nathan bowles
a bottle, a buckeye
soft abuse
this spacious, rollicking, meditative, & above all powerful banjo record bridges the methods of his groups, black twig pickers & pelt.
armed only with a 5-string openback banjo (built by nathan's neighbour) & a bottle of Elmer T. Lee, bowles' recent focus on the instrument's possibilities is on full display here; bowed & drummed textures, clawhammer boogie, & sidewinding are all explored. with a mixture of traditional folk tunes, original compositions, & reinterpretations of material from players who've passed on, 'a bottle, a buckeye' is a varied ride with a serious player at the helm.
