Chicken Wire Empire- River Rhythms @ Pere Marquette Park- 6/27/18

photo by Will Piper

Bluegrass music is special and timeless.  No other genre can get folks up and dancing from the youngest of concert goers to the youngest of heart.  No other genre provides a better soundtrack to laid back vibes and good times, or in the case of Chicken Wire Empire's performance this past Wednesday, a truly picturesque summer evening in downtown Milwaukee's Pere Marquette Park. 

Milwaukee's own Chicken Wire Empire delivered an on-point, stellar performance that saw the quintet play two sets of music comprised largely of original numbers with some well-placed covers peppered in.  Chicken Wire Empire's progressive bluegrass sound puts them on par with many of their regional or national bluegrass contemporaries.  Summer in Milwaukee provides a myriad of musical options for folks, and the attendees who came to Pere Marquette Park for their River Rhythms concert series were treated to an all-star performance from a band who is hitting its stride as one of the best contemporary bluegrass acts around. 

photo by Will Piper

While Chicken Wire Empire has been a staple in the Milwaukee scene since 2014, this past year has found the band tighter than ever with a line-up of players who are able to vibe off of each other musically to create masterful jams and give the old-timey sounds of bluegrass a distinctly modern flavor.  In late 2017 the group released a film All it Takes that showcased the individual and collective talents of the five unique musicians who comprise Chicken Wire Empire.  With a solid and consistent line-up, of Jordan Kroeger on upright bass and vocals, Ryan Ogburn on mandolin and vocals, Greg Brundage on guitar and vocals, Jon Peik on banjo and vocals, and Ernest Brusabardis IV on fiddle, the band has continued to progress, push, and gel as both individual pickers and as a collective unit.  What may be the best quality about Chicken Wire Empire is the way that each of the players gives the others the space to soar and improvise within their tracks.  Like many great contemporary bluegrass groups, Chicken Wire Empire varies their sound and performance so that no tune is ever played exactly the same way. 

photo by Will Piper

Highlights of the group's two set performance at Pere Marquette Park included classic Chicken Wire Empire numbers like "Joe Eddy," a great narrative story tune sung by Jordan Kroeger, that emerged in the second set and got audience members of all ages engaged and dancing.  In addition, "Shotguns and Doublewides," a tune primed for the group's upcoming new record, found Ryan Ogburn tearing it up on lead vocals and mandolin, and the group providing a multi-directional jam in the central part of the tune.  Well-placed covers like Bruce Hornsby's "The Way it Is," the traditionally arranged "Jack A Roe," and Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" were well-received and given the contemporary bluegrass treatment that only masters like Chicken Wire Empire can deliver.

If you are a fan of bluegrass, or just great music in general, please make an effort to check out this exceptional group of world-class musicians who are picking at a festival or venue near you! 


Setlist (compliments of Chicken Wire Empire):
Set I You Were On My Mind*, Reckless, Throw Me A Rope, Still In Love With You > 9lb Hammer, Jack-A-Roe > Jam > Jack-A-Roe, Ballroom Girl, Lumpy Bean Pole & Dirt, The Way It Is, Meet Your Maker

Set II
Happy Birthday, Vincent Black Lightning, Joe Eddy, Dont Think Twice Its Alright, Summer And Me, Girl Of My Dreams, Shotguns > Jam > Doublewides, I Ain't Broke, I'm Badly Bent, You Belong To Me, Easy Chair, Wheel Hoss

*Unfinished

Buffalo Gospel- On The First Bell Album Review

“On the First Bell” greets you with sense of welcome, joy and invitation.  The opening notes of the bowed upright bass and infectious melody performed on mandolin instantly hook the listener into the profoundly honest, intimate and soulful nature of Buffalo Gospel, the Milwaukee country-soul-rock-Americana quintet. The band’s latest release On the First Bell dropped last month, and marked the group’s first full-length release since 2013’s We Can Be Horses.  In that time, singer-songwriter, Ryan Necci and his crew of musicians has changed, rotated and evolved as both performers and people.  At the heart of Buffalo Gospel, however, is a supreme earnestness, a sense of compassion, and also the raw emotion of creating music that is soulful and above all real.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

On the First Bell, is a record that focuses on themes of dealing with loss and sorrow approaching these topics with soulful conviction.  Much of On the First Bell came out of Necci processing the loss of close friend and band mate, Josh Tovar.  However, this is by no means a down-trodden release. Instead of a mourning record, Necci embraces remembering his close friend with a sense of both love and compassion. This is seen most in “Lonestar,” a song that in many ways serves as a linchpin to the record.  In it, Necci writes: “This is gonna be the last I write; Dressed head to toe in this neon light; There’s a lone star and it’s shining down; I’m a Polaroid in a landlord’s town.  There’s a lone star; A good one’s better than no one when you have no one left at all.”  In classic Necci fashion, he blends elements of narrative storytelling and clever use of metaphor to give the listener a story, but also leave blank space for the listener to add in her/his emotions and live in the song.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Another highlight of the record is,“High Time to Hang Fire.” This track showcases Necci’s bellowing vocals like never before, which have gotten him noticed as one of the premier vocalists in Milwaukee and beyond.  “High Time to Hang Fire,” in many ways takes on an aura of a gospel-bluesy number and is infectiously raw and emotive.

The gentle mandolin picking and subtle guitar work that opens “Homeless” is a modern take on classic country stylings.  Repeated listens make this track particularly rewarding as there are so many musical nuances there to enjoy from Necci’s easy-to-sing-along-with refrain to Nick Lang’s brush drumming, to the steady grooves of Kevin Lowe’s thumbing upright bass.

“18 Wheeler” is another new track that sounds like a juke-joint classic for Buffalo Gospel.  With a great tale of love on the road, Necci and the boys cut loose on this fast-picked number and made a great video as well.  

From start to finish On the First Bell is a record that burrows into your soul and is worth revisiting often.  It is both beautifully simple and wonderfully complex simultaneously. If you have the opportunity to see Buffalo Gospel live- do yourself a favor and go.  Their performances live bring these stories and songs to life in a truly remarkable fashion.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch