Something a bit more direct this evening. I haven't featured a bluegrass influenced band yet on this blog. Of all the American genres associated with country, I find bluegrass the most restrictive in terms of where songs can go within that genre. However The Cujo Family manage to take that genre, shake it up and produce songs on cocaine, the dole and robbing stuff in Tesco.
The family as I shall address them have been round for a few years, since 2009. In that time they achieved quite a bit; played Electric Picnic a few times, and won the King Kong club competition to travel and perform in New York for St. Patrick's Day. The music is as I said takes its roots from bluegrass but the band add a lot more on to that with many different influences straying into the band's sound.
The band released their debut self-titled album in 2010. It is full of energy. You can feel the styles mingling throughout the album. That comes through in the rocky "Quick Fix" and "Iceberg Slim" or the more americana "Irene". My favourite off the album is the closing track "The Hours of The Wake". A foot stompin' rhythmic track that feels like it should go on forever.
Since the release of the album, the band have released the single "Sleep Lemonade" in 2011.The bands new single "Paris, the hate in my heart" which will feature on the new album "Stories of Ruin" feels like a more mature affair from the previous stuff. The song is a more traditional number though one with a great horns section, driving drums and solid production. The new album might be a thing of beauty.
The Cujo Family are on the Facebook and you can download the whole album for free of the bandcamp page. They would inspire you to take up the banjo.
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