Music Review
Band: The Salt Miners
Title: Dressed For Excess

Bluegrass / Folk / Acoustic

I’m going to be honest and say that, generally speaking, I very much dislike Bluegrass music. But then I discovered The Salt Miners.

The Salt Miners are a goodtime band with amusing lyrics. When I first heard them a few months ago I was immediately taken by them. I mean, I actually paid for a Bluegrass cd !?! Now, that’s really saying something.

My knowledge of Bluegrass is slim. My dad use to play the banjo for fun, I’ve seen the '70s TV show Heehaw way too many times, and I went to a Johnson Mountain Boys concert in Chicago when I was young. That pretty much sums up my exposure to the stuff.

What I do know is that Bluegrass usually doesn’t come across sounding like a Cake-esque band playing with a banjo, harmonica, mandolin, and resonator guitar. In addition to Bluegrass, Folk, and Acoustic lovers, I think that the Salt Miners would appeal to many Indie, Alternative, and Pop / Rock music enthusiasts as well. Great musicianship is not a question here either. Their song writing, pop / rock vocals, creative take on traditional works, and instrument playing make them a real force. At times I do hear a twinkle of the fabulous Camper Van Beethoven. That’s a nice little topper.

Original SM highlights on their full-length cd, ‘ Dressed For Excess’ (Woodshed Records, 2005) are: ‘Contraband’, ‘Grand Am Girl’, ‘Girl Of Mine’, ‘Marybelle’, and ‘Hell On Earth’.

Traditional Bluegrass highlights on this cd are: ‘Ripsaw’, ‘Columbus Stockade Blues’, ‘Freight Train’, ‘Roll Down The Line’, ‘Y’all Come’, ‘San Francisco Bay Blues’, ‘Not Waiting’, and ‘Rough Times’.

There isn’t a dud song on this whole 14-track cd! Their version of ‘Y’all Come’ is absolutely awesome by the way.

Links:
Music clips
Official Salt Miners