As lovers of traditional bluegrass, The Oly Mountain Boys have a deep admiration for the songs written by Bill Monroe and the pioneers of bluegrass: Ralph Stanley, Don Reno, Jimmy Martin, and Earl Scruggs to name a few.
For their fourth album, “White Horse” (Release date: Sept. 25th 2014) they wanted to draw from the history of place, as their musical forefathers did before them when they wrote their classic bluegrass tunes.
Based in Olympia Washington, the Oly Mountain Boys reside beside the sea at the southern end of Puget Sound, and in the shadow of towering Mount Rainier and the Cascade and Olympic ranges.
With their latest album "White Horse" the Oly Mountain Boys have set out to do something unprecedented: a concept album that tells a life story from beginning to end through original bluegrass. White Horse journals fictional historical Northwest character Charlie McCarver, who lived in early 20th century Washington State beginning with his happiness in youth with wife Lisa-Ann and their children.
When his marriage unravels and his family leaves him, the songs chronicle Charlie's psychological break, descent into violence, and life on the run. The album closes with songs that explore Charlie's memories, regrets, and confrontation with aging and death. To further enrich the concept of the album, the Oly Mountain Boys elicited 11 writers and one painter who contributed original stories and artwork to the companion 68-page book. The result is an album that unifies music with other art forms, and weaves it into a picture of Washington State history.
The Oly Mountain Boys, Tye Menser (banjo, piano, lead vocals), Derek McSwain (mandolin, vocals), Chris Rutledge (guitar, vocals), Phil Post (bass, dobro, pedal steel, vocals), Josh Grice (fiddle) play bluegrass with characteristic high-energy drive, three part harmony and a Pacific Northwest bent. Tye Menser wrote all songs on White Horse except for “Charlie’s Turnaround” by Derek McSwain, and “Chased Away” by Menser/McSwain. The album was engineered and mastered by Rick Nichols at Circle of Sound Studio, Olympia, WA with guest appearances by Dan Spencer (harmonica) and Emma Staake (vocals) on “Memories Of The Hillside.”
“The Demon Day” was the first song written specifically for the album, and laid the foundation for McCarver’s story to form around it. “It Rained for Forty Days” underscores the emotional spirit of the region through the weather and the way it affects the lives portrayed in the story. "They Cut Down The Trees" with its seesawing licks and vocals is a classic tale of the devastation, greed, and environmental impact of a Pacific Northwest timber harvest. “Six Hours” and “Long Ago and Far Away” are reprised from the Oly Mountain Boys first album, weaving lyrically into the concept of White Horse. The closing tracks "Charlie's Lament” and “White Horse II” embody all the memories and remorse of a long, eventful life.
In support of their new album, The Oly Mountain Boys are collaborating with the Washington State Historical Society on a concert, reading, and history oriented event as well bringing the album to venues and festivals throughout the Northwest in 2014/15.
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