Search - Bluegrass Patriots :: Spring in the Rockies

Well-rounded group with an eclectic broadly-appealing sound

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 05/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, the Bluegrass Patriots formed in 1979. They were in the national bluegrass spotlight with a 1987 feature story in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine and 1991 recording of "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" which appeared in BU's National Bluegrass Survey for several months. Their recording portfolio includes five previous projects, but the last one was in 1997. A sad event occurred in 2002 with the passing of longtime Patriot and dobroplayer Rick Bradstreet. Dan Mitchell now fiddles with the group that also includes Glenn Zankey (guitar), Danny Rogers (bass), Ken Seaman (banjo), and Willie McDonald (mandolin). All are superior instrumentalists in the bluegrass idiom, and the main vocalists in the group now have decades of experience singing together. While some of their lead singers are stronger than others, they believe in sharing the spotlight and letting each be featured. A recording contract with Copper Creek Records is now yet another significant milestone for them. The Bluegrass Patriots have chosen a superb combination of locomotive and lyrical songs to record. They're a well-rounded and versatile group that draws from a variety of sources. Like earlier successes for them, they tap American folk music for "Down in the Valley" and "Why Do You Weep Dear Willow?" The former is given a treatment that features various key changes and five different vocal trios. They also pull from traditional bluegrass (The Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee), classic country (Streets of Baltimore), Western (Springtime in the Rockies, Trail of the Lonesome Pine), and 1930s Gospel (Eat at the Welcome Table, Just as I Am/Country Boy).While Joe Val already recorded it, an interesting rendition of "Sparklin' Brown Eyes" features a duet with Willie's lead to Glenn's tenor and yodeling. A reworked Carter Family melody, "Winding Stream," is a pleasure to hear. Another song that yields bountiful reward for the Patriots is the album's closer, "Paul Bunyan Love," which comes from the repertoire of The Maddox Brothers and Rose. The eerie instrumental "Indian Council" is played in a minor key and comes from Midwestern fiddler Bobby Puckett. "Free Me from My Misery" is an original written by Willie McDonald is a tale of tossing and turning in loneliness.For a quarter century, these Patriots have remained loyal to bluegrass music. At the same time, they're also not afraid to push the envelope a bit with polished material that defines their eclectic broadly-appealing sound. Instead of simply being a longtime group that lives in the past, they continue to grow and present an innovative approach that will please their many fans as well as win them many new ones. Let's hope that we won't have to wait seven more years before their next album release. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)"