Call it old-time for our times: with their infectious energy, undeniable charisma, sharp musicianship, and unique repertoire of original and traditional songs, Uncle Earl is bringing the string band legacy proudly into the modern era. The band’s national debut album, She Waits for Night, is that rare project that is enriched by tradition but never enslaved by it – at once defiantly old-fashioned and defiantly contemporary. It is a sound that bridges gaps. Steady touring over the past two years has found the band appealing equally to folk, old-time, alt-country, bluegrass, jam band, and pop audiences. No matter the perspective – the vitality and honesty of the performances on She Waits for Night – make Uncle Earl one of the most exciting and promising new bands to emerge in any genre.
In concert and on She Waits for Night, Uncle Earl members Kristin Andreassen, Rayna Gellert, Sharon Gilchrist, KC Groves, and Abigail Washburn each take a turn in the spotlight — trading instruments and lead vocals with ease. From a fast fiddle tune to an a capella gospel number (“Divine”), from a trio for banjo, fiddle, and clogging to an old brother duet or an original ballad that sounds as old as the hills (“Pale Moon”), the musical range of Uncle Earl is both surprising and wholly organic. Audiences all over the country have fallen in love with the “g'Earls” for their evident delight and camaraderie as they twist and twirl around the single microphone on stage.
Uncle Earl began in 1999, when singer/mandolinist/guitarist KC Groves and singer/guitarist Jo Serrapere recorded a CD of primarily traditional material. “We really had no intention of performing together – much less starting a band,” Groves reflects “but in order to promote the CD, we put together a small band to do a few CD release shows in Colorado and Michigan. The shows went so well and the response was so positive that we decided to keep doing shows. Even back then, there was something there that people really connected with.” After Serrapere decided to concentrate more on original material, Groves shepherded Uncle Earl through a series of evolving lineups over the course of the next six years.
“I’ll admit,” says Groves, “that all versions of Uncle Earl had real charm. But the current line up is really special...My friend once told me about termites and their collective roles and that if a group of termites is missing a certain role the whole colony will starve. They need all the roles to be fulfilled or the colony can not function. I hate to compare our band to a bunch of bugs, but I think it’s a beautiful analogy. Of course the roles in our case are musical...” This concept of individual strengths being applied towards a common (musical) goal is vividly realized within the ranks of Uncle Earl. Each member has her own background and accomplishments.
“We come together to do this from very different solo careers and talents and from five different states,” explains guitarist and vocalist Kristin Andreassen. “This makes every time we convene a special event in our lives.” Andreassen, for instance, performs as a clogger and stepdancer with Maryland’s Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. Banjoist Abigail Washburn, who sang with soul, gospel, and reggae bands before discovering old-time music through the recordings of Doc Watson, writes original songs in both English and Chinese. She released her debut solo album on Nettwerk Records in August, 2005. Bassist Sharon Gilchrist is an accomplished mandolin player and can be seen performing with the Peter Rowan &Tony Rice Quartet. Rayna Gellert, an accomplished second-generation old-time fiddler, has released two well-received CDs. KC Groves also has two CDs to her credit, documenting her compelling songwriting and understated, elegant singing.
Yet despite all they’ve achieved individually, Uncle Earl is refreshingly ego-free – no one g’Earl emerges as the star. If anything, the star is the collective energy and empathy in the group’s performances. She Waits for Night, produced by the influential young multi-instrumentalist and all-around roots music champion Dirk Powell, is a powerful encapsulation of all the band is capable. Opener “Walkin’ in my Sleep” is careening old-time, with Abby’s lonesome vocal edged along by Rayna’s driving fiddle. Kristin takes the lead on “Sugar Babe,” retaining the timeless ballad’s unquenched ache while revealing a new layer of bittersweet regret, aided by the band’s restrained support. She also introduces the fiddle tune “Old Bunch of Keys” with a chorus of fierce clog dancing before the rest of the band kicks in (so to speak). “There is a Time,” a song rescued from the catalog of bluegrass legends the Dillards, wraps a delicate, two-banjo arrangement around KC’s arresting vocal.
The addition of bassist/mandolinist/vocalist Sharon Gilchrist, who joined following the sessions for She Waits for Night, adds yet another new dimension to an already rich sound.
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