Lonesome River Band head honcho Sammy Shelor brings in a different sound for their latest Mountain Home Music single, and indeed on their upcoming album, Telegrass.
Everyone in bluegrass knows of Sammy’s accolades with the ol’ five string, winning IBMA Banjo Player of the Year five times, and being the 2011 recipient of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. But he is also a fine country-style electric guitar player, and an aficionado of the “chicken pickin'” sound, as exemplified by artists like Albert Lee, James Burton, and Pete Anderson.
In the early days of LRB he was wont to break out his own Tele to lay down some hot guitar licks on stage, and of late has been inviting Nashville superpicker Rod Riley along to play with them some on the road.
We get to hear some of that twangy Tele on this latest release, titled simply Blues, which Shelor says takes the feeling expressed in the title in an unexpected direction.
“We’ve all had the ‘blues’ in our lives, but this Adam Wright song sees the ‘blues’ in a whole different light. I’’s a light-hearted break from the sad songs — one that we have a ton of fun with. Featuring our good friend Rod Riley on the Telecaster, it comes from our upcoming Telegrass project.”
Mandolinist Adam Miller sings the lead, supported by Shelor on banjo, Jesse Smathers on guitar and tenor vocal, Mike Hartgrove on fiddle, and Kameron Keller on bass. Riley adds the slinky electric guitar.
Like everything from these guys do, it’s a snappy track. Check it out.
Blues is available now from popular download and streaming services online.
