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The Tune Dogs "Unleashed," Dog Trot RecordsTTD-1; fiddles: Jan Smith and Bill McClain; Scott Russell: guitar and mandolin; John Kelley: banjo and BassBox; Susan Davis: dance caller. Do you like dance tunes? Do you like to dance? Are you one of those folks who goes to the contra and square dances as much to hear the band as to dance to the music with your favorite partner? The Tune Dogs are a working dance band from Atlanta and they play as fine a collection of dance tunes as you would ever like to hear. There are more than a few "standards" here, such as Texas Quickstep (Rachael), Pikes Peak and Elzic's Farewell, well played and nicely arranged. Alongside them are some less familiar tunes, such as one of my new favorites, Jump in the Well My Pretty Little Miss, and Broken Down Gambler, which was taught to me some years ago by another Atlanta fiddler, Jack Spence.
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Now this is a band album in the old time tradition. It is pretty much evenly balanced with the awesome double fiddle a bit in front of the other instruments and all of them playing the tunes together throughout each piece. This is not a criticism- in fact its what I expect and enjoy about this type of recording. The last four cuts, however, add the caller to the mix. I don't think this adds to the album, and although its not my taste , I wouldn't say it detracts me either. It does change the feel and did come as a bit of a surprise. I suspected (and confirmed with John) that you can tune your caller out of the mix by setting the balance of your stereo to the left as the caller is only on the right. So, as you wish on those cuts. Thanks for the option on that folks. This might even be a plus to those of you who take to the "music minus one concept" and are learning to call or play for callers. A note about the Bass Box. This instrument is a very cool concept built by John Kelley. Basically its a large bass kalimba (thumb piano) which you sit on while you play the notes with the large metal tines tuned to the bass range. If you have been to the Cliff top String band festival in West Virginia, you might have heard a bass in a jam where you couldn't see one. It sounds remarkably like a real, for true, upright gut-strung doghouse bass only it doesn't take up near the space. More info can be had at: |
Other tunes: Texas Gals. Hut in the Bog/28th of January, Shove the Pigs Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Devil Chased Me Around the Stump, Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel, Old Sport, Rabbit in the Grass medley, Barlow Knife, Hell Broke Loose in Georgia, Jenny Comb Your Hair/Cattle in the Cane: Jenny Lind, Circle Mixer, The Tennessee Mixer with/ Bill Cheatum/ June Apple, Contra Dance, Broken Sixpence with Deer Walk/Jaybird: Square Dance: Wave the Ocean with/Julie Ann Johnson, Waltz: Beethoven's Favorite. Contact info: Vintage Music: 800 326-9188
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The tune dogs 2006 all rights reserved
John Kelley has a smooth but rhythmic banjo style that blends in well with the band's sound. In Fort Smith Breakdown, the banjo is clear and melodic, with nice punctuation at the appropriate moments, John plays the melody line right with the fiddles while the guitar and BassBox (registered trademark) add the bottom that is so much needed in most string bands. Another banjo standout is the Wines Delight/Jump in the Wellll...medley. 
The cover and liner notes are pretty sparse. No notes on the tunes-just titles and times. It would have been nice to have a little chat about them, but in this case, I am not offended by their absence. There is a nice bit inside about the band, dancing and notes on the dances. 