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Modern Hicks
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Progressive Bluegrass Band |
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Country: USA
City: Santa Rosa
State/Province: California
Region: Northern California
Subregion: Sonoma County |
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Contact:
Website: http://www.modernhicks.com/ |
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Create a personalized
mix of your favorite Modern Hicks songs!
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Modern Hicks's
Song Catalog
This list
includes all songs where this music creator
is a contributor (writer or performer). Click
on headphones to listen and song links for
more song information. |
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= Add to Cart |
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= Email to a Friend |
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= Vocal |
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= Instrumental |
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Listen
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Song Title
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V/I
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Overall Style
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Vocals &/or
Instruments
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Genre Influences
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Length |
Action |
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 | 1. | Annabelle | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:22 | | | | Written by: Gillian Welch
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 2. | Baby Took A Limo | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:17 | | | | Written by: Guy Clark
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 3. | Brand New | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Background Male Vocal, Bass, Dobro, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:30 | | | | Written by: Mark McLay
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 4. | Cadillacin' | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 2:25 | | | | Written by: Billy Jack Wills
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 5. | Can't Let Go | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Male Vocal, Dobro, Drums, Lead Female Vocal, Mandolin, Percussion, Upright Bass | | 3:12 | | | | Written by: Randy Weeks
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 6. | Don't Listen To The Wind | | | Acoustic Guitar, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin, Upright Bass | | 2:48 | | | | Written by: Julie Miller
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 7. | Dry River | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Background Male Vocal, Dobro, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin, Percussion, Upright Bass | | 4:56 | | | | Written by: Dave Alvin
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 8. | Eight More Miles | | | Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Lead Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Banjo, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin, Upright Bass | | 2:57 | | | | Written by: Kieran Kane
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 9. | Fields Of Gold | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Male Vocal, Bass, Dobro, Lead Female Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:27 | | | | Written by: Sting
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 10. | Floods Of South Dakota | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 4:27 | | | | Written by: William Ashford, Judy Roderick
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 11. | Friend Of The Devil | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 4:15 | | | | Written by: Jerry Garcia, Dawson, Hunter
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 12. | Gone, Gone, Gone | | | Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:09 | | | | Written by: Harlen Howard
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 13. | Hearts Touch | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Bass, Dobro, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 2:22 | | | | Written by: Tom Sours
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 14. | Hills Of Caroline | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Background Male Vocal, Banjo, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin, Upright Bass | | 2:25 | | | | Written by: Layne Bowen
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 15. | In A Town This Size | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Background Male Vocal, Bass, Dobro, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:21 | | | | Written by: Kieran Kane
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 16. | Isn't That So | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 5:06 | | | | Written by: Jesse Winchester
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 17. | Killing The Blues | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Male Vocal, Bass, Dobro, Lead Female Vocal, Mandolin | | 3:29 | | | | Written by: Roly Salley
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 18. | Love To Learn | | | Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Lead Guitar, Bass, Lead Female Vocal | | 3:25 | | | | Written by: Henry Hipkens
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 19. | Midnight Highway | | | Acoustic Guitar, Background Female Vocal, Background Male Vocal, Banjo, Bass, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 2:45 | | | | Written by: Peter Rowan
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
| 20. | Out Among The Stars | | | Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Dobro, Harmony Female Vocal, Harmony Male Vocal, Lead Male Vocal, Mandolin | | 4:28 | | | | Written by: Adam Mitchel
Performed by: Modern Hicks | | |
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CDs
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list includes all CDs where this music creator is a contributor
(writer or performer) on at least one song in the CD. Click
on the Jukebox to listen and CD image or CD Title for more CD
information. |
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| 1. |  | Out Among The Stars
Modern Hicks | | | 2. |  | Tornado Alley
Modern Hicks | | | | 3. |  | Under A Stormy Sky
Modern Hicks | | | | |
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Biography
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The Modern Hicks are: Kevin Russell, Layne Bowen, Gina Blaber, Craig Anderson, and Ted Dutcher.
Kevin Russell: Kevin, a Seattle native, is a founding member of Modern Hicks. A multi-instrumentalist, Kevin plays guitar, mandolin, 5-string banjo, resophonic guitar and sings lead and harmony. In addition to the Hicks, Kevin plays in the alt-country band Laughing Gravey, and with singer/songwriter Terry Pinnegar. Kevin also hosts a bluegrass and western swing radio program on Sonoma County's PBS station, KRCB (91.1) and writes CD reviews for an on-line website www.freighttrainboogie.com In December 2002 Kevin released a solo CD on the Jackalope Label entitled, "You Don't Know Me".
Layne Bowen: Layne, a founding member of Modern Hicks, plays mandolin and guitar. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Layne cut his bluegrass teeth playing mandolin with the Skunk Valley Boys (which also included high school buddy and long-time Bluegrass Patriot dobro player Ranger Rick Bradstreet). In addition to his instrumental and songwriting contributions, Layne sings harmony and lead parts for the band. Layne is also a session musician and a member of the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers.
Gina Blaber: Gina sings both lead and harmony parts for the Modern Hicks. She moved to Sonoma County from her native New England where she was a member of Libana, a women's chorus, singing music from Eastern Europe. Among the musical influences Gina readily acknowledges are jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln and the soulful country duet work of the Louvin Brothers. Gina is also a featured artist on the "Connections" CD.
Craig Anderson: Craig, on dobro and 5-string banjo, hails from Southern California. There he played with various sidewalk bands such as the Chubascos and the Three Stooges Cooking School. Craig enjoys pushing the envelope by playing the music of the Clash and the Talking Heads with the vehicle of traditional bluegrass. Most recently he played with "The Clearing", a group of environmental educators from Marin and Sonoma counties who performed at the Strawberry Music Festival.
Ted Dutcher: Ted plays the bass for the Modern Hicks. A veteran of several Sonoma County bluegrass and beyond bands, Ted brings a rock-solid rhythm and a keen sense of harmony to the band. |
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Accolades
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Bluegrass Breakdown, December 2004:
"Modern Hicks is a Northern California band with a delightful mixture of old time sound and modern sensibility. They choose songs with carefully crafted and meaningful lyrics and then add a wonderful backdrop with strong vocals and a powerful mix of mandolin, guitar, resonator guitar, bass, and banjo. The band has a truly evolved ensemble sound.
Layne Bowen's strong mandolin playing adds punctuation to all of the songs, but he also does equally well with lead guitar and fiddle. His instrumental "Sleeper's Dream" has a bright, Celtic feel aided by the sparkling bandjo of guest Bill Evans. Kevin Russell has a strong rhythm guitar but he also adds vibrant guitar solos and mournful resonator guitar to the rich mix of textures. Craig Anderson's skill on instruments includes the resonator guitar, banjo, and Weisenborn guitar.
Newest member Ted Dutcher's bass adds a basement floor of rhythm and strength to the band's sound. Gina Blaber has one of those voices that blends blues and jazz with a touch of hometown country truth. Her versatility shines in her close harmony with Kevin Russell on "Speed of Light" and her bluesy, no-hold-barred version of her own "Whether I Call You." Their version of Daniel Lanois' "Under a Stormy Sky" has a wonderful Zydeco bouncy beat with Julie Wolf guesting on accordian. Kevin Russell's "Solid Wrong" has a commentary on the covering of fields by parking lots, and his "Settle Down With The Blues" nails the blues in bluegrass.
Here's an album to play over and over. Your personal favorite will change with every listening, and you may have to conclude that each song is a treasure!"
Good Times (Santa Cruz County weekly, May 2002:
"I'm not sure where the "modern" part comes into play, but Modern Hicks' sincere, highly competent approach to country and bluegrass is refreshingly free of bacon grease aftertaste. Its specialty is slow Willams-style laments, but when the band hits the gas on numbers like the title track from its latest CD, Tornado Alley, it doesn't take too long to figure out that the group's been saving some hot licks for the right moment. With its wealth of country covers, occasional originals, and pop hits reworked for fiddle-fed ears, MH is like a living jukebox from a friendly roadside tavern." |
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Staff Notes
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| The Modern Hicks is a talented group of veteran music professionals with impressive credentials and incredible chops. Firmly rooted in the "unplugged" music category their style encompasses bluegrass, folk, country, swing, and much more. From diverse cover tunes that range from Hank Williams to the Grateful Dead, as well as some great original songs, the Modern Hicks bring a freshness and originality to their goodtime music. |
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