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 We owe Josh Bearman of The Hot Seats a big thankyou for introducing us to the wonderful music of Furnace Mountain.
This band has been working quietly away at developing a distinctive take on rootsy Americana that is so sophisticated in places it’s as good as anything we have ever heard.
There’s a glorious Berryville, Virginia, earthiness to much of the fare, and the playing, understated arrangements and over-all presentation is sublime.
In vocalists Aimee Curl and Morgan Morrison, they have two gems who sparkle to give the songs a heart-lifting elevation on to a level rarely reached. They are diamonds but faceted in the old-fashioned rose-cut – not bright-cut way.
These girls were meant to be paired up for the task, made to sound so natural and unforced. Curl handles the double bass so sympathetically she should be held up as a bench mark example of the craft to everyone who fancies themselves as the band’s musical backbone.
Morrison plays guitar and bouzouki tenderly to doubly underline the fact that she knows just what is required to keep things nailed to perfection.
Then there’s David Van Deventer on fiddle, coorying in so closely and playing truly majestic music, at times funky too and superbly adventurous and clever. He has studied the instrument for twenty years and clearly understands all of its subtleties and textural possibilities. He can also jazz it up without heading for never-never land - in the same way that other greats (Casey Driessen, for instance) do.
And as if that ain’t enough, they have Danny Knicely handling mandolin chops and note-perfect runs the likes of which you have to search far and wide to encounter. The guy’s amazing!
Together, they play music that has a natural, rustic feel, is powerfully poignant and poetic in places - and as stirring as all of the real top dogs in the Celtic music tradition.
Spread the news: This is a band that will bring us comfort and joy until the end of time. |
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