Rock Hearts continues to carry the flag for New England bluegrass with their latest single for 615 Hideaway Records, The Last Log Drive.
Sam Tidwell, father of Rock Hearts mandolinist Billy Thibodeau, wrote the song as a protest against the modern changes in the logging industry in Maine. Tidwell, himself a major figure in the northeastern bluegrass community, now deceased, laments in The Last Log Drive how timber transport changed from floating logs down the river to the mills, to now being carried on 18 wheel logging trucks which clog up the rural roads.
Billy actually recalls seeing his dad writing the lyrics down, sitting at the kitchen table, when he was a boy. Thibodeau grew up in bluegrass, performing with his dad, whose actual last name is Thibodeau as well, and his uncle Bob with the Kennebec Valley Boys.
Other members of Rock Hearts include Joe Deetz on banjo, Alex Macleod on guitar, Austin Scelzo on fiddle, and Rick Brodsky on bass. Ned Luberecki was in the producer’s chair, recording at Dark Shadow studio.
Have a listen to The Last Log Drive.
The Last Log Drive is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and will appear on Rock Hearts’ upcoming Wanderlust album.
Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.
