Larry Keel and Natural Bridge

1. Border Ride

2. Weary Heart

3. Lets Go the Fair

4. Farewell Blues

5. I Know You're Married

6. Poor Monroe

7. Gatherin Flowers

8. Heavy Traffic

9. Georgia Mail

10. Next Sunday Darlin

11. Dear Ole Pal

12. I Haven't Seen Mary

13. Groundhog

14. Durhams Bull

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge,Larry Keel,Natural Bridge,Contemporary Country,Rock/Pop

Larry Keel & Natural Bridge
Average customer rating:

and 1/2 ... This band picks well-established material with a vengeance

Larry Keel & Natural Bridge

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000AMJD0Q
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Customer Reviews:

and 1/2 ... This band picks well-established material with a vengeance.......2005-11-04

Playing Time - 39:48 -- Larry Keel's old Gibson guitar looks like it's been around, rode hard and put up wet. But it sure can put out some sound when he races through a flatpicking classic like "Farewell Blues." Fronting a quartet that plays "American Mountain Music," Keel is dedicated to preserving a traditional bluegrass sound with its rough vocal edges that actually lend to the band's charm. Natural Bridge is Mark Schimick (mandolin), Andy Thorne (banjo) and Jenny Keel (bass). All four band members sing. Keel's vocalizes with growling gusto, and some of the other band members occasionally sing the lead vocals such as Keel on "Gatherin Flowers." The CD jacket is remiss in not clearly identifying the vocalists on each song. Songwriter credits are not included either with only a statement that "all songs [are] traditional." Of course, some stem from the repertoires of Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and Grandpa Jones. Another suggestion that would've enhanced this material would have been to enlist the support of a guest fiddler.

Larry Keel was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, grew up around music, played bluegrass at Tokyo's Disneyland, and won the Telluride guitar contest a couple times. Larry met his wife, Jenny, at a bluegrass show in Lexington, Va. She's been playing bass for nearly a decade. Like Larry, North Carolinian Mark Schimick was exposed to bluegrass early in life. He pursued formal musical training (choir singing and classical piano) and later was a drummer in various bands before taking up mandolin about ten years ago. Banjo-player Andy Thorn may be only in his 20s, but he shows a strong aptitude and skill with the 5-string. He's played with Big Fat Gap, the Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band, and took first place at the Rockygrass banjo contest in Lyons, CO. He's currently studying jazz guitar at UNC.

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge's debut album shows that this band can pick with a vengeance. They draw from the well-established bluegrass canon that has plenty of support. Keel's vision is to nurture and preserve America's musical heritage while letting it inspire his own writing and playing. So, in that sense, this talented band is walking on a "natural bridge" that stretches from the old tradition to their own musical epilogue today that builds on this heritage. The Keels also just happen to hail from Natural Bridge, Va. at present. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Music Album:

Music Album