Day 13 – Old Man Markley

A combination of a mild hangover and baby-related sleep deprivation has led me down a somewhat mellower path for today’s post.

Now, I’m not a massive fan of bluegrass or country & western bands. Musically it’s solid enough stuff, but I can rarely get on the right vibe to listen to prolonged periods of nasal-y yee-haw musings, regardless of how much hard drinking and hard livin’ goes into them.

But when it’s done well, it can be thoroughly entertaining. And that’s definitely the case with Old Man Markley – an LA-based bluegrass group who write wickedly delicious slices of Western US country-infused punk.

Their 2013 album Down Side Up is full of brilliant songs that keep getting better on repeated listenings, but it’s the second track Rehearsal that still remains my favourite. It’s a lovely banjo-and-fiddle-driven tale about touring that switches from swirling reels to moments of slow contemplation and back again with effortless precision. I really like it, and it’s perfect for lazy Saturday listening.

And for those of who you don’t have a Spotify account (or can’t get one in your country), here’s a slightly poorer quality live version of the same song.