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Oakhurst (band)
Encyclopedia
Oakhurst
is a Denver-based international act with deep Appalachian roots and original songs that fuse traditional bluegrass
with indie-rock and a citybilly attitude. The band's sound is more rustic and rocking, and less jazzy and jammed, than the typical hybrid bluegrass found in the Rocky Mountain region. Oakhurst’s unpretentious, go-for-it interpretation of Bluegrass and its road hardened sound has taken them far beyond the boundaries of Colorado. The Quartet has played everything from major festivals to City sponsored events… from floating festivals in the Caribbean to private parties on mountain tops… from bluegrass festivals in the Appalachians to Chateaus in the Champagne region of France.
On their fourth album, Colorado-based progressive bluegrass outfit Oakhurst largely abandon the alt-country side of their sound that flourished on previous efforts like Dual Mono and Greenhorn. Even outlaw country-influenced rockers like "Soon as the Sun" and "Run Run" and the weepy trucker story "Jim and Nan" are built on the fluid mandolin and banjo lines and speedy tempos of traditional bluegrass as much as the rock & roll stomp of the rhythm section. The expansive seven-minute epic "Heartstring" is an effective blend of singer/songwriter-style rock form and bluegrass style. But the album's heart is in the handful of good old-fashioned bluegrass instrumentals, which are rooted in tradition but played with freshness and vitality that keep them from sounding like museum pieces. Oakhurst's strongest album so far, Jump in the Get Down is a solid piece of tradition-minded bluegrass tempered with just enough of a rock edge to appeal to alt-country and jam band enthusiasts with little patience with or knowledge of the real thing. Think of it as a gateway into the likes of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
A Denver-based quintet that usually vacillates between old-timey acoustic bluegrass string band music and rocking alt-country, Oakhurst were quite right to name their third album Dual Mono. Most of the album combines both of their musical approaches into a set of concise pop songs that lack the loose jam band quality of many Colorado acoustic bands but maintain a rootsy, rustic quality. According to album's press kit, the album was recorded in a variety of rural locations around Colorado, with minimal overdubs, and there's certainly a brisk live quality to the album. A.P. Hill's unpretentious, conversational lead vocals try neither for faux "authenticity" (which usually involves twenty-something college dropouts from the suburbs singing through their noses in poor imitations of A.P. Carter) nor for blue-collar rock-dude earnestness à la John Mellencamp, and all five players are casually excellent, without the need for showboating solos or flashily speedy playing.
is a Denver-based international act with deep Appalachian roots and original songs that fuse traditional bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
with indie-rock and a citybilly attitude. The band's sound is more rustic and rocking, and less jazzy and jammed, than the typical hybrid bluegrass found in the Rocky Mountain region. Oakhurst’s unpretentious, go-for-it interpretation of Bluegrass and its road hardened sound has taken them far beyond the boundaries of Colorado. The Quartet has played everything from major festivals to City sponsored events… from floating festivals in the Caribbean to private parties on mountain tops… from bluegrass festivals in the Appalachians to Chateaus in the Champagne region of France.
Reviews
- JUMP IN THE GET DOWN:
On their fourth album, Colorado-based progressive bluegrass outfit Oakhurst largely abandon the alt-country side of their sound that flourished on previous efforts like Dual Mono and Greenhorn. Even outlaw country-influenced rockers like "Soon as the Sun" and "Run Run" and the weepy trucker story "Jim and Nan" are built on the fluid mandolin and banjo lines and speedy tempos of traditional bluegrass as much as the rock & roll stomp of the rhythm section. The expansive seven-minute epic "Heartstring" is an effective blend of singer/songwriter-style rock form and bluegrass style. But the album's heart is in the handful of good old-fashioned bluegrass instrumentals, which are rooted in tradition but played with freshness and vitality that keep them from sounding like museum pieces. Oakhurst's strongest album so far, Jump in the Get Down is a solid piece of tradition-minded bluegrass tempered with just enough of a rock edge to appeal to alt-country and jam band enthusiasts with little patience with or knowledge of the real thing. Think of it as a gateway into the likes of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
- DUAL MONO:
A Denver-based quintet that usually vacillates between old-timey acoustic bluegrass string band music and rocking alt-country, Oakhurst were quite right to name their third album Dual Mono. Most of the album combines both of their musical approaches into a set of concise pop songs that lack the loose jam band quality of many Colorado acoustic bands but maintain a rootsy, rustic quality. According to album's press kit, the album was recorded in a variety of rural locations around Colorado, with minimal overdubs, and there's certainly a brisk live quality to the album. A.P. Hill's unpretentious, conversational lead vocals try neither for faux "authenticity" (which usually involves twenty-something college dropouts from the suburbs singing through their noses in poor imitations of A.P. Carter) nor for blue-collar rock-dude earnestness à la John Mellencamp, and all five players are casually excellent, without the need for showboating solos or flashily speedy playing.
Awards
- On June 28, 2007, Oakhurst was voted Best Bluegrass Band in Colorado by Denver Westword magazine.
Current members
- A.P. Hill - Lead Vocal and Acoustic Guitar
- Johnny James Qualley - Double Bass, Electric Bass
- Chris Budin - Drums, Vocals
- Max Paley - Mandolin, Electric Guitar & Vocals
- Daniel Lawrence Walker - Slide Guitar & Vocals
Past members
- Todd Hoefen - Drums
- Andrew Clapp - Drums
- Ray Foss - Piano
- Adam Smith - Mandolin and Electric Guitar
- Chuck Hugenberg - Fiddle
- Zach Daniels - Banjo, and Vocals
Discography
- Loose & Prosperous (2001) - "River & Sticks", "Punch Me", "Speak", "Loose & Prosperous", "Hands Tucked", Djibouti", "Trenchina"
- Greenhorn (2004) - "Leslie's", "Give", "Sweet Carolina", "Linger", "Change", "Four-Twenty", "Circles"
- Dual Mono (2005) - "Gypsies at JR's", "Moonshine Still", "Arkansaw River", "Brigade", "Eggs On my Face", "Grass is Greener", "Dance Around", "River and Sticks", "Chili", "Hit The Road", "Kooky-Eyed Fox", "Olivine", Can't Wait", "Say Hello"
- Jump in the Getdown (2008) - "Down the Lane", "Huckleberry Strangler", "Get Down", "Passing Through", "Love Law & Pain", "Bitterroot Hop", "Close Your Eyes", "Soon As The Sun", "Crazy", "Run Run Run", "Heart String"
External links
- http://www.porchmusic.com
- Oakhurst Myspace Page
- Oakhurst collection at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Oakhurst Various videos of Oakhurst performing on and off-stage.
- Westword article "Hootennany" written by John La Briola