POOR MAN'S WHISKEY
''DARK SIDE OF THE MOONSHINE, DISC TWO''
MAY 15 2009
96:39
**********
DISC ONE (48:18)
1 Speak to Me/Breathe 03:41
2 On the Run 02:31
3 Time 07:19
4 The Great Gig in the Sky 04:04
5 Whiskey 06:56
6 Us and Them 06:48
7 Any Colour You Like 03:03
8 Brain Damage 03:30
9 Eclipse 05:17
10 Three Years Gone 05:03
*****
DISC TWO (48:21)
1 Easy Come 07:39
2 With a Smile 06:16
3 By Your Side 05:05
4 Cousin Billy 03:44
5 Alley Tramp 05:24
6 Willie 09:01
7 Whiskey in Heaven 03:35
8 Caroline Daisy 02:44
9 Rock Star On the Weekend 04:49
**********
Jason Beard/Guitar, Mandolin
Josh Brough/Banjo, Keyboards
Eli Jebidiah/Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Theremin
George Smeltz/Drums
Aspen Stevenson/Bass
**********
REVIEW
Delite Rancher, Vine Voice
"Darkside of the Moonshine" features two discs. "Dark Side" is a bluegrass version of Pink Floyd's most popular album while "Moonshine" plays all original material by Poor Man's Whiskey. Sonically, "Moonshine," is patchouli soaked newgrass. There are moments that reminisce the Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" and others that bring to mind Crosby Stills, Nash and Young. For variety sake, the band mixes things up with steel guitar, electric guitar and a brass section. Like 'Rock Star on the Weekend,' there are humorous tunes and others that pertain to traveling and longing. As it turns out, whiskey drinkin' comes up more than once. Highlights include 'Easy Come' and 'Whiskey in Heaven' which feels like an Irish drinking song. Compared to bands like Yonder Mountain and Hot Buttered Rum, Poor Man's Whiskey is decidedly more focused on songs per se and less on improvisation. Another difference with the aforementioned bands is that Poor Man's Whiskey does not have the same vocal or song writing proficiency. The guys have their hearts in the right place but the band doesn't yet have the musical maturity of a group like Railroad Earth. In other words, you probably wouldn't be reading these words were it not for the other half of this release. Before that discussion, there's a conversation that should happen with the Floydian purists. For those who outright condemn the existence of a bluegrass version of "Dark Side of the Moon," let's keep in mind that a bluegrass tribute to the band already exists and the "Dark Side of the Moon" has specifically been done with reggae, electronica and a string quartet. With that out of the way, the 43 minute cover is good fun. Down home humor is distilled into much of the work. 'Speak to Me > Breathe' sets the tone. 'On the Run' features a banjo riff as porch dogs bark in the background. As a highlight, the verses in 'Time' are done in triple time. As a result, those passages have the power to inspire an impromptu barn dance -barn not included. Instead of David Gilmour's Stratocaster, the acoustic guitar and banjo trade licks. In 'The Great Gig in the Sky,' a fiddle plays Clare Torry's vocal solo. Poor Man's Whiskey cleverly rewrote the lyrics in 'Money' to fit the whiskey drinkin' hillbilly theme. The band approaches the vocal echoing in 'Us and Them' in a way that probably sounds great live but didn't translate so well to the studio. In any case, the penny whistle adds a beautiful touch to the song. A rockin' fiddle and steel guitar wail in the album's instrumental, 'Any Colour You Like.' The climax begins with 'Brain Damage' and 'Eclipse' is sped up to the speed of hoedown. In the end, listeners shouldn't expect any epiphanies listening to "Darkside of the Moonshine." The Pink Floyd original is a serious album while this cover is a light-hearted celebration with a decent production. Poor Man's Whiskey did the classic album with originality, charm and humor. With that in mind, I know what I'll be listening to the next time I crack open a bottle o'Jack!
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''DARK SIDE OF THE MOONSHINE, DISC TWO''
MAY 15 2009
96:39
**********
DISC ONE (48:18)
1 Speak to Me/Breathe 03:41
2 On the Run 02:31
3 Time 07:19
4 The Great Gig in the Sky 04:04
5 Whiskey 06:56
6 Us and Them 06:48
7 Any Colour You Like 03:03
8 Brain Damage 03:30
9 Eclipse 05:17
10 Three Years Gone 05:03
*****
DISC TWO (48:21)
1 Easy Come 07:39
2 With a Smile 06:16
3 By Your Side 05:05
4 Cousin Billy 03:44
5 Alley Tramp 05:24
6 Willie 09:01
7 Whiskey in Heaven 03:35
8 Caroline Daisy 02:44
9 Rock Star On the Weekend 04:49
**********
Jason Beard/Guitar, Mandolin
Josh Brough/Banjo, Keyboards
Eli Jebidiah/Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Theremin
George Smeltz/Drums
Aspen Stevenson/Bass
**********
REVIEW
Delite Rancher, Vine Voice
"Darkside of the Moonshine" features two discs. "Dark Side" is a bluegrass version of Pink Floyd's most popular album while "Moonshine" plays all original material by Poor Man's Whiskey. Sonically, "Moonshine," is patchouli soaked newgrass. There are moments that reminisce the Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" and others that bring to mind Crosby Stills, Nash and Young. For variety sake, the band mixes things up with steel guitar, electric guitar and a brass section. Like 'Rock Star on the Weekend,' there are humorous tunes and others that pertain to traveling and longing. As it turns out, whiskey drinkin' comes up more than once. Highlights include 'Easy Come' and 'Whiskey in Heaven' which feels like an Irish drinking song. Compared to bands like Yonder Mountain and Hot Buttered Rum, Poor Man's Whiskey is decidedly more focused on songs per se and less on improvisation. Another difference with the aforementioned bands is that Poor Man's Whiskey does not have the same vocal or song writing proficiency. The guys have their hearts in the right place but the band doesn't yet have the musical maturity of a group like Railroad Earth. In other words, you probably wouldn't be reading these words were it not for the other half of this release. Before that discussion, there's a conversation that should happen with the Floydian purists. For those who outright condemn the existence of a bluegrass version of "Dark Side of the Moon," let's keep in mind that a bluegrass tribute to the band already exists and the "Dark Side of the Moon" has specifically been done with reggae, electronica and a string quartet. With that out of the way, the 43 minute cover is good fun. Down home humor is distilled into much of the work. 'Speak to Me > Breathe' sets the tone. 'On the Run' features a banjo riff as porch dogs bark in the background. As a highlight, the verses in 'Time' are done in triple time. As a result, those passages have the power to inspire an impromptu barn dance -barn not included. Instead of David Gilmour's Stratocaster, the acoustic guitar and banjo trade licks. In 'The Great Gig in the Sky,' a fiddle plays Clare Torry's vocal solo. Poor Man's Whiskey cleverly rewrote the lyrics in 'Money' to fit the whiskey drinkin' hillbilly theme. The band approaches the vocal echoing in 'Us and Them' in a way that probably sounds great live but didn't translate so well to the studio. In any case, the penny whistle adds a beautiful touch to the song. A rockin' fiddle and steel guitar wail in the album's instrumental, 'Any Colour You Like.' The climax begins with 'Brain Damage' and 'Eclipse' is sped up to the speed of hoedown. In the end, listeners shouldn't expect any epiphanies listening to "Darkside of the Moonshine." The Pink Floyd original is a serious album while this cover is a light-hearted celebration with a decent production. Poor Man's Whiskey did the classic album with originality, charm and humor. With that in mind, I know what I'll be listening to the next time I crack open a bottle o'Jack!
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********