The Greencards

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The Greencards

Background information
Origin Austin, Texas, USA
Genre(s) Bluegrass, progressive bluegrass
Years active 2003–present
Label(s) Dualtone Records
Associated acts Ricky Skaggs
Robert Earl Keen
Jerry Salley
Austin Lounge Lizards
Kasey Chambers
Gina Jeffreys
Ronnie Bowman
Website www.thegreencards.com
Members
Carol Young
Kym Warner
Eamon McLoughlin
Matt Wingate

The Greencards are an American progressive bluegrass band from Austin, Texas that formed in 2003. Known internationally as a popular Americana musical act, they have to date released one independent album and two albums through Dualtone Records, a Nashville, Tennessee label. The band was formed by two Australians, Kym Warner and Carol Young, and one Englishman, Eamon McLoughlin, who had all immigrated to the United States and specifically Austin to work as bluegrass musicians. The trio had all been separately raised on a variety of American country and bluegrass musical talents, such as George Jones, Merle Haggard, George Strait and Ricky Skaggs. Meeting at a recording session, the three quickly bonded, and they began playing and recording music together shortly thereafter. The Greencards were formed to raise funds by performing to record the original music the three had written. Within months they were one of the more popular bands in Austin, and they found themselves touring regionally. In 2003 they self-released their first album, Movin' On, leading to radio play and winning local Austin music awards in the process.

The success of their debut led to a recording contract with Dualtone Records, who produced their second album, Weather and Water, and also re-released Movin' On. More radio play and awards followed, along with Country Music Television naming their second album one of the ten best bluegrass albums of 2005. The Greencards were invited to tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson throughout 2005 as a result. In 2007, The Greencards released their third studio album under Dualtone Records, Viridian. The 2007 album would go on to take the #1 position on Billboard magazine's Bluegrass Music Chart, making The Greencards the first international band to ever do so. Viridian was a critically praised album, and the track "Mucky the Duck" was nominated for a Grammy Award at the 50th Grammy Awards, but did not win.

The Greencards were noted for their playing of American bluegrass with a worldly feel, and for their incorporation of other genres of music. Often labeled part of and said to be representative of the "newgrass" movement, they were said to draw from Irish traditional, European gypsy, rock 'n' roll, folk balladry, and Latin American musical sources in the creation of their sound.

Contents

[edit] Early history

Performing in California in 2004
Performing in California in 2004

The Greencards were initially composed of two Australians, Kym Warner on mandolin and Carol Young on bass, and an Englishman, Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle.[1] Prior to forming The Greencards, Young in 2000 won the Australian Independent Country Artist of the Year award, and had recorded two #1 Australian charted country music singles.[2] Early on, Young was a singer in Outback country bands and acts, including Gina Jeffreys.[3][4] Young was previously nominated as "Best Female Vocalist" by the Country Music Association of Australia.[5] Warner was an aspiring bluegrass musician – an oddity in Australia – after inheriting the music from his father, an early Australian bluegrass pioneer.[4] The recipient of the Australian National Bluegrass Mandolin Championship for four consecutive years, Warner had toured with country music artists Gina Jeffreys, and with Young again on Kasey Chambers's band.[6][2]

Before the band formed, Carol Young and Kym Warner both knew each other, and according to Warner had been drawn to bluegrass and American roots music through an appreciation of George Jones and Merle Haggard.[7] Later, Young and Warner were living together in Sydney, and trying to find work in the moribund Australian bluegrass scene. After meeting, they made the decision to emigrate to America for their music, spending time in West Texas before relocating to Austin.[4]

In concert
In concert

On an early trip the pair took to Austin, they met Eamon McLoughlin at a recording session.[8][7] 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.[9][10] 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.[11] McLoughlin had earlier relocated from London to Austin in 1997, after leaving college with a degree in politics.[12][9][11] Trained in London at the Royal Academy of Music before emigrating, McLoughlin also toured with the Austin Lounge Lizards after arriving in the United States.[5] 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.[13] Initially the immigrants bonded over their mutual love of Monty Python, Benny Hill, and Fawlty Towers.[4] They began to have jam sessions afterwards, and according to Warner, there was evident chemistry between the trio, which led to their writing songs together.[7]

They named themselves The Greencards, for the fact that all three band members carried United States green cards.[14] They eventually began to perform shows locally in Austin to finance the recording of what would become their debut album, the award-winning Movin' On.[7] In the process, they became one of the most popular musical groups in Austin.[8] Representative of an emerging "newgrass" movement, The Greencards' acoustic musical sound was said to incorporate eclectic influences from Irish traditional, European gypsy, and Latin American sources.[15]

Their first performance together as a band was at the Austin Irish pub, Mother Egan's. Given a noon to 3 pm time slot, they surprisingly began to fill the pub with patrons week after week, with fans there calling them the "Bluegrass Bunch". Several months later, The Greencards found themselves 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 during their Austin formation for their cohesion as a group and for driving them to create more new original music.[13] During their time performing locally in Austin, they toured with various local Texas musicians, including Robert Earl Keen.[14]

According to McLoughlin, the idea of an American bluegrass band composed of two Australians and an Englishman is not outrageous:

“ The ironic thing is that we grew up listening to primarily American music and fell in love with American music. I love country music. I grew up with George Jones and Charley Pride and Jim Reeves. 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 Wynette. Trev Warner is Kym's dad, and he was the first person to bring bluegrass music to Australia.[1] ”

[edit] Recording history

In 2003, the Greencards recorded and self-released Movin' On, their debut album, selling 10,000 copies at shows and online, and reached #5 on the Americana radio charts.[13] 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 their sound.[16] Movin' On earned The Greencards the 2004 Austin Music Award for Best New Band.[17] The Greencards were 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.[18]

Several months after the awards, the band was signed by Dualtone Records, and began work on their next album, Weather and Water.[7] After joining Dualtone, the label re-released Movin' On in January 2005, generating still more airplay and sales.[10] 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.[10] By 2006, The Greencards had an annual slot at Merlefest, held annually in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.[13]

Their second Dualtone album, Weather and Water was released June 28, 2005.[10] 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.[19] 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.[20] All three members of the band sing on Weather and Water, but Young's voice was noted for its "dreamy, haunting quality".[13] 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.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23] The music video for the band's single "Time" from Weather and Water received heavy airplay and rotation on Country Music Television.[7] "Time" was described as the centerpiece track of Weather and Water.[18]

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".[24] The Greencards were the opening act for Dylan and Nelson on their 2005 summer tour.[25] 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.[4] 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.[26] Throughout 2005, they toured extensively with Dylan and Nelson, and afterwards toured with Tommy Emmanuel.[27]

In December 8, 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.[10] By the end of 2005, The Greencards relocated from Austin to Nashville, Tennessee to be closer to their label and production staff.[28][10] Coinciding with their move to Nashville and work on their sophomore 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.[28] 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.”[29]

Performing at Houston's The Mucky Duck bar, inspiration for their Grammy-nominated Mucky The Duck
Performing at Houston's The Mucky Duck bar, inspiration for their Grammy-nominated Mucky The Duck

In 2007, The Greencards were joined by Matt Wingate, a guitarist from Alabama, for their work on Viridian.[30] On their previous albums, The Greencards had individually recorded their separate musical tracks in isolation booths of recording studios, but for Viridian, recorded their album together in real time in an open room, which was said to be a factor in a spontaneous feel for some of the album.[2] 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.[31][28] Their sound, through Viridian, was likened to the Canadian alternative country band The Duhks.[31] After its release, Viridian claimed the #1 position on Billboard Magazine's Bluegrass Music Chart.[25] The Greencards are the first international musical act to ever reach #1 on the Bluegrass Music Chart.[8]

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.[30] The progressive nature of The Greencards' bluegrass sound has been compared to Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss & Union Station's own musical work to expand bluegrass.[1] The lyrics on "When I Was in Love With You" were cited as among the most striking on Viridian, and were based in part by McLoughlin on an 1896 poem, "A Shropshire Lad", by Alfred Edward Housman, the English poet.[11] The song was described as a "Pogues-like romp".[28] In a review of Viridian, Embo Blake of Hybrid Magazine noted Carol Young's vocal skill, as she "effortlessly diphthongs cadence" on the track "Waiting On The Night".[32]According to ABC News in Dallas/Fort Worth, the album has a traditional bluegrass core, with a worldly flavor.[1] 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.[7] Bruce Elder of the Sydney Morning Herald called Viridian a tour de force.[6]

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, the song was inspired by one of the band's favorite Austin musical venues, The Mucky Duck.[16] Eamon McLoughlin is a regular blogger for Country Music Television.[9] After the Grammy Awards, he wrote about the band's experience at the event.[33]

[edit] Musical style

2004 concert in Yosemite, California
2004 concert in Yosemite, California

Considered by critics to be part of the progressive bluegrass ("newgrass") musical school, The Greencards have been observed to draw from a wide array of musical influences, ranging from Bob Dylan and the Beatles, to the Celtic tone of Irish traditional music, gypsy themes, and Latin sounds.[18][15] In particular, on their latest release, The Greencards evoked the sounds of progressive 1960s American folk rock.[30] However, in spite of this, it has been observed that The Greencards maintain a distinctively Americana sound.[21] Despite their diverse musical influences, the various sounds are always detectable, but none ever dominate the band's music.[34] Their early work had a looser, jam-based feeling to it, which they later firmed into a more polished sound after relocating to Nashville from Austin.[28] Polished, "earthy, charming roots music with a sophisticated sheen", is how Jim Abbot described them in a review, and Country Music Television noted their melancholy but melodic sound.[20][24] The Greencards have been compared favorably to both Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss & Union Station in terms of their work in growing the scope of bluegrass music.[1] Their appeal has been attributed to both their "instrumental dexterity" as much as the manner in which they both revere and flaunt bluegrass conventions.[11] The Greencards have described their sound as "high energy acoustic music".[35]

[edit] Reception

Early in their career The Greencards won the Austin Music Awards for Best New Band in 2004, in the wake of their first self-released album, Movin' On.[17] That first album, even without a recording label's backing, managed to sell over 10,000 copies, and receive significant radio airplay.[13] Their second release of Weather and Water was cited by critics as among the best bluegrass releases of 2005.[22][24] They next won the 2006 Americana Music Association Awards, in the New/Emerging Artist of the Year category, and were cited as expanding the boundaries of the bluegrass genre.[23][18] Afterwards, a Washington Post reviewer observed that The Greencards may play Americana-flavored bluegrass better than most Americans due to their deep respect for the musical style.[26] Their third studio album, Viridian led to a Grammy award nomination, and the #1 spot on Billboard Magazine's musical charts, the first time any international act had managed to do that for bluegrass music.[8]

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.[2] Bruce Elder went on to say that the band may after Viridian be the best country music performers to ever come out of Australia.[6]

[edit] Discography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Tarradell, Mario (November 2, 2007). The Greencards. WFAA-TV (Dallas-Forth Worth). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  2. ^ a b c d Waiting On The Night. OzTrax. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (April 21, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  3. ^ Shedden, Iain. "Band beats Americans at own game", The Australian, December 10, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 
  4. ^ a b c d e Leroy, Dan. "Greencards Meet Bob Dylan", 'Rolling Stone', May 24, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  5. ^ a b Joe Ross. Joe Ross / Reviews. Bluegrass Now Magazine, April 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  6. ^ a b c Elder, Bruce. "Viridian", The Sydney Morning Herald, April 28, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Iwasaki, Scott. "Greencards drawn to American roots music", Deseret Morning News, June 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  8. ^ a b c d Jones, Richard O. "Bluegrass chart toppers perform at Southgate House", The Middletown Journal, April 27, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  9. ^ a b c Country Music Blog: Eamon McLoughlin. Country Music Television (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  10. ^ a b c d e f 2005: What a Year for the Greencards. Americana Homeplace (January 8, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  11. ^ a b c d Francis, Naila. "The Greencards' musical meanderings tend to influences from far and wide, with an eye always toward tradition.", The Intelligencer, August 16, 2007, p. D1, D2. 
  12. ^ The Greencards: New Folk in Concert. WKSU-FM (Kent State University) (September 25, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Miller, Jay N. "Trio is going places: The Greencards are headed for Club Passim", The Patriot Ledger, February 24, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  14. ^ a b Graham, George (2007-02-07). The Greencards: Viridian. The Graham Weekly Album Review. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  15. ^ a b Courtney, Kevin. "Who the hell are? The Greencards.", The Irish Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  16. ^ a b Cartwright, Keith Ryan. "International musicians unite with ‘Greencards'", The Post and Courier, February 21, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  17. ^ a b Gray, Christopher. "2003-04 Austin Music Awards", The Austin Chronicle, March 19, 2004. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  18. ^ a b c d "The Greencards, an American Composer, Prairie Winds open festival", Glen Arbor Sun, July 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  19. ^ Himes, Geoffrey. "THE GREENCARDS "Weather and Water" Dualtone", The Washington Post, June 10, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  20. ^ a b Abbott, Jim. "The Greencards have a sound as unique as their members", Orlando Sentinel, July 7, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  21. ^ a b Lehndorff, John. "Tried-and-true Telluride dares to fill the air with new talents", Rocky Mountain News, June 17, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  22. ^ a b Gonulsen, Jason. "The Greencards: Weather and Water", Glide Magazine, August 10, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  23. ^ a b 5th Annual Americana Honors & Awards Nominees. Americana Music Awards (2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  24. ^ a b c Shelburne, Craig. "Ten Favorite Bluegrass Albums of 2005", Country Music Television, December 28, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  25. ^ a b Mayer, Tom. "The Greencards blend bluegrass, country and pop in Bayboro", Sun Journal, October 11, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  26. ^ a b McClain, Buzz. "The Greencards' Down-Home Customs", The Washington Post, June 15, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  27. ^ Hutchinson, Nick (2007-07-12). Telluride Turns Thirty-Three. JamBase. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  28. ^ a b c d e Himes, Geoffrey. "THE GREENCARDS "Viridian" Dualtone", The Washington Post, April 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  29. ^ Gonulsen, Jason. "The Greencards, The Lucas School House, St. Louis, MO", Glide Magazine, May 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 
  30. ^ a b c McClain, Buzz. "Greencards: Bluegrass With Varied Accents", The Washington Post, April 18, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  31. ^ a b Moulton, Jim. The Greencards - Viridian. Country Stars Online. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  32. ^ Blake, Embo (2007). The Greencards Viridian. Hybrid Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  33. ^ McLoughlin, Eamon (2008-02-15). Grammy Nomination Raises the Bar. Country Music Television. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  34. ^ Proctor, Brad (March 21, 2007). The Greencards | Viridian (Dualtone). PLAYBACK:stl. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  35. ^ "The Greencards on the roof", News 8 Austin, March 11, 2004. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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v • d • e
The Greencards
Members
Carol Young • Kym Warner • Eamon McLoughlin • Matt Wingate
Studio albums