THIS CD WAS SENT TO ME by the artists in their promotional material and, even though I had previously never heard of them, it is so good that I reached for the ’phone before their first track had ended and booked them for a concert in Nottingham! Definitely: “My money where my mouth is!”

Their first track, Montana Cowboy, shows off their beautiful harmonies to perfection. It’s the effect that only comes when artists double-track their own harmony. So now we know the secret - get a twin! The whole thing kicks in with a classic “whooph!” from the cracking banjo and whole band. Dolly Parton’s AppleJack is the next track to get the excellent Shankman effect and it comes across with the same bright sparkling pro’ treatment. Dana’s award winning banjo playing shines on Shucking The Corn (she first won the New York City Bluegrass festival banjo when she was only fifteen!) Macho, male-chauvinist banjo-pickers go make yourselves darn scarce! Their version of Waterbound is a real go-er and was in the Bluegrass Unlimited National Charts for fourteen weeks - yes, that’s right! In it’s old- form, it’s always been a favourite of mine but now it’s even more so.

Photo © D.Brandon and NWBN

Blue Kentucky Girl is just lovely with tasty banjo backup. Thibodaux has to be French and so it’s no surprise that a Cajun song comes bubbling up with a refreshing bluegrass spin. For the sake of brevity here, I’ll not list the entire CD’s tracks, but I have to mention a very nice rendition of The Ashoken Farewell. Lauren’s fiddle playing has a real authentic, sensitive touch and on the tracks where it is featured it comes shining through. I love both old-timey and bluegrass music and I really appreciate the maturity and authenticity that Lauren gets across. After hearing this CD I wasn’t at all surprised to read that she “has won many fiddle contests including the California Old Time Fiddler’s Convention in Goleta and Southern California’s Follows Festival.” Well, we don’t get much more down home than that! They appear regularly with Ralph Stanley who quotes, “These girls have really got it!” This CD brings a breath of fresh air in bright energetic performance that will appeal to a large audience spanning Old Timey, through Bluegrass to the best Country Music. It has been a genuine pleasure to review a CD of this calibre.

Geoff Bowers (Your Man in Nottingham).

Schankman Twins concert report

6th Sept 1999