Let the Ventucky String Band Play On

Ask members of the Ventucky String Band what they appreciate in the bluegrass and country legends who inspire them, and they will say the musicianship. The new Ventucky String Band album, the expertly woven tapestry of The Band Plays On, has musicianship in spades, in the staccato punch of plucked bass and the über-tight banjo harmonies. Songs like the peppy “Careful How You Catch ’Em” are so note perfect it’s hard to believe they weren’t pulled from a time capsule. But it’s also true to form in the deeply affecting lyrics, lovelorn and honest, like on “Buenos Aires Blues,” when singer Matt Sayles sings, “Time stretched me out, and I’m feeling like a sorry old fool.” Fun, succinct, and moving, too, it’s an accomplished work from a very talented bunch.Ask members of the Ventucky String Band what they appreciate in the bluegrass and country legends who inspire them, and they will say the musicianship. The new Ventucky String Band album, the expertly woven tapestry of The Band Plays On, has musicianship in spades, in the staccato punch of plucked bass and the über-tight banjo harmonies. Songs like the peppy “Careful How You Catch ’Em” are so note perfect it’s hard to believe they weren’t pulled from a time capsule. But it’s also true to form in the deeply affecting lyrics, lovelorn and honest, like on “Buenos Aires Blues,” when singer Matt Sayles sings, “Time stretched me out, and I’m feeling like a sorry old fool.” Fun, succinct, and moving, too, it’s an accomplished work from a very talented bunch.