#michael daves

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Tony Trischka’s Earl Jam - “Kentucky Bullfight”

Sound Bites couldn’t tell ya what a Kentucky bullfight might look like - he’s from backward Oiho after all - but in Tony Trischka's capable hands, “Kentucky Bullfight” sounds right fine.

Taking the rotating-guests concept of his recent Earl Jam LP to the stage, the banjoist was captured on video performing the “Bullfight” with assistance from fiddler Brittany Haas, guitarist Micheal Daves and bassist Jared Engel.

The music crests and breaks like waves as first Hass, then Daves and, finally, Trischka step toward the mic to solo on their unplugged instruments. They’re not a regular band, but, if “Kentucky Bullfight” is any indication, they’re as tight as just about any working band out there at the moment.

Grade card: Tony Trischka’s Earl Jam - “Kentucky Bullfight” - A

9/20/24

[somethingvinyl]

Decade in Review #2: The Best Albums of 2011

Every day for the last 10 days of the 2010′s, I will post my personal top albums for each year of the 2010′s. Today, 2011:

1.     St Vincent, Strange Mercy 2.     Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials 3.     Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two 4.     Black Keys, El Camino 5.     Tune Yards, WHOKILL 6.     Chris Thile & Michael Daves, Sleep With One Eye Open 7.     Tom Waits, Bad As Me 8.     Abigail Washburn, City of Refuge 9.     AJJ, Knife Man 10.  Adele, 21

Honorable Mention: Mastodon, The Hunter; Sarah Jarosz, Follow Me Down

I’m not big on St. Vincent’s first two albums, and her third really kicks up the levels on everything: songwriting, musicianship, that je ne sais quoi that makes a record truly great. Florence’s first two albums are brilliant front to back, and Ceremonials was my introduction to her music. The Beasties album might be a ringer, since it was supposed to come out in 2009 and they only released it once it was clear Adam Yauch wasn’t getting better (RIP). The Black Keys had a narrow window of time in which their music was vital and essential, but man it was a good window. Tune Yards is inventive and funky, Thile & Daves make an incredible ruckus from two people, two mics, and a bunch of very old tunes. Tom Waits and Abigail Washburn turn out records that are great representations of who they are as artists even if neither is terribly surprising. AJJ veers between caustic brilliance and tastelessness as always, and Adele sets the pop world on fire effectively enough that even a hipster curmudgeon like me gives her her due.

[nonesuchrecords]

It was 15 years ago today: mandolinist Chris Thile and guitarist Michael Daves's Sleep with One Eye Open was released on Nonesuch. The album—a collection of 16 traditional tunes by bluegrass legends like The Monroe Brothers, The Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Flatt & Scruggs—was recorded live to tape over four days at Jack White's Third Man studio in Nashville. You can hear it here.

The duo makes for "a rip-roaring partnership," says the New York Times. "Bluegrass, in their hands, gets roughed up in the best possible way, with skill and fervor, and a touch of abandon."

[nonesuchrecords]

It was 10 years ago today: Michael Daves' double album Orchids and Violence was released. Its two discs contain identical track listings of mostly traditional bluegrass tunes, including songs by bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley. The first disc has acoustic takes performed with bassist Mike Bub, mandolinist Sarah Jarosz, and Punch Brothers banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Brittany Haas. The second includes bass, drums, and electric guitar, mostly played by Daves, with an experimental rock take on those tunes. The vinyl edition, Violence and Orchids, was released later that year. You can get it and hear it here.

"A roots-music master class, a brilliant example of old modes reinhabited with flair," says the New York Times. "To his credit, it can be hard to pick which version of a tune is best.”

[onenakedfarmer]

Playing

Chris Thile and Michael Daves SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN

[allmusic]

AllMusic Staff Pick: Michael Daves / Chris Thile Sleep with One Eye Open

Recorded over four days at Jack White's Third Man studios in Nashville, Sleep with One Eye Open may Chris Thile fans. While his technical acumen remains uncontested, the addition of blistering bluegrass singer/guitarist Michael Daves and notorious engineering luddite White has helped temper Thile's signature refinements into something raw and primal.

- James Monger

[nonesuchrecords]

It was 10 years ago today: Chris Thile & Michael Daves' Sleep with One Eye Open was released on Nonesuch—16 traditional tunes by bluegrass legends like The Monroe Brothers, The Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Flatt & Scruggs. "A rip-roaring partnership." —New York Times

You can hear it again here.

[nonesuchrecords]

Chris Thile, Michael Daves, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan will perform at New York Plays & Sings Nashville, a benefit concert to support those affected by the tornado that hit Nashville and Middle Tennessee last week. The concert will take place at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Friday, March 27. All proceeds will be donated to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund as administered by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.