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The Sweet Lowdown

Venue: The Caledonia
Town: Liverpool
Date: 28/4/14
Website: http://thesweetlowdown.ca/

Earlier this year, I had the great pleasure of reviewing "May", the second album by Canadian bluegrass/old-time trio The Sweet Lowdown, who hail from Victoria, British Columbia. I was hugely impressed by "May", so when I saw that The Sweet Lowdown were scheduled to play in Liverpool, at The Caledonia, I resolved to go see them play live at this friendly pub close to the Philharmonic Hall. I am certainly glad that I did go because this was an evening of magical music by this highly talented trio of Amanda Blied [guitar, vocals], Shanti Bremer [banjo, vocals] and Miriam Sonstenes [fiddle, guitar].

Individually, this trio are highly accomplished players and singers but when they sing and play together they create something really special. Collectively, they make some of the sweetest bluegrass and old-time music this side [and the other side] of The Great Divide.

Right from the start, TSL hit the ground running with a frenetic old-time hoedown "Chicken Under The Washtub", with Miriam setting a sprightly pace on fiddle, which had the audience in the band's pocket from the get-go. They followed this with the traditional "Sweet Heaven When I Die", which demonstrated their sublime harmonies.

Whether playing traditional songs/standards or their own material, TSL manage to take the listener to bluegrass heaven.

In the former category we were treated to great versions of "Down The Road", "Red Rocking Chair", a stunning "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Shenandoah Breakdown" but sometimes it is difficult to tell where the traditional material ends and where their own compositions start. A prime example of this is Miriam's "Don't Walk Away".

TSL are gifted songwriters, with all three members able to deliver lyrics of substance and depth. Take for example, Amanda's compositions "The Circle Song", "Red Shift Blues" and, best of all, her beautifully sad waltz "The Heart Is A Hollow Thing", all of which the band performed tonight. Amanda's favourite artists are Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley and tonight she lead the band in a storming rendition of Doc's version of the traditional "Reuben's Train".

Shanti is a superb banjo player who, unusually, plays both bluegrass and old-time styles. Her instrumental "May" showcases her compositional skills as well as her excellent playing on what is a lovely tune, which starts off quietly and which builds up to an almost rock and roll ending. Equally inventive is Shanti's "Luck Now" which was written after a trip to India for a friend's wedding. This piece blends bluegrass and Indian music to create a whole new type of music-let's call it Country and Eastern. This exciting piece went down extremely well with the audience. Shanti is no mean songsmith as her delightfully delirious "Please Take Me Home" amply demonstrated.

Miriam took up bluegrass fiddle after learning classical violin and has an impeccable technique. Her superb composition "Big Wave" was written about a terrifying ferry crossing to Vancouver Island and this pulsating tune perfectly captured the tumultuous nature of this experience, much to the delight of the listeners in the room. Miriam tuned her fiddle to Appalachian Mountain tuning for her new composition "Bundling Up The Sheets", which, like her "Don't Walk Away", sounded amazingly authentic.

Fittingly, The Sweet Lowdown ended a marvellous evening with a beautifully evocative a cappella number, Amanda's lovely "Lights Across The Water", which was simply stunning.

The Sweet Lowdown really are something special. Hopefully, they will be back on these shores again soon. I certainly hope so, because it's a very long way to go to Vancouver Island to see them!

Peter Cowley