Laura Orshaw with Slocan Ramblers and producer Stephen Mougin
Fiddler and vocalist Laura Orshaw may have left The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, but she hasn’t left her bluegrass music behind. A second project with Dark Shadow Recording is in the works, with a debut single to share early this year.
It’s her version of the Merle Haggard classic, Red Bandana, from 1979, done up grassy with the support of Canada’s Slocan Ramblers.
Laura described the impetus that led her to record this familiar number.
“When I moved to Nashville in January of 2023, I packed my Kia Soul full and drove from Boston to Pennsylvania to visit my parents, and then straight to my a new apartment in Hermitage that I rented sight unseen. Not long after getting to town, unpacked my record player and picked up a copy of Merle Haggard’s Serving 190 Proof album. It was the soundtrack to this transitional time in my life, covering the gamut of highs and lows – endings, beginnings, hopelessness, hope, reflection, and new direction.
Having toured heavily over the previous eight years (something I never dreamed I’d actually do!), Haggard’s cut Red Bandana really hit close to home as I reflected on how some things change while other things stay exactly the same after years of experience on the road. And on top of that the groovy beat and twin guitar riffs are absolutely infectious!
Re-envisioning this song bluegrass-style, and bringing it to life with the Slocan Ramblers, was a real joy.”
With Orshaw on fiddle and lead vocal, Frank Evans is on banjo, Darryl Poulsen on guitar, Adrian Gross on mandolin, and Charles James on bass. Evans and Poulsen provide the vocal harmonies.
Like so many of Haggard’s songs, it fits perfectly in a bluegrass setting, and Laura gives it a fine reading. Have a listen…
Laura’s Red Bandana is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
