Weather and Water
Encyclopedia
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. 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. In another review, 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 bluegrass bands such as the Del McCoury Band
. All three members of the band sing 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, but noted that the band had a distinctly American sound despite their overseas origins.
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. In the wake of their release, 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. 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.
Country Music Television named Weather and Water one of the 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 that worked on Weather and Water, with helping them getting 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. During their tour with Dylan and Nelson, Buzz McClain of The Washington Post observed that The Greencards plays traditional American music due to their deep respect for the material than most American musicians do. Throughout 2005, they toured extensively with Dylan and Nelson, and afterwards toured with Tommy Emmanuel
.
Coinciding with their move to Nashville in late 2005, and work on their second album Weather and Water, it was seen as a deliberate move from the jam-style of their debut album Movin' On to instead focus on Americana
-focused music. During the 2005 summer tour, Kym Warner wanted to get the chance to pick Dylan's brain, but never had the chance. Warner did not get to spend much time with him, but Dylan told him at the end of the tour, “You’ll be fine from now on.”
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...
progressive bluegrass
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 The Greencards
The Greencards
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...
. Their second Dualtone album release of 2005, after their debut 2003 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...
was re-released earlier in the year by their label Dualtone Records
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...
, Weather and Water was released on June 28. 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. In another review, 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 bluegrass bands 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,...
. All three members of the band sing 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, but noted that the band had a distinctly American sound despite their overseas origins.
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. In the wake of their release, 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. 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.
Country Music Television named Weather and Water one of the 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 that worked on Weather and Water, with helping them getting 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. During their tour with Dylan and Nelson, Buzz McClain of The Washington Post observed that The Greencards plays traditional American music due to their deep respect for the material than most American musicians do. 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...
.
Coinciding with their move to Nashville in late 2005, and work on their second album Weather and Water, it was seen as a deliberate move from the jam-style of their debut album Movin' On to instead focus 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. During the 2005 summer tour, Kym Warner wanted to get the chance to pick Dylan's brain, but never had the chance. Warner did not get to spend much time with him, but Dylan told him at the end of the tour, “You’ll be fine from now on.”
External links
- Official site, thegreencards.com
- Official MySpace for the Greencards
- Country Music Television Profile
- The Greencards collection at the 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