The Greencards
Encyclopedia
The Greencards are a progressive bluegrass
band that formed in Austin, Texas
, and are currently based in Nashville, Tennessee
. The band was founded in 2003 in Texas by Eamon McLoughlin
, an Englishman, and Australians Kym Warner
and Carol Young
. The musicians originally performed in local Austin bars, and soon found increasing acclaim. They have released one independent album, Movin' On
, in 2003, and two albums, Weather and Water
, and Viridian
, on the Dualtone
record label
. Their fourth album, Fascination
, was released on Sugar Hill in 2009.
Their debut album, Movin' On, was the recipient of local Texas awards and charted on Americana radio stations. Country Music Television
named their follow-up Weather and Water as one of the ten best bluegrass albums of 2005, and The Greencards were invited to tour with Bob Dylan
and Willie Nelson
in the same year. Viridian would go on to take the number one position on the Billboard
magazine's Bluegrass Music Chart
, making The Greencards the first international band to ever do so. Viridian was a critically praised album, and was nominated for Best Country Album by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The track "Mucky the Duck" from Viridian was nominated for a Grammy Award
at the 50th Grammy Awards
.
The Greencards are noted for their playing of American bluegrass with a worldly feel, and for their incorporation of other genres of music. Often labeled as part of, and said to be representative of, the "newgrass" movement, they draw from Irish folk music, gypsy music, rock 'n' roll, folk balladry, and Latin American music
al sources. The Greencards' sound has been compared to progressive American folk rock
, and they have been credited with helping to expand bluegrass music.
Eamon McLoughlin left the band in December 2009, and currently resides in Nashville TN. He was replaced by Tyler Andal, a talented 22 year old fiddle player from White House, TN. Carl Miner, originally from Oregon, joined the group in May 2010, playing acoustic guitar. Carl won the 1999 National Flatpicking Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival, and currently resides in Nashville, TN.
and Carol Young on bass
, and an Englishman, Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle
. Raised in South London
, McLoughlin began to perform country music shows with his family on weekends, influenced by George Jones
, George Strait
, and Ricky Skaggs
. Born to Irish
parents, McLoughlin's father was head of a London-based country band. At age nine, McLoughlin moved away from piano lessons to play fiddle, and performed with his father's band. McLoughlin had earlier relocated from Brighton to Austin in 1997, after leaving Sussex University with a degree in Politics and American Studies. Trained in London studying Royal Schools of Music Grades before emigrating, McLoughlin also toured with the Asylum Street Spankers, Austin Lounge Lizards
,Bruce Robison and Ray Wylie Hubbard after arriving in the United States.
Prior to the founding of The Greencards, Young won the Australian Independent Country Artist of the Year award in 2000, and had recorded two #1 Australian-charted country music singles. Young was a singer in Outback
country bands and acts, including Gina Jeffreys
. Young was previously nominated as "Best Female Vocalist" by the Country Music Association of Australia
, and won the Australian independent country artist of the year award in 2000 due in part to her #1 singles "True Blue Fool" and "Part of the Past".
Warner was an aspiring bluegrass musician (which was unusual in Australia) after inheriting the music from his father, an early Australian bluegrass pioneer. The winner of the Australian National Bluegrass Mandolin Championship for four consecutive years, Warner had toured with country music artists including Gina Jeffreys, and with Young in Kasey Chambers
's band. Young and Warner knew each other previously, and according to Warner, had been drawn to bluegrass and American roots music
through an appreciation of George Jones and Merle Haggard. Warner and Young made the decision to emigrate to America to pursue musical careers in that country, after they met. Young and Warner later lived together in Sydney while trying to find work in the moribund Australian bluegrass scene. After leaving Australia, they spent time in West Texas
before relocating to Austin.
On an early trip the pair took to Austin, Warner and Young met McLoughlin at a recording session. Warner was producing an album for the recording artist Bill Atkins and found they needed a fiddle player, which led to the recruitment of McLoughlin. Initially the immigrants came to know one another through their mutual love of Monty Python
, Benny Hill
, and Fawlty Towers
. They began to have jam sessions afterwards and there was evident chemistry between the trio, which led to their writing songs together. They named themselves The Greencards in honor of the fact that all three band members carried United States green cards
. They eventually began to perform shows locally in Austin to finance the recording of what would become their debut album, 2003's Movin' On. In the process, they became one of the most popular musical groups in Austin. Representative of an emerging "newgrass" movement, The Greencards' acoustic sound was said to incorporate eclectic influences from Irish traditional, Romani gypsy, and Latin American musical sources.
Their first performance together as a band was at the Austin Irish pub, Mother Egan's. Given a noon to 3 pm Central time slot, they surprisingly began to fill the pub with patrons week after week. Their fans at Mother Egan's soon began calling them the "Bluegrass Bunch". Several months later, The Greencards began performing an additional three to five times per week in Austin, in addition to their Mother Egan's Sunday show. Warner credited the frantic pace of their performance schedule during their Austin formation to their cohesion as a group and with driving them to create more new original music. During their time performing locally in Austin, they toured with various local Texas musicians, including Robert Earl Keen
. Warner said that during their early career performing together, audiences would always assume they were American musicians until they finally spoke between songs, revealing their English and Australian accents.
Mario Tarradell of WFAA-TV
news called the idea of an American bluegrass band composed of two Australians and an Englishman not as "outrageous" as it may seem. He quoted McLoughlin in an interview:
, their debut album, which sold 10,000 copies at shows and online, and entered the top five on the Americana radio charts. Pat Flynn, one of the band members of the New Grass Revival
, guested on the recording of Movin' On as a session guitarist, and would return to do so again on Weather and Water. The album was said to break past traditional rules of bluegrass music by integrating a jam-band mindset while blending classical folk balladry and rock 'n' roll into the sound. Contrasting with that appraisal, the album was also cited as a traditional and successful "lo-fi
" approach to bluegrass music. Critics noted the virtuoso
solos on mandolin, fiddle, and guitar on Movin' On.
The Greencards gained more fans and became known by name quickly after the release of Movin' On. The band was credited with performing the most energetic sets during the course of the 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival
, were said to bring a global sound to bluegrass, and—by drawing on influences such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles
—were pushing the genre's boundaries. Their live show during this period was ranked by the Houston Chronicle in the top five nights of live music for the year in 2004.
Movin' On earned The Greencards the 2004 Austin Music Award for Best New Band. Several months after the awards the band was signed by Dualtone Records and began work on their next album, Weather and Water. The label re-released Movin' On at the beginning of 2005, generating still more airplay and sales.
, was released on June 28, 2005. Warned stated that during the recording sessions, Dualtone Records let them record what they wanted, with no interference or changes requested. In a review of Weather and Water in The Washington Post, it was noted that on this album, unlike their debut, the focus was on the music supporting lyrics, rather than the blues virtuosity of Movin' On. All three members of the band sang on Weather and Water, but Young's voice was noted for its "dreamy, haunting quality". Their music through the Weather and Water album had been called Celtic-influenced and bluegrass-flavored by John Lehndorff of the Rocky Mountain News, but he noted that the band had a distinctly American sound despite their overseas origins. In the spring of 2005, The Greencards performed at South by Southwest
in Austin for the first time, and afterwards made their debut at the prestigious MerleFest
.
Jason Gonulsen of Glide Magazine noted that The Greencards' debut Movin' On didn't capture the band's live energy, but that Weather and Water overcame this, and was one of 2005's best bluegrass albums. The music video
for the band's single "Time" from Weather and Water received heavy airplay and rotation on Country Music Television. "Time" was described as the centerpiece track of Weather and Water. Weather and Water was also cited as expanding the boundaries of the bluegrass genre.
Country Music Television named Weather and Water one of its ten favorite bluegrass albums of the year, saying, "At the nexus of bluegrass, country and pop, this charming trio immediately win over such diverse audiences in concert. Luckily, their winning personality translates to this disc—even with several melancholy, yet melodic, songs. Not for nothing did Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson choose them to open their summer tour of minor league ballparks
." The Greencards were the opening act for Dylan and Nelson on their 2005 summer tour. Kym Warner credits Gary Paczosa, an engineer who worked on Weather and Water, with helping them get the opportunity to tour with Dylan and Nelson. Paczosa had previously served as an engineer on recordings for Alison Krauss
, Nickel Creek and Dolly Parton
. "He makes the best-sounding acoustic records in the world", according to Warner. Throughout 2005 they toured extensively with Dylan and Nelson, and afterwards toured with Tommy Emmanuel
. During the summer segment of the 2005 tour with Nelson and Dylan, Kym Warner wanted to have the opportunity to pick Dylan's brain about music and performing. However, Warner did not get to spend much time alone with Dylan during their time on the road together. Dylan later told Warner at the end of the tour, "You’ll be fine from now on."
At the end of 2005, The Greencards relocated from Austin to Nashville, Tennessee to be closer to their production company and its staff. Coinciding with their move to Nashville and work on their second album Weather and Water, the changes in location and sound were observed by critics to be a deliberate move from the jam-style of their debut album Movin' On to instead concentrate on Americana
-focused music. By 2006, The Greencards had an annual slot at Merlefest, held yearly in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
. The band was nominated in the Americana Music Association Awards for 2006 in the category of New/Emerging Artist of the Year, winning the award. In December 2006, their tour van rolled over on a patch of ice after leaving a performance in Bryan, Texas
, on the way back to Austin, but with no serious injuries.
On their previous albums, The Greencards had individually recorded their musical tracks separately in isolation booths of recording studios. For Viridian, however, the bandmembers recorded their album together in real time in an open room, which was said to be a factor in creating a spontaneous feel for some of the album. Most of the songs on Viridian are sung by Young, and all of the tracks on Viridian were written by The Greencards, with the exception of "Travel On", which was penned by Kim Richey
of Nashville. Their sound, through Viridian, was likened to the Canadian alternative country
band The Duhks
. After its release, Viridian claimed the #1 position on Billboard magazine's Bluegrass Music Chart. Doug Lancio, a producer who had previously worked with Patty Griffin
, was said to have been a positive factor in the success of Viridian. Prior to the 2007 album, Lancio had not previously worked with The Greencards. The Greencards are the first international musical act to ever reach #1 on the Bluegrass Music Chart.
In a review of Viridian, Embo Blake of Hybrid Magazine noted Carol Young's vocal skill, as she "effortlessly diphthong
s cadence" on the track "Waiting On The Night". According to ABC News
in Dallas/Fort Worth
, the album has a traditional bluegrass core, with a worldly flavor. Bruce Elder of the Sydney Morning Herald called Viridian a "tour de force".
In the wake of Viridian, The Greencards have been internationally referred to as one of the most popular Americana musical acts in the United States. Bruce Elder went on to say that the band may, after Viridian, be the best country music performers to ever come out of Australia. In 2007, they were nominated for Best Country Album at the 21st Australian Recording Industry Association
awards, ultimately losing out to Keith Urban
. In December 2007, it was announced that their song "Mucky the Duck" from Viridian was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance
at the 50th Grammy Awards, but ultimately lost to Brad Paisley
's "Throttleneck". Written by Warner, "Mucky the Duck" was inspired by one of the band's favorite Houston musical venues, The Mucky Duck. Eamon McLoughlin is a regular blogger for Country Music Television. After the Grammy Awards, he wrote about the band's experience at the event, noting that despite not winning, the bar had been raised for their next album.
The Greencards announced on their website in August 2008 that they had returned to the studio to record their fourth album with producer Jay Joyce. In September 2008, again via their website, they announced that they signed with Sugar Hill Records for their fourth album, to be released in spring 2009.
According to Young, the music on Fascination was a progression for the band, and a challenge for them. Comparing their prior work to the new album, she said, "They’re probably a bit more bluegrass-influenced than this one here. While we still have the bluegrass and roots music influences, we really wanted to push ourselves harder on this one, something a bit more challenging to play live." She described their music through their fourth album as having evolved, explaining that it began as traditional roots and bluegrass, but after six years is "our own little sound". The track, "The Crystal Merchant", was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance
.
In 2009, The Greencards continued to tour, performed again at MerleFest, the Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival in Preston,CT, and were on the bill for Lollapalooza
.
Considered by critics to be part of the progressive bluegrass
("newgrass") musical school, The Greencards draw from a wide variety of musical influences, ranging from Bob Dylan and the Beatles to the Celtic tone of Irish traditional music, gypsy themes, and Latin sounds. Despite the wide array of influences that shape their music, The Greencards have always maintained a distinctively Americana sound. While the various sounds that influence their work are always detectable, none ever dominate the band's music. Jim Abbott, of the Tribune News Service, described The Greencards as polished, "earthy, charming roots music with a sophisticated sheen", but noted that some bluegrass purists may miss the vocal idiosyncrasies that can be found on other acts such as the Del McCoury Band
. Their appeal has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as well as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions. The progressive nature of The Greencards' bluegrass sound has been compared to Nickel Creek
and Alison Krauss & Union Station
.
The Greencards' work on Movin' On had a looser, jam-based feeling to it, which they later firmed into a more polished sound after relocating to Nashville from Austin for Weather and Water. John T. Davis in No Depression Magazine stated The Greencards' best work on Weather and Water contained a "stillness", which he felt contrasted with the speed and "frantic" pace of some of the songs on Movin' On. While other critics had mentioned The Greencards in the context of jam bands, Davis went on to say that he felt the band was not one, and that they favored a leaner and "clean" sound driven more by Celtic roots.
During their 2005 tour with Dylan and Nelson, Buzz McClain of The Washington Post believed that The Greencards play traditional American music better than some Americans do, because of their deep respect for bluegrass and the Americana sound. According to David McPherson in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, the band's three-part harmonies evoke the soul sounds of Gospel music
. Kym Warner has said that Robert Earl Keen, Kelly Willis
, and Patty Griffin were key influences musically in The Greencards's sound during their time in Austin, with the previously unreleased Griffin song "What You Are" being covered on their album Weather and Water. The recordings on Viridian, in particular the songs "River of Sand", "Waiting on the Night" and "When I Was in Love With You", were said to evoke the sounds of progressive folk rock that emerged in the 1960s. In Nashville Scene, Edd Hurt noted the eclectic tone of the band's overall body of recordings, and believed that their albums belonged to the tradition of singer-songwriter
musicians.
Their musical appeal to fans has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as well as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions. Naila Francis described The Greencards's sound as having a mellow tone, with "tender ballards and yarns" in their songs, but punctuated by bursts of energetic musical restlessness. Country Music Television in particular noted their melancholy but melodic sound. The Greencards have described their sound as "high energy acoustic music".
Progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker. Musicians and bands John Hartford, New Grass Revival, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Dillards, Boone Creek, Country Gazette, and the...
band that formed in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and are currently based in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. The band was founded in 2003 in Texas by Eamon McLoughlin
Eamon McLoughlin
Eamon McLoughlin is a British musician who plays fiddle, viola, mandolin and cello, and was a founding member of the American bluegrass band The Greencards. He currently lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee as a freelance session musician, and performing live with MCA Recording Artist Josh Turner...
, an Englishman, and Australians Kym Warner
Kym Warner
Kym Warner is an Australian musician and record producer, and a founding member of the American bluegrass band The Greencards. Warner was an aspiring bluegrass musician after inheriting the music from his father, an early Australian bluegrass pioneer...
and Carol Young
Carol Young
Carol Young is an Australian musician, and a founding member of the American bluegrass band The Greencards. Young is originally from Coff's Harbour, in New South Wales. Prior to the founding of The Greencards, Young won the Australian Independent Country Artist of the Year award in 2000, and had...
. The musicians originally performed in local Austin bars, and soon found increasing acclaim. They have released one independent album, Movin' On
Movin' On (The Greencards album)
Movin' On is the 2003 debut album by the Austin, Texas progressive bluegrass band The Greencards. The Greencards recorded and self-released Movin' On, selling 10,000 copies at shows and online, and reached #5 on the Americana radio charts...
, in 2003, and two albums, Weather and Water
Weather and Water
Weather and Water is a 2005 studio album by the Austin, Texas progressive bluegrass band The Greencards. Their second Dualtone album release of 2005, after their debut 2003 album Movin' On was re-released earlier in the year by their label Dualtone Records, Weather and Water was released on June 28...
, and Viridian
Viridian (album)
Viridian is a 2007 studio album by the Austin, Texas bluegrass band The Greencards. Their third Dualtone Records studio album, it was released on March 6, 2007. In 2007, The Greencards were joined by Matt Wingate, a guitarist from Alabama, for their work on Viridian...
, on the Dualtone
Dualtone Records
Dualtone Music Group, Inc. is an independent entertainment companybased in Nashville, TN. The staunchly independent label has beennominated for thirteen GRAMMY awards, garnering three wins...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Their fourth album, Fascination
Fascination (album)
Fascination is the fourth studio album released by the progressive bluegrass band, The Greencards. It was their first album released on the Sugar Hill Records label. Released on April 21, 2009, it draws inspiration from bluegrass, rock, and blues. The album was described by member Carol Young as...
, was released on Sugar Hill in 2009.
Their debut album, Movin' On, was the recipient of local Texas awards and charted on Americana radio stations. Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
named their follow-up Weather and Water as one of the ten best bluegrass albums of 2005, and The Greencards were invited to tour with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
in the same year. Viridian would go on to take the number one position on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Bluegrass Music Chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, making The Greencards the first international band to ever do so. Viridian was a critically praised album, and was nominated for Best Country Album by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The track "Mucky the Duck" from Viridian was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
.
The Greencards are noted for their playing of American bluegrass with a worldly feel, and for their incorporation of other genres of music. Often labeled as part of, and said to be representative of, the "newgrass" movement, they draw from Irish folk music, gypsy music, rock 'n' roll, folk balladry, and Latin American music
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
al sources. The Greencards' sound has been compared to progressive American folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
, and they have been credited with helping to expand bluegrass music.
Eamon McLoughlin left the band in December 2009, and currently resides in Nashville TN. He was replaced by Tyler Andal, a talented 22 year old fiddle player from White House, TN. Carl Miner, originally from Oregon, joined the group in May 2010, playing acoustic guitar. Carl won the 1999 National Flatpicking Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival, and currently resides in Nashville, TN.
Formation
The Greencards were initially composed of two Australians, Kym Warner on mandolinMandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and Carol Young on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and an Englishman, Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. Raised in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, McLoughlin began to perform country music shows with his family on weekends, influenced by George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
, and Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
. Born to Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
parents, McLoughlin's father was head of a London-based country band. At age nine, McLoughlin moved away from piano lessons to play fiddle, and performed with his father's band. McLoughlin had earlier relocated from Brighton to Austin in 1997, after leaving Sussex University with a degree in Politics and American Studies. Trained in London studying Royal Schools of Music Grades before emigrating, McLoughlin also toured with the Asylum Street Spankers, Austin Lounge Lizards
Austin Lounge Lizards
The Austin Lounge Lizards are a band from Austin, Texas formed in 1980. The band includes founding members Hank Card and Conrad Deisler, along with Darcie Deaville and Bruce Jones...
,Bruce Robison and Ray Wylie Hubbard after arriving in the United States.
Prior to the founding of The Greencards, Young won the Australian Independent Country Artist of the Year award in 2000, and had recorded two #1 Australian-charted country music singles. Young was a singer in Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
country bands and acts, including Gina Jeffreys
Gina Jeffreys
Gina Jeffreys is an Australian country singer. She was born on 1 April 1968 at Toowoomba, Queensland. She has often been called Australia's "Queen of Country" and has won numerous Australian country music awards....
. Young was previously nominated as "Best Female Vocalist" by the Country Music Association of Australia
Country Music Association of Australia
The Country Music Association of Australia is an association formed in 1992 that promotes and represents the Australian country music industry...
, and won the Australian independent country artist of the year award in 2000 due in part to her #1 singles "True Blue Fool" and "Part of the Past".
Warner was an aspiring bluegrass musician (which was unusual in Australia) after inheriting the music from his father, an early Australian bluegrass pioneer. The winner of the Australian National Bluegrass Mandolin Championship for four consecutive years, Warner had toured with country music artists including Gina Jeffreys, and with Young in Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of steel guitar player Bill Chambers, and the sister of musician and producer Nash Chambers.-Solo success:...
's band. Young and Warner knew each other previously, and according to Warner, had been drawn to bluegrass and American roots music
American Roots Music
American Roots Music is a 2001 multi-part documentary film that explores the historical roots of American Roots music through footage and performances by the creators of the movement: Folk, Country, Blues, Gospel, Bluegrass, and many others....
through an appreciation of George Jones and Merle Haggard. Warner and Young made the decision to emigrate to America to pursue musical careers in that country, after they met. Young and Warner later lived together in Sydney while trying to find work in the moribund Australian bluegrass scene. After leaving Australia, they spent time in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
before relocating to Austin.
On an early trip the pair took to Austin, Warner and Young met McLoughlin at a recording session. Warner was producing an album for the recording artist Bill Atkins and found they needed a fiddle player, which led to the recruitment of McLoughlin. Initially the immigrants came to know one another through their mutual love of Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
, Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
, and Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
. They began to have jam sessions afterwards and there was evident chemistry between the trio, which led to their writing songs together. They named themselves The Greencards in honor of the fact that all three band members carried United States green cards
United States Permanent Resident Card
United States lawful permanent residency refers to a person's immigration status: the person is authorized to live and work in the United States of America on a permanent basis....
. They eventually began to perform shows locally in Austin to finance the recording of what would become their debut album, 2003's Movin' On. In the process, they became one of the most popular musical groups in Austin. Representative of an emerging "newgrass" movement, The Greencards' acoustic sound was said to incorporate eclectic influences from Irish traditional, Romani gypsy, and Latin American musical sources.
Their first performance together as a band was at the Austin Irish pub, Mother Egan's. Given a noon to 3 pm Central time slot, they surprisingly began to fill the pub with patrons week after week. Their fans at Mother Egan's soon began calling them the "Bluegrass Bunch". Several months later, The Greencards began performing an additional three to five times per week in Austin, in addition to their Mother Egan's Sunday show. Warner credited the frantic pace of their performance schedule during their Austin formation to their cohesion as a group and with driving them to create more new original music. During their time performing locally in Austin, they toured with various local Texas musicians, including Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen, Junior is an American Texas Country singer-songwriter. He is popular with fans of traditional country music, folk music, college radio, and alt-country. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.-Early life:Growing up in Houston, Texas,...
. Warner said that during their early career performing together, audiences would always assume they were American musicians until they finally spoke between songs, revealing their English and Australian accents.
Mario Tarradell of WFAA-TV
WFAA-TV
WFAA, channel 8, is an ABC-affiliated television station serving the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the top ten media markets in North America. The station is the flagship of Belo Corporation and the largest ABC affiliate not owned and operated by the network...
news called the idea of an American bluegrass band composed of two Australians and an Englishman not as "outrageous" as it may seem. He quoted McLoughlin in an interview:
The ironic thing is that we grew up listening to primarily American music and fell in love with American music. I love country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. I grew up with George Jones and Charley PrideCharley PrideCharley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
and Jim ReevesJim ReevesJames Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
. All that stuff was playing in the house. That's what I wanted to seek out. That's what I wanted to play. Carol was into Tammy WynetteTammy WynetteVirginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
. Trev Warner is Kym's dad, and he was the first person to bring bluegrass music to Australia.
Movin' On (2003–2004)
In 2003, The Greencards recorded and self-released Movin' OnMovin' On (The Greencards album)
Movin' On is the 2003 debut album by the Austin, Texas progressive bluegrass band The Greencards. The Greencards recorded and self-released Movin' On, selling 10,000 copies at shows and online, and reached #5 on the Americana radio charts...
, their debut album, which sold 10,000 copies at shows and online, and entered the top five on the Americana radio charts. Pat Flynn, one of the band members of the New Grass Revival
New Grass Revival
New Grass Revival was an American progressive bluegrass band founded in 1971, and composed of Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn. They were active between 1971 and 1989, releasing more than twenty albums as well as six singles....
, guested on the recording of Movin' On as a session guitarist, and would return to do so again on Weather and Water. The album was said to break past traditional rules of bluegrass music by integrating a jam-band mindset while blending classical folk balladry and rock 'n' roll into the sound. Contrasting with that appraisal, the album was also cited as a traditional and successful "lo-fi
Low fidelity
Low fidelity or lo-fi describes a sound recording which contains technical flaws such as distortion, hum, or background noise, or limited frequency response...
" approach to bluegrass music. Critics noted the virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
solos on mandolin, fiddle, and guitar on Movin' On.
The Greencards gained more fans and became known by name quickly after the release of Movin' On. The band was credited with performing the most energetic sets during the course of the 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
, were said to bring a global sound to bluegrass, and—by drawing on influences such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
—were pushing the genre's boundaries. Their live show during this period was ranked by the Houston Chronicle in the top five nights of live music for the year in 2004.
Movin' On earned The Greencards the 2004 Austin Music Award for Best New Band. Several months after the awards the band was signed by Dualtone Records and began work on their next album, Weather and Water. The label re-released Movin' On at the beginning of 2005, generating still more airplay and sales.
Weather and Water (2005–2006)
Their second Dualtone album, Weather and WaterWeather and Water
Weather and Water is a 2005 studio album by the Austin, Texas progressive bluegrass band The Greencards. Their second Dualtone album release of 2005, after their debut 2003 album Movin' On was re-released earlier in the year by their label Dualtone Records, Weather and Water was released on June 28...
, was released on June 28, 2005. Warned stated that during the recording sessions, Dualtone Records let them record what they wanted, with no interference or changes requested. In a review of Weather and Water in The Washington Post, it was noted that on this album, unlike their debut, the focus was on the music supporting lyrics, rather than the blues virtuosity of Movin' On. All three members of the band sang on Weather and Water, but Young's voice was noted for its "dreamy, haunting quality". Their music through the Weather and Water album had been called Celtic-influenced and bluegrass-flavored by John Lehndorff of the Rocky Mountain News, but he noted that the band had a distinctly American sound despite their overseas origins. In the spring of 2005, The Greencards performed at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin for the first time, and afterwards made their debut at the prestigious MerleFest
MerleFest
MerleFest is an annual "traditional plus" music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on the campus of Wilkes Community College . The festival, which is held the last weekend in April, is hosted by Grammy Award winner Doc Watson and is named in memory and honor of his son, Eddy Merle Watson,...
.
Jason Gonulsen of Glide Magazine noted that The Greencards' debut Movin' On didn't capture the band's live energy, but that Weather and Water overcame this, and was one of 2005's best bluegrass albums. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the band's single "Time" from Weather and Water received heavy airplay and rotation on Country Music Television. "Time" was described as the centerpiece track of Weather and Water. Weather and Water was also cited as expanding the boundaries of the bluegrass genre.
Country Music Television named Weather and Water one of its ten favorite bluegrass albums of the year, saying, "At the nexus of bluegrass, country and pop, this charming trio immediately win over such diverse audiences in concert. Luckily, their winning personality translates to this disc—even with several melancholy, yet melodic, songs. Not for nothing did Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson choose them to open their summer tour of minor league ballparks
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
." The Greencards were the opening act for Dylan and Nelson on their 2005 summer tour. Kym Warner credits Gary Paczosa, an engineer who worked on Weather and Water, with helping them get the opportunity to tour with Dylan and Nelson. Paczosa had previously served as an engineer on recordings for Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, Nickel Creek and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
. "He makes the best-sounding acoustic records in the world", according to Warner. Throughout 2005 they toured extensively with Dylan and Nelson, and afterwards toured with Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel
William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
. During the summer segment of the 2005 tour with Nelson and Dylan, Kym Warner wanted to have the opportunity to pick Dylan's brain about music and performing. However, Warner did not get to spend much time alone with Dylan during their time on the road together. Dylan later told Warner at the end of the tour, "You’ll be fine from now on."
At the end of 2005, The Greencards relocated from Austin to Nashville, Tennessee to be closer to their production company and its staff. Coinciding with their move to Nashville and work on their second album Weather and Water, the changes in location and sound were observed by critics to be a deliberate move from the jam-style of their debut album Movin' On to instead concentrate on Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
-focused music. By 2006, The Greencards had an annual slot at Merlefest, held yearly in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,159 at the 2000 census, and it is the second largest municipality in the county. The 2010 Census listed the town's population at 3,044. The town is located along the south bank of the...
. The band was nominated in the Americana Music Association Awards for 2006 in the category of New/Emerging Artist of the Year, winning the award. In December 2006, their tour van rolled over on a patch of ice after leaving a performance in Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, on the way back to Austin, but with no serious injuries.
Viridian (2007-2008)
Kim Richey
Kimberly Kay "Kim" Richey is an American singer/songwriter. Though her work fits into the general country music category, her sound is not easily categorized. Her songs have been hits on both the country and pop charts...
of Nashville. Their sound, through Viridian, was likened to the Canadian alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band The Duhks
The Duhks
The Duhks is a band from Winnipeg, Canada.The members play a blend of Canadian soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, their music draws heavily on all of the North American musical traditions,...
. After its release, Viridian claimed the #1 position on Billboard magazine's Bluegrass Music Chart. Doug Lancio, a producer who had previously worked with Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
, was said to have been a positive factor in the success of Viridian. Prior to the 2007 album, Lancio had not previously worked with The Greencards. The Greencards are the first international musical act to ever reach #1 on the Bluegrass Music Chart.
In a review of Viridian, Embo Blake of Hybrid Magazine noted Carol Young's vocal skill, as she "effortlessly diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
s cadence" on the track "Waiting On The Night". According to ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in Dallas/Fort Worth
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
, the album has a traditional bluegrass core, with a worldly flavor. Bruce Elder of the Sydney Morning Herald called Viridian a "tour de force".
In the wake of Viridian, The Greencards have been internationally referred to as one of the most popular Americana musical acts in the United States. Bruce Elder went on to say that the band may, after Viridian, be the best country music performers to ever come out of Australia. In 2007, they were nominated for Best Country Album at the 21st Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
awards, ultimately losing out to Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
. In December 2007, it was announced that their song "Mucky the Duck" from Viridian was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance
Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance was awarded from 1970 to 2011. Between 1986 and 1989 the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance ....
at the 50th Grammy Awards, but ultimately lost to Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
's "Throttleneck". Written by Warner, "Mucky the Duck" was inspired by one of the band's favorite Houston musical venues, The Mucky Duck. Eamon McLoughlin is a regular blogger for Country Music Television. After the Grammy Awards, he wrote about the band's experience at the event, noting that despite not winning, the bar had been raised for their next album.
The Greencards announced on their website in August 2008 that they had returned to the studio to record their fourth album with producer Jay Joyce. In September 2008, again via their website, they announced that they signed with Sugar Hill Records for their fourth album, to be released in spring 2009.
Fascination (from 2009)
On April 21, 2009, The Greencards released their fourth studio album, Fascination. Warner describes the album as "their most focused" work. On their previous albums, the three band members had individually put forward ideas for the music, until enough cohered into the finished work. For Fascination, he says they put aside their individual pride to create a stronger work. The years of touring experience The Greencards have accumulated since their earliest work has helped them, as well. Referring to when they formed the band, he said, "We just played in Austin. We just wrote probably anything, which was the only stuff we knew, which was more of a traditional thing. But since then, we've had five or six years of touring, all of the experiences, all of the people you meet. We've been so fortunate to play at all of these festivals which have a really eclectic form of music styles."According to Young, the music on Fascination was a progression for the band, and a challenge for them. Comparing their prior work to the new album, she said, "They’re probably a bit more bluegrass-influenced than this one here. While we still have the bluegrass and roots music influences, we really wanted to push ourselves harder on this one, something a bit more challenging to play live." She described their music through their fourth album as having evolved, explaining that it began as traditional roots and bluegrass, but after six years is "our own little sound". The track, "The Crystal Merchant", was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance
Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance was awarded from 1970 to 2011. Between 1986 and 1989 the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance ....
.
In 2009, The Greencards continued to tour, performed again at MerleFest, the Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival in Preston,CT, and were on the bill for Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
.
Buy A Brick campaign
On November 8, 2010 The Greencards announced that they will self-finance the production on their next album, set for May 2011, rather than taking an advance from a record company. The Buy A Brick campaign is selling a package of an advance copy of the final CD, a digital image of the album artwork, video updates of the recording of the album and the subscriber's name (up to twenty characters) on the album artwork. Subscriptions are either $100 or $200 US with the more expensive package getting the album one week earlier and the subscriber's name on the front of the CD package.Musical style and influences
Progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker. Musicians and bands John Hartford, New Grass Revival, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Dillards, Boone Creek, Country Gazette, and the...
("newgrass") musical school, The Greencards draw from a wide variety of musical influences, ranging from Bob Dylan and the Beatles to the Celtic tone of Irish traditional music, gypsy themes, and Latin sounds. Despite the wide array of influences that shape their music, The Greencards have always maintained a distinctively Americana sound. While the various sounds that influence their work are always detectable, none ever dominate the band's music. Jim Abbott, of the Tribune News Service, described The Greencards as polished, "earthy, charming roots music with a sophisticated sheen", but noted that some bluegrass purists may miss the vocal idiosyncrasies that can be found on other acts such as the Del McCoury Band
Del McCoury Band
The Del McCoury Band is a bluegrass band. Originally Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals with Del on guitar and his brother Jerry on bass, the band went through a number of changes until the 1980s when the band solidified its line-up, adding McCoury's sons, Ronnie and Robbie on mandolin and banjo,...
. Their appeal has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as well as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions. The progressive nature of The Greencards' bluegrass sound has been compared to Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
and Alison Krauss & Union Station
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
.
The Greencards' work on Movin' On had a looser, jam-based feeling to it, which they later firmed into a more polished sound after relocating to Nashville from Austin for Weather and Water. John T. Davis in No Depression Magazine stated The Greencards' best work on Weather and Water contained a "stillness", which he felt contrasted with the speed and "frantic" pace of some of the songs on Movin' On. While other critics had mentioned The Greencards in the context of jam bands, Davis went on to say that he felt the band was not one, and that they favored a leaner and "clean" sound driven more by Celtic roots.
During their 2005 tour with Dylan and Nelson, Buzz McClain of The Washington Post believed that The Greencards play traditional American music better than some Americans do, because of their deep respect for bluegrass and the Americana sound. According to David McPherson in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, the band's three-part harmonies evoke the soul sounds of Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Kym Warner has said that Robert Earl Keen, Kelly Willis
Kelly Willis
Kelly Willis is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.-Early life:...
, and Patty Griffin were key influences musically in The Greencards's sound during their time in Austin, with the previously unreleased Griffin song "What You Are" being covered on their album Weather and Water. The recordings on Viridian, in particular the songs "River of Sand", "Waiting on the Night" and "When I Was in Love With You", were said to evoke the sounds of progressive folk rock that emerged in the 1960s. In Nashville Scene, Edd Hurt noted the eclectic tone of the band's overall body of recordings, and believed that their albums belonged to the tradition of singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
musicians.
Their musical appeal to fans has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as well as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions. Naila Francis described The Greencards's sound as having a mellow tone, with "tender ballards and yarns" in their songs, but punctuated by bursts of energetic musical restlessness. Country Music Television in particular noted their melancholy but melodic sound. The Greencards have described their sound as "high energy acoustic music".
Discography
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Bluegrass | ||
| Movin' On Movin' On (The Greencards album) Movin' On is the 2003 debut album by the Austin, Texas progressive bluegrass band The Greencards. The Greencards recorded and self-released Movin' On, selling 10,000 copies at shows and online, and reached #5 on the Americana radio charts... |
|
10 |
| Weather and Water Weather and Water Weather and Water is a 2005 studio album by the Austin, Texas progressive bluegrass band The Greencards. Their second Dualtone album release of 2005, after their debut 2003 album Movin' On was re-released earlier in the year by their label Dualtone Records, Weather and Water was released on June 28... |
|
3 |
| Viridian Viridian (album) Viridian is a 2007 studio album by the Austin, Texas bluegrass band The Greencards. Their third Dualtone Records studio album, it was released on March 6, 2007. In 2007, The Greencards were joined by Matt Wingate, a guitarist from Alabama, for their work on Viridian... |
|
1 |
| Fascination Fascination (album) Fascination is the fourth studio album released by the progressive bluegrass band, The Greencards. It was their first album released on the Sugar Hill Records label. Released on April 21, 2009, it draws inspiration from bluegrass, rock, and blues. The album was described by member Carol Young as... |
|
— |
| The Brick Album The Brick Album -Track listing:-Chart performance:... |
|
8 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
See also
- Australian country musicAustralian country musicAustralian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodelling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, by the traditions of Australian bush balladeers, as well as by popular American...
- Foggy Mountain BoysFoggy Mountain BoysThe Foggy Mountain Boys were an influential bluegrass band founded by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in 1948, shortly after leaving Bill Monroe’s band. They recorded and performed together up until 1969.-Biography:...
- Rank StrangersRank StrangersThe Rank Strangers were an Australian bluegrass band that won multiple national and international awards during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Random House’s 1991 book Australian Country Music declared the Rank Strangers to be among the major figures of the 1990s Australian music scene, along...
- Traditional bluegrassTraditional bluegrassTraditional bluegrass, as the name implies, emphasizes the traditional elements of bluegrass music, and stands in opposition to progressive bluegrass. Traditional bluegrass musicians play folk songs, tunes with simple traditional chord progressions, and on acoustic instruments of a type that were...