THE BARBED WIRE CUTTERS: The Barbed Wire Cutters

The Barbed Wire Cutters

The Barbed Wire Cutters

© 2002 The Barbed Wire Cutters (656613700426)

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"The Young Heroes of the Bluegrass Revolt"---SPIN Magazine

tracks

1 Uncle Pen
2 Ten Degrees and Getting Colder
3 Paddy in the Landfill / Done Gone
4 Punkin Brown
5 Otto Wood
6 Prelude to Bald Head
7 Bald Head
8 Angelfire
9 Hold Whatcha Got
10 Little Sadie / John Brown's March
11 Sackett's Harbor
12 O Lord You Know
13 Red Clay Halo
14 Dusty Miller

notes

Dear Barbed Wire Cutters,

We dont play as many shows as we used to, but alot of people keep tellin us that they love this album.

My personal favorite songs are 'Prelude to Bald Head' and Otto Wood. But there are alot of good moments here and it makes me happy, thinking about those days in Bellingham playing at the Old Town Cafe, or watching hippie girls twirl in front of us at the Boundary Bay Brewery. Or that one time we pulled over at the rest stop just to play hackysack for awhile. Rad.

It was a special time, and everyone who was there knew it.

-korby

reviews

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  • Great Listening
    author: J.W.

    You'll be glad to have this CD in your bluegrass music collection.

  • Loved the CD - need to buy the next one! ;-)
    author: Nancy McGraw (Dave's mom)

    Wishing you continued success! Thanks for the good music! nfm

  • This is a great bluegrass Cd.
    author: Nancy Preston

    I thought this was the most modern traditional bluegrass CD I have heard. The lead singer (Korby Lenker I presume) did not have a traditional bluegrass voice, which was really great, as sometimes you need something just a little bit different. I too missed them at Wintergrass, and now I am sorry. I hope they come again.

  • Great!
    author: M&K

    This is our very first bluegrass cd. We saw the Cutters play a relative's wedding and then at a local festival and knew we had to have their cd. Great lyrics and vocals with instrumentals that won't let you sit still! These guys are great!

  • mighty fine, boys. see you at the festivals
    author: Gene

    I am enjoying this recording it has a good mix of origonal and traditional music.

  • I love it!
    author: Jean Garro

    This CD is really an introduction to the genre for me, so I'm not an expert reviewer. However, I am hooked! The songs are a great slice of Americana. I was recently in the deep south and experienced red clay for the first time, so I was particularly taken with Red Clay Halo! This CD has introduced me to a whole new listening experience.

  • This CD Rocks
    author: Cynthia

    This is a great bluegrass cd for young people getting into the genre because the musicians are young and cool and sing about timeless and current issues and ideas. It's really fun to listen to--always puts me in a good mood, and there are some instrumental tracks that are simply beautiful.

  • An infectious and spunky bluegrass blend with spirit and youthful exuberance
    author: Joe Ross

    I sadly missed seeing the Barbed Wire Cutters live at Wintergrass, but I did have the opportunity to meet 23-year-old guitarist/vocalist Korby Lenker and briefly chat with him about his group that has been together since 1998. I also had to chance to hear them warming up in the halls of the Sheraton in Tacoma. Their self-titled album kicks off with a fairly traditional arrangement of Bill Monroe's Uncle Pen, which indicates that they do have a respect and appreciation for bluegrass music's roots. However, their signature sound seems more firmly based in a fun and folky contemporary sound, with covers like Gordon Lightfoot's "Ten Degrees and Getting Colder" and Gillian Welch's "Red Clay Halo." The middle segment of this album features three instrumentals which flow like a river from the mountains to the sea. These were a highlight of the album. While they may lack high virtuosity, their instrumentals show imagination and capitalize on the adequate talents of the band's musicians (Bruce Shaw on mandolin, Adam Carp on banjo, Korby Lenker on guitar and pennywhistle, Joshn Brahinsky, and Christopher Glass on fiddle). Lenker's "Prelude to Bald Head" features an interesting interlude of bass and pennywhistle. That is followed by "Bald Head" which intertwines a musical tapestry of flatpicked guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo and mandolin. An interlude of bass and pennywhistle was captivating. Shawn Craver's "Angelfire" ends with the counter melodies of guitar, mandolin and fiddle as the Cutters end their cruise to the ocean. Other instrumentals (Paddy in the Landfill/Done Gone, John Brown's March, Sackett'sHarbor, and Dusty Miller) contribute to the acoustic mural that the Cutters paint for us while this album runs its creative course. A bouncy and bluesy version of Jimmy Martin's "Hold Whatcha Got" keeps the toes tapping and features some nice dobro work by guest Michael Grigoni. The Barbed Wire Cutters are the kind of good-time band that one should definitely catch in a live setting. Their acoustic music is honest, and they should have no problem building a large legion of fans. I also enjoyed this album as a showcase for Korby Lenker's singing and song-writing skills on the song, "Punkin Brown". Some may remember Korby as the guy who was awarded a "Best Song" award at the 2000 Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival in Stevenson, WA. He also does a fine job singing the traditional "Otto Wood." A recent liberal arts graduate of Western Washington University, Korby may have used some of his music theory knowledge to help this band develop musical sensitivities for arranging and dynamic presentation. With continued musical growth, we can expect great things from the Barbed Wire Cutters. The Great Northwest should be proud that they are part of the bluegrass scene here, and I am glad that they have discovered this genre for their musical expression. I'm certain that you'll enjoy this album of spunky bluegrass, tinted with youthful exuberance. And, even better, try to catch them live in a comfortable little venue where you can groove along with the band with their infectious bluegrass blend. --by Joe Ross, moderator/reviewer for "Nwbluegrass"

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