IVAN ROSENBERG: Clawhammer and Dobro

Ivan Rosenberg

Clawhammer and Dobro

© 2006 Ivan Rosenberg (837101193597)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

(About MP3 downloads at CD Baby)

Old-time/modern bluegrass dobro (resonator guitar) and clawhammer banjo. "One of the best instrumental albums I've heard this year" - Donald Nitchie, Banjo Newsletter. "A musical delight, a welcome variation from the ordinary" - Bluegrass Unlimited

notes

Dobro and banjo player Ivan Rosenberg has released 4 CDs of mostly-original instrumentals and an instructional DVD. Bluegrass Unlimited magazine wrote, "It is only a matter of time until Ivan Rosenberg becomes universally recognized as one of the more prolific masters of the resonator guitar," and Banjo Newsletter editor Donald Nitchie wrote that Ivan's latest CD Clawhammer and Dobro was one of the best instrumental recordings of the year.

Ivan currently plays select festivals and concerts with alt. bluegrass band The Breakmen and with the old time/world music quartet Mighty Squirrel. Ivan has also performed and/or recorded with many top musicians including Billy Cardine and Mary Lucey of The Biscuit Burners, Chris Stuart & Backcountry, Chad Manning, Hit & Run, Jake Schepps, Julie Elkins & David Thompson, Ben Winship, and Mike Grigoni.

Ivan's workshop experience includes The Sore Fingers Week bluegrass camp in the UK (2004), the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop (2003-2007), the California Bluegrass Association music camp in California (2004, 2005), and Camp He Ho Ha in Edmonton, Alberta. This year's workshops include The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop and the BCBW. Ivan currently gives dobro and clawhammer banjo lessons 3 or 4 days per month at The 5th String in Berkeley, CA.

Ivan’s original music has appeared in several film and television scores including Jerry Bruckheimer/Warner Brothers Films' Kangaroo Jack, HBO's Making Deadwood: The Show Behind the Show, Comedy Central's The Daily Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and High Plains Films' acclaimed documentary Libby, Montana.

TV/Film Score Highlights and Select Discography

Television
* Comedy Central TV series "The Daily Show"
* The Oprah Winfrey Show: "Oprah's Favorite Sandwich in America"
* HBO series/DVD: "Deadwood: The Complete First Season - Making Deadwood Featurette"
* CMT/Kinky Friedman series: "Go Kinky"
* HBO Series: "Cathouse"
* CMT series: "The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search"
* CMT Insider Special Edition: "Larry the Cable Guy"
* The Biography Channel show: "The Writers: Tolstoy"
* CMT series: "Muzik Mafia"
* MTV: "Your Movie Show: Dukes of Hazzard"
* Animal Planet show: "White House Pets"
* History Channel show: "Investigating History"
* MTV: "Room Raiders"
* VH1 show: "Child Star Babylon"
* Discovery Channel show/DVD: "Extreme Engineering: Cooper River Bridge"
* VH1 series: "Driven: Tim McGraw"

Film

* Warner Brothers/Jerry Bruckheimer Film/DVD: "Kangaroo Jack"
* Universal Studios Sci Fi DVD: "Serenity"
* High Plains Films Documentary (narrated by Christopher Reeve): "American Values/American Wilderness"
* High Plains Films Documentary original music: "Caught in the Headlights"
* High Plains Films 2004 Documentary/2005 DVD: "Libby, Montana"

CDs:

* Ivan Rosenberg and Billy Cardine: "The Donkeys"
* Mighty Squirrel
* Ivan Rosenberg & Mike Conroy: "The Old Spinning Wheel"
* Ivan Rosenberg: "Clawhammer and Dobro"
* The Breakmen (dobro/producer): "The Breakmen"
* Julie Elkins and David Thompson: "My Feet Won't Miss this Ground"
* Lorenzo Gangi: "Fistful of Lonesome"
* Jake Shepps: "Expedition"
* Ivan Rosenberg CD: “Ashes and Coals”
* Slow Drag CD: "Slow Fidelity"
* IBMA World of Bluegrass Showcase Artist Compilation CD
* Chris Stuart & Backcountry CD: “Mojave River”
* Chad Manning CD: “Old Gnarly Oak”
* Chris Stuart & Backcountry CD: “Saints and Strangers"
* Iron Lasso CD: “Live in Parkfield”
* Ivan Rosenberg CD: “Back to the Pasture”
* Ivan Rosenberg CD (OOP): “The Lost Coast” (2001)

Instructional:

* Learn Roots Music DVD: "Bluegrass Dobro with Ivan Rosenberg"
* Monthly resonator guitar column for Mel Bay's Guitar Sessions


Highlights:

* New Voices in Slide Guitar tour with Steve Dawson, Rachelle Van Zanten, and Doug Cox (2007)
* Pickathon, OR (2007)
* San Francisco Bluegrass and Old Time Festival (2007)
* Beanblossom "Uncle Pen Days" Bluegrass Festival, IN (2006)
* Blueberry Bluegrass Festival, Edmonton AB (2006)
* Wintergrass (Reso-Mania) (2006)
* Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival (2005)
* RockyGrass, Lyons, CO (2005)
* British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop (2003-2007)
* Vancouver Island Music Festival (2005)
* California Bluegrass Association Music Camp and Father's Day Festival (2004, 2005)
* IBMA official showcase, Louisville, KY (2004)
* Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival, NJ (2004)
* Sore Fingers Week Bluegrass School in England (2004)
* Darrington Bluegrass Festival, WA (2004)
* Sisters Folk Festival, OR (2004)
* Blythe Bluegrass Festival, CA (2004)
* Tri-State Festival, Kendalville, IN (2004)
* Bluegrass on the River Festival, AZ (2004)
* 2nd Place at Telluride Band Contest with Nine Pound Hammer (2000); 4th Place with The Crazy Water String Band (1996)

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

  • a beautifully rendered small masterpiece
    author: Robert Amyot - Trad Magazine, France

    Par la magie du re-recording, Ivan Rosenberg nous gratifie d’une galette où il joue, avec une brillance et un équilibre inégalés, l’openback old time banjo et le dobro (guitare à système de résonateur). Quelques invités viennent délicatement enrober le tout avec une touche de mandoline, une ligne de basse et un soupçon de violon, ou devrais-je dire “fiddle”. Nous voici en présence d’un petit chef-d’œuvre de pièces originales plutôt bien tournées, sauf pour la chanson traditionnelle “Poor Ellen Smith”, délicieusement arrangée. Une musique qui avance sans à-coups, sans accélérations brusques. De la fraîcheur, oui, avec ces nouveaux morceaux, mais une chaleur de timbres à couper le souffle. Et en avant que les images défilent comme un paysage de chaque côté d’un hypothétique “highway” qui n’en finirait pas. Le swing est constant, la pulse sans pareil. Les tempos, longtemps éprouvés, sont parfaits, idéaux. Pour ce qui est de titres évocateurs : “Skunk Ate the Mothballs” (Le putois a mangé la naphtaline) ; “Pig Shack” (La cabane aux cochons) ; ou encore, tenez-vous bien, “Hamish’s Morphine Pill” (et là je vous laisse traduire). Translated: With the magic of multi-tracking, Ivan Rosenberg pleases us with a "gallette" (a plain cake that's a vehicle for the chef's imagination) on which he plays oldtime openback banjo and dobro (resonator guitar) with unequaled brilliance and poise. A select few have been invited to help delicately drape the whole with a touch of mandolin, a bass line, a dash of violin or should I say fiddle. We are in the presence of a beautifully rendered small masterpiece of original tunes and one traditional song, Poor Ellen Smith, which have been deliciously arranged. This is music that unfolds without jarring bumps or sudden accelerations. There is a freshness to these new pieces, yes, but also a warmth of sound that takes the breath away. It evokes images that pass before the eyes like the landscape on each side of a hypothetical highway that will never end. The swing is constant, the pulse is unparalleled. The tempos are well tested, perfect, ideal. The titles are strangely evocative: Skunk Ate the Mothballs, Pig Shack, or even, brace yourself Hamish's Morphine Pill.

  • Among the best instrumental CDs of 2006. It will inspire and delight
    author: Banjo Newsletter

    One of the best instrumental recordings I've heard this year is Ivan Rosenberg's Clawhammer and Dobro. Ivan is a banjo and resonator guitar player who writes simply irresistable tunes in that wide-open, almost-no-man's-land between contemporary bluegrass and old time, similar to Mark Johnson and Mark Schatz... While I'm assuming that Ivan is mostly a dobro player, his clawhammer playing and the tunes he writes for clawhammer will inspire and delight those who are interested in where clawhammer will be going next. If that sounds like you, get this cd. --Donald Nitchie, Banjo Newsletter Dec. 2006

  • ...and 1/2 .... Ivan's a master at creating musical moods
    author: Joe Ross

    Playing Time – 37:16 -- It’s a fact that many musicians learn another instrument before learning resonator guitar. In Ivan Rosenberg’s case, I presume that he might have mastered guitar or banjo back in Missouri before transferring some of his musical skills to the Dobro. Now, the Bellingham, Wa. resident plays his original tunes with the same kind of stirring soul and emotion that they’d be sung if they had been composed with lyrics. While some of his tunes evoke vivacious spirit into your dancin’ shoes, Ivan seems particularly adept at mood creation. Some of his tunes produce a vocal-like atmosphere, while others seem to forge a soulful interplay of instruments. Take, for instance, his banjo and Dobro harmony on the opening cut. We could’ve used some more of that sweet harmony here and there, like perhaps in “Skunk Ate the Mothballs” or in “Rope-a-Dope” where we’re only given a very minute taste of harmony in the tune’s ending. When reviewing a resonator guitar project, I particularly listen for good intonation control (getting all the notes just right on pitch with your left hand). That’s got to take a lot of practice and skill, and Ivan’s well-rehearsed success is most apparent when he is challenged with fast-moving slides in the second track, “Quackalactic Breakdown,” and truckin’ break on “Rope-a-Dope.” For a change-up at track five, Ivan and co. sing one number, a different kind of futuristic rendition of “Poor Ellen Smith.” At least 180-degrees from Jimmy Martin’s version, Ivan’s rendition of the North Carolina murder ballad incorporates considerable discretion with lyrics and melody as he sings “Nobody knows how I love Ellen, nobody knows.” While his story line lacks all the details of the original lyrics, Ivan’s tale hits the basic essentials of Ellen being shot, her body carried away, and the warden freeing the prisoner. The boy’s clearly cut his teeth on traditional music at some point in his career before embarking on his innovative route of originality. Clawhammer banjo and Dobro are very complementary instruments that work well together in the hands of a proficient player like Ivan who has an extensive discography (as both soloist and session musician), along with many TV and film credits. Mood-master Rosenberg also primarily calls on splendid acousticians Mason Tuttle (guitar, bass, mandolin) and David Keenan (National resophonic guitar). Chad Manning adds his fiddle wizardry to one cut, “Big Arm Montana,” and Mary Lucey’s eerie harmony is only heard on the one haunting vocal number. Jon Stickley’s mandolin only appears in the mix of “Big Arm Montana” and “Pig Shack.” Thus, arrangements are very clean with just enough instrumentation to make for clarion sound. Tuttle’s lead guitar break (and solid bass foundation) on “The Creptid Mule” are noteworthy. The album, recorded at Indidog Studio in North Carolina, gets full-bodied tonal contributions from the instruments. The set canters along with moderately-tempo’ed pieces, and perhaps a little more variety in tempo (along with a “chad” more fiddle) would have taken us through a few more up’s and down’s along the 37-minute buoyant journey. “Terrapenne” may be only a minute and a half, but the slower solo piece provides an opportunity for the set to breathe and blossom. This album would be a perfect listen while cruising along the Blue Ridge Parkway on some other scenic backcounty byway on a beautiful spring day. The vernal nature of this album is its very strength. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

  • wonderful blends of instruments, fun flavor, good listening!
    author: California Bluegrass Association Newsletter

    Ivan Rosenberg is an accomplished master of resophonic guitar and clawhammer banjo and while the two instruments are seldom paired together, he’s managed to marry the sounds of the two into a happy and fruitful union. Ivan’s banjo playing has a strong melodic flavor and his resophonic guitar happily bends and turns and fills the musical pools with sustained melodies. Mason Tuttle’s guitar and mandolin add rhythms and contrasts to many of the songs. The songs range from fast-paced, bluegrass inspired tunes to melodic minor key excursions like the “The Creptid Mule.” “Pig Shack” has a call and response response melody with the dobro and mandolin that has all the energy of a pile of pigs jockeying for top porker. Even without Ivan’s colorful titles, the wonderful blends of the instruments have a fun flavor that makes the songs good listening and a great stress reliever at the end of a long day.

  • A musical delight, a welcomed variation from the ordinary
    author: Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine

    Ivan Rosenberg is probably best recognized for his tenure with such groups as Slowdrag and Chris Stuart & Back Country. For his latest recording project, he has merged two diverse traditional instruments to create a highly effective and thoroughly enjoyable production. This mostly instrumental package features Ivan on both clawhammer banjo and resonator guitar, supported by several guest artists including fiddler Chad Manning and Jon Stickley (mandolin). The ten selections include original pieces with catchy names such as "Fly Up The River," "Skunk Ate The Mothballs," and "Rope-A-Dope." Ivan also takes the lead on the disc's lone vocal, "Poor Ellen Smith." Once again, Ivan Rosenberg has created a musical delight with "Clawhammer And Dobro," a welcomed variation from the ordinary.

  • ....there could be no finer soundtrack for a day on the roads.....
    author: Vue Weekly

    I spent the day with this album while driving through several of the small, outlying towns which surround Edmonton. The truth is, there could be no finer soundtrack for a day on the roads, rolling through the gentle prairies of this province. Ivan Rosenberg is an accomplished player out of Bellingham, Washington who plays clawhammer, banjo and the resonator guitar. Rosenberg’s choice of instruments (as well as those of the other players—guitar, mandolin and fiddle) gives Clawhammer a sepia-like shading. Some of Rosenberg’s music has appeared in the western series Deadwood and it’s easy to understand why. Thankfully, Rosenberg does more than just picking out the notes: he also writes damn fine songs. Though most are instrumentals, every song is memorable, from “Hamish’s Morphine Pill” to “The Creptid Mule,” creeping their way into the mind just as any catchy vocal tune would. The one exception to the instrumental approach is the album’s centerpiece, a haunting version of the traditional murder ballad “Poor Ellen Smith,” featuring Rosenberg harmonizing with Mary Lucey’s mournful vocal. After that, “Big Arm, Montana” kicks off the second half of the album as though Rosenberg is sending a bunch of cowboys off on a cattle drive all the way to Abilene and, save for the slow slide of “Terrapenne,” the last few songs continue in this energetic direction. Hell, just sitting here listening to the disc makes me want to get right back out there on the road.

  • All 10 tracks are complete bliss to listen to...
    author: Caroline Keys -- MRBA Newsletter

    Lucky for us, former Missoulian Ivan Rosenberg had the guts to meddle with the age-old pairing of fiddle and banjo by removing the fiddle and inserting his own delicate Dobro. On his latest release he couples the seemingly strange stringed bedfellows and the outcome is a an exquisite set of original and traditionalcompositions. Rosenberg’s arrangements and delivery on this album are so strong that it wouldn't be surprising if clawhammer-Dobro duos catch on and Ivan’s record sets the precedent for a new style of acoustic music. Some of the beauty of this album comes form the subdued musical contributions of Mason Tuttle, David Keenan, Chad Manning, Mary Lucey, and Jon Stickley. The listener even gets treated to Ivan’s lovely singing voice on “Poor Ellen Smith”- a rare thing to behold indeed! Mary Lucey’s harmony vocals make that sole singin’ song a haunting treat to listeners’ ears. If you’ve ever seen Ivan play, you know what an innovative musician he is, but hearing this steady-moving and unusual album will convince you that Rosenberg was, indeed, beamed to this planet by someone or something that had a higher place in mind for the resonator guitar and the banjo. "Clawhammer and Dobro" is available at Ivan’s website: www.ivanrosenberg.com. Get it! All 10 tracks are complete bliss to listen to, it won’t leave your CD player alone.

  • thoughful originals with memorable melody lines, subtlety and lyricism
    author: Dave Higgs--Nashville Public Radio

    Many thanks for sending us a copy of your killer new CD. And I mean KILLER! Your command of the clawhammer banjo is just staggering--you get a big, fat, meaty tone that you put to good use on your arresting original material which you can tell are going to be special just from the titles alone: "Skunk Ate the Mothballs," "Hamish's Morphine Pill," "Big Arm, Montana" and "Pig Shack." These are thoughful originals--bursting not only with memorable melody lines, but subtlety and lyricism which are always the hallmarks of great tunes. I also enjoyed your singing on and neat arrangement of "Poor Ellen Smith" which is one of the album's highlights. This is great stuff--I can't get enough! Thanks again for the sublime tunes, my friend. I'll be doing my best to get the word out in Nashville and in our other syndicated locations which now includes bluegrasscountry.org. Dave Higgs, Nashville Public Radio, Bluegrass Breakdown

email

Please log in to email this artist.