Dave's Music #55 Resonant Rogues - Straight to Tape at Bigtone Records
For review Thursday I scrolled through my library for what I've been enjoying and what I wanted to learn more about. You thought I was writing this for you, ha. I typically learn much more and walk away with a heightened appreciation of the releases I review. Today I landed on The Resonant Rogues who quickly have been in FOUR Mixes to date. Again, I don't exactly remember what lured me to their bandcamp page, but quickly I decided I was going to buy something. I bounced around until I said heck with it, I'm buying everything they have released and took them up on their offer of a 15% discount. Likely it's their eclectic writing style that has them hitting many more themes than just your average love or relationship songs.
Part of my deep dive also is reading reviews. I absolutely love them more after I read the article in The Bluegrass Standard by Susan Marquez. She captured exactly what I thought of Sparrow, "Sparrow is the female half of Resonant Rogues. She only has one name, and it suits her. Pretty and petite, with blonde hair done up in a vintage style. Her big smile and comforting openness made me feel as if we’d known each other forever." She then explained how they met, and that my home state of Wisconsin is in the mix of the variety of home places, and how their international travel influences their music styles.
The next review that I found hit home to my listening to their music was in the Sleep Shaman Webzine Again this hits on the styles merged together, in my description of their song Waiting for the Rain I simply state that it stirs my gypsy blood.
The strength of The Resonant Rogues, apart from their near telepathic connection when performing, is the ability to surprise you and combine their talents, both in terms of musical dexterity and how well their vocal styles complement each other, Smith with the, pardon the pun, resonating baritone and Sparrow’s elegant, unique and quirky style that sets them apart from other acts. Not only that, but as the tracks rush by, in what feels like no time at all, they show that despite the old timey association with folk and bluegrass music, they are thoroughly modern. How many country songs would you expect to hear the lyrics ‘the tumultuous relationship between time and space’ sung by Smith
Oh my, I know I'm hooked, let's try to get you hooked.
The release was recorded at Bigtone Records on vintage 40's and 50's equipment. I had to go look to see what that looked like, check out pictures they have on the Facebook page.
1) Dusk and Dawn
Notes say Written during Sparrow's mentorship at the John C. Campbell Folk School, an observation and meditation on liminal spaces.
lyrics
when her mama tore the yard out in pursuit of victory
and as she worked and weeded, picked and processed, put away
well her mama sang this song to her nearly every day
Chorus-
Well as surely as the sun does light the morning in the east
I will work as many hours as it takes to let you eat
And as surely as the sun does paint the evening in the west
Well you are the darling of my heart, the treasure I love best
She met a man and married him in 1955
it was only one year later that their child did arrive
In ways the world was easier if a woman walked the line
but the heartbreak of a mother is a father who's unkind
The yelling years they rolled right up to 1962
when this worn and weary woman did just what she had to do
Driving out of town with just a suitcase and a song
and the sweet voice of that little girl kept her rolling right along
Chorus
I will work as many hours as it takes to let you eat
And as surely as the sun does paint the evening in the west
Well you are the darling of my heart, the treasure I love best
Well her daughter had a daughter in 1981
and just as the saying says, a mother's work is never done
Her daughter worked the night shift and the daddy was long gone
so she rocked that baby every night, and sang to her this song
