I love it when music transports you to another time or place. Â Some musicians do it with their stories. Â We wrote about Kevin Gordon last week. Â John Prine and Robert Earl Keen also come to mind. Â Other musicians do it with the music itself. Â The Mavericks always make my short list for that, as does Gillian Welch and Tony Jo White. Â The Blackberry Bushes String Band also do that on their new album, Three Red Feathers.
Although lead singer and songwriter Jes Raymond hails from Vermont, and the band currently calls Washington state home, this record takes me to New Appalachia. Â The harmonies in particular just call to mind the family bands you hear at every county fair, updated with modern themes. Â The title track, with it’s encouragement to be true to your goals, “after you aim, you gotta let it go,” has just the right amount of vocal from everyone in the band. Â The harmonies are more up front in The Lady Of the Mountain, Little White Sin, and my favorite song on the disc, Same Mistakes. Â Even the lone song on the album with a male lead vocal, Leadbelly’s Out On the Western Plain, is richly embellished with multiple voices.
There are lots of good things to say about the instrumental licks on the record, too. Â Gold Rush/Kissimmee Kid, a Vassar Clements number, is the only instrumental on the album. Â But just about every song has some tasty little solos. Â A particular shout out goes to fiddler Jakob Breitbach, who takes some great leads on Brown Bird and Hickory Is Dependable, among others. Â On Paper Roses he lays down a background track that puts some tension in the song without you realizing where it’s coming from until you listen closely.
 This is only the second album for The Blackberry Bushes String Band, but they seem to have already found their groove.  Like a number of their formally trained young musical peers they’re finding their creative outlet not in “normal” indie music, but instead something far more twangy.  That makes me happy, and I think Three Red Feathers will do the same for you.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.