Chris Thile & Michael Daves Duo

[Kirk Albrecht]

I got mine today as well. It's one of the best things I have heard in a long time. Wow - what great playing, raw and visceral and full of passion. While not flamenco, these guys have "duende." Should be in line for a Grammy next year.

[SternART]

This CD is really great.....I did some comparison listening last night of this CD to the Monroe Bros. / Skaggs & Rice / as well as Bill & Doc on Smithsonian Folkways/ and the Doc & Grisman stuff from "Home is Where the Heart is". And while I like "Sleep with One Eye Open"......a lot..... and think it is really interesting getting the next generation's take on some of this classic material......and they make it almost new again...... I thought it could have been recorded better..........especially with the analog 8 track & vintage mics. Or, maybe they wanted it to sound this raw, and have an edge......so if that is the case, they were successful. I know Skaggs & Rice was recorded at Arch Street on an old analog 8 track......and to my ears it just has a better mix & sound, especially the remix done in 2000.......it sounds like 2 guys standing in the room playing. And Grisman is known for great sound on his recordings. All in all a great addition to have in the genre & I'm sure this will even get a few die hard BGers to give Chris a try. They rip some of these tunes so fast & play very creatively, one idea after another in the solos......and aside from a few prettier tunes, it is hardcore..........just go for it type playing. An impressive outing in my opinion.

[grassrootphilosopher]

...interesting thread. If I´m not mistaken, the initial post wanted to steer away from the "I like"/"I dislike" path and concentrate on what you heard and why. Three pages later I hardly read one opinion expressed that focused on the recording (musicianship).

I find it interesting to compare a recording effort of this kind to the time proven records and find similarities and differences as well as thinking about the way to play music under such a perspective.

As it has been mentioned referrence recordings are Doc & Dawg, Home Is Where The Heart Is (David Grisman, Curley Seckler, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs in the "Brother Duet"-recordings; otherwise the record is a great musical compilation), Doc Watson/Bill Monroe Duets on Rounder, Skaggs & Rice, Monroe Brothers on Bluebird and may I say The Hunger Mountain Boys.

These recordings all have been recorded under specific circumstances in their days, especially the live Doc and Bill recordings in the eighties (live) and the early Monroe Bros recordings. This makes it prohibitive for me to compare the recorded sound with respect to its recording technique.

What interests me is the musical interplay between the musicians. The fewer musicians take part in a recording the more the participating musicians must focus on playing what fits the song/tune and the aditional instrument. This gets especially complicated when natural lead instruments (mandolin) provide rythm behind a natural acompaniment instrument (guitar). The fewer the instruments are in a recording the more noticable the vocal arrangement gets also.

What I noticed listening to the videos while comparing them to the above mentioned recordings is this. The vocals sometimes do not blend. This may be due to the speed of some of the tunes (Rabbit In A Log/Feast Here Tonight) or due to the fact that starting to sing when you´re tearing off some speed-lick is a high difficulty task to perform (same video). I also find that in the harmony arrangements some harmonies do not really match (You´re Running Wild "...how ... go on...".) This may be due to my listening experience concerning my musical tastes but as we are dealing with "Brother Duets" I feel inclined to expect a certain musical language. Maybe that´s just my perception but at this high octane speed do the two musicians are holding the beat? Sometimes I seem to hear slight dents in the beat, especially when Thile pulls of some of his experimental rythmical licks. Here I think taste dominates. While I think that Thile is perfectly at ease playing complicated Bach music I see that here he tries to pull off raw power. That´s his right and he certainly has fun doing so. But is it me or is he sometinmes a little bit strained? I think that Feast Here Tonight would have benefited from a little less speed, a little more focus on the vocal arrangement, some more real interplay between the instruments (Sleep With Oney Eye Open - while I like the rythmical aproach) and a little breathing space within the notes (Thile´s solos, whereas I think he somewhat drowns out MD´s solos with his rythm).

For Feast Here Tonight I´d like to explain my point of view by referring to the vocal arrangements of the following clips. The Rice & Rice clip also shows breathing space and musical interplay between the instruments.

If you listen to the aforementioned recordings I think you´ll might also see my point (while there´s no need to agree). Other than that I appreciate the duo aproach to music.

[Ken_P]

For Feast Here Tonight I´d like to explain my point of view by referring to the vocal arrangements of the following clips. The Rice & Rice clip also shows breathing space and musical interplay between the instruments.

I guess I'm just coming from a different angle, but comparing the clips you posted of that song to the Thile/Daves version, I find those videos to be incredibly dull. Not only are they much higher energy, but they still play with more control and precision - listen to the little lick that Thile plays at the very end, he manages to make it both blisteringly fast and elegant at the same time. Then again, I will concede that I really don't like the song in general. I admire the playing and energy that Thile and Daves put into it, but the singing leaves me completely cold no matter who's doing it.

[Dave Gumbart]

I got the cd on Saturday,and have given it a listen one time through. I enjoyed it quite a bit and look forward to additional listens. From the liner notes (which are not in front of me at the moment), Chris and Michael state that they wanted to be sure to respect and connect to the original tunes, but, based on where they both are living, that they also wanted to be sure to bring to the project some New York, Lower East Side punk energy. So, yeah, I'd say the rawness and edginess Art referred to is clearly there by design.

Now I have to figure out if I can get up to Boston to see them play in 2 weeks.

[SternART]

[QUOTE=Dave Gumbart / Now I have to figure out if I can get up to Boston to see them play in 2 weeks.[/QUOTE]

I'd go if I were that close!

[Mandotarian]

Does anyone have any extra tickets for the show tomorrow night? I live in NYC and the Rockwood shows keep selling out before I can grab a ticket! I don't have the album yet but have watched the videos and am really looking forward to purchasing a copy.

[BradKlein]

I notice that they've added a July 20th show at Bell House, which is a nice big bar in Brooklyn. Very excited to see the kick off show tonight. I have to think about my fiddle tune requests...

[Larry S Sherman]

I guess I'm just coming from a different angle, but comparing the clips you posted of that song to the Thile/Daves version, I find those videos to be incredibly dull. Not only are they (Thile/Daves) much higher energy, but they still play with more control and precision - listen to the little lick that Thile plays at the very end, he manages to make it both blisteringly fast and elegant at the same time. Then again, I will concede that I really don't like the song in general. I admire the playing and energy that Thile and Daves put into it, but the singing leaves me completely cold no matter who's doing it.

I totally agree, and chalk that up to my personal tastes.

I wish I had a chance to see the duo near me. Hopefully they'll make an appearance later in the year.

Larry

[BradKlein]

This CD is really great.....I did some comparison listening last night of this CD to the Monroe Bros. / Skaggs & Rice / as well as Bill & Doc on Smithsonian Folkways/ and the Doc & Grisman stuff from "Home is Where the Heart is". And while I like "Sleep with One Eye Open"......a lot..... and think it is really interesting getting the next generation's take on some of this classic material......and they make it almost new again......

Art - I took the same approach. Made a playlist in iTunes with Skaggs and Rice, Sleep..., and a handful of the original versions and pondered the different approaches, and the different recordings. My first reaction was, "Oh no! It doesn't sound like Skaggs and Rice!" and it really took some effort for me to get past that one thought. I guess I'm pretty conservative in my own way. I'm still pondering their 'sound', and enjoying thinking it over.

[Bigd18]

They will playing at the Down by the River Festival in Roanoke, VA this Friday.

http://downbytheriver.org/

[Tracey]

I hope they get around to releasing a DVD of the performance that most of these video's came from. The little corner stage, the black and white production, the energy, the interaction, very very cool. I'd love to see the entire performance. 'specially since I can't make one of their tour dates.

[wildpikr]

Mine arrived yesterday from the pre-orders...good stuff! There's a raw-sounding aspect that I like.

In reply to Chris and Michael [at the end of the interview], if you made another record I'd listen to it; I hope you do it again.

[Rob Fowler]

I just got the cd yesterday (finally!!!) and I'm loving it but like others it's taking me a little getting used to the "raw" sound of the recording. That version of Tennessee Blues is pretty smokin'!

On another note.....I was looking on iTunes last night and was surprised to see that there is a deluxe version of this recording which has the following extra songs/tunes: Sophronie, Sweet Little Miss Blue Eyes, Brown County Breakdown, Back Up and Push, and a video (like all their other Vimeos) of Man In the Middle. I'm a little bummed that nothing was mentioned of this deluxe version anywhere as I would have definitely gotten it if I had the option. Maybe it's just exclusively on iTunes?

Did anybody else know about this? I know it wasn't ever mentioned on this thread so I'm guessing not?

Overall a must-have recording, I think.

[JeffD]

... I think that Feast Here Tonight would have benefited from a little less speed, a little more focus on the vocal arrangement, some more real interplay between the instruments (Sleep With Oney Eye Open - while I like the rythmical aproach) and a little breathing space within the notes

I think you have a real good point here. I think it can be chalked up to changes in taste over time. We are comparing the real deal, (Jake and Josh and the Rices), with a modern "re-creation" of that genre of music. Thile and Daves do a really amazing and wonderful job, IMO, but they do apply, (or fail to remove) their modern musical sensibility - which includes a bit more muscle and power and "dang we are good" over a relaxed "just folks playin music for ya" presentation. Thile and Daves do their version, with their stamp, and it is a valid and IMO delightful version, but it is a product of this century, not the last.

I really love the two clips you put up, and I also love the new version.

One thing is apparent - Thile and Daves have lovingly put this together. Its obvious that while one can never totally subtract your own individual influence, they are very much respecting and paying homage to the music the way it was played. There is no deliberate attempt to "take this in a radically new direction", thank goodness.

[danb]

Picked it up myself.. really enjoying it, lots of soul and feeling in that music!

[Aran]

Couldn't stand it anymore... just ordered it.... Blimey it's gonna be ages before it gets to Ireland....

[msh_mando]

In watching the "little girl of mine in TN" video, Chris' mando looks to have a scalloped fingerboard extension. Is that his Loar? Anybody know the story there?

[mritter]

I too saw those extra tracks on iTunes. Unfortunately, you have to buy the entire album to get them and I already have the CD.

[Jeff Budz]

Itunes had a "Delux Version" of Antifogmatic too with extra songs and goodies. It just doesn't pay to buy the CD anymore...

[Rob Fowler]

Itunes had a "Delux Version" of Antifogmatic too with extra songs and goodies. It just doesn't pay to buy the CD anymore...

Right, but as far as I can tell, the ONLY extra track on the iTunes version was the Radiohead cover. When the P. Brothers released Antifogmatic they gave the option to buy just the Antifogmatic album or get it with the extra cd of intrumentals + the PBingo night DVD. The iTunes version of "Sleep With One Eye Open" had SIX extra tracks and it just didn't seem to be mentioned as an option anywhere. Bummer.

Nonetheless it's STILL an amazing recording.

[Mike Black]

I just bought the 4 extra bonus tracks and video on iTunes by themselves.

[Ken_P]

Does anybody know if the bonus tracks are available somewhere other than iTunes? I can't stand iTunes (or Apple in general) and refuse to give them my money even if they have something exclusive that I would otherwise want.

[Mike Black]

Don't forget you can pre-order the 7" vinyl single, "Man In The Middle" b/w "Blue Night" (prod by Jack White III) today!!! I've ordered mine.

[Rob Fowler]

I just bought the 4 extra bonus tracks and video on iTunes by themselves.

Yup...I guess that's the option.