffs know that the National Barn Dance was a very popular radio program on the city’s WLS radio starting in the late 1920s, and is said to have been the impetus for WSM to introduce the Grand Ole Opry a few years later.
Noted grass songwriter Becky Buller composed this number using memories of that Barn Dance, assisted by Missy Raines and Alison Brown, and Special C has ridden it to the top of the charts. It is arranged as a duet between guitarist Rick Faris and mandoman Nate Burie, which suits the joyous tune just fine.
A music video is released today, complete with historical photos and clips of the band with the various guest artists. It shouldn’t be hard to recognize them all.
The new album is available now wherever you stream or download music online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct. CDs can be purchased directly from the band.
