Colebrook Road

Try to find Colebrook Road on a map of central Pennsylvania, and you’ll quickly become befuddled.

A Colebrook Road begins at Route 322 near Rocherty, Lebanon County, and follows Route 241 north.

Another Colebrook Road runs through Mastersonville, Lancaster County. A third appears south of Elizabethtown.

And a fourth runs nearly seven miles from the outskirts of Middletown to south of Bachmanville, Conewago Twp.

It is for this road in particular — although perhaps all of them together — that Harrisburg-based bluegrass band Colebrook Road is named.

The five-member band began performing in March 2009. Blending traditional and original tunes with strong instrumentation and tight vocal harmonies, Colebrook Road, as suggested by its Facebook page, attempts to remain true to the “local rural feeling inspired by an often-winding country road.”

“Many of our musicians have connections with Colebrook Road,” guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Jesse Eisenbise of Lower Swatara Twp. said.

Bluegrass, which is known for its complex picking, fast tempos and lyrics about rural life, especially emphasizes tangible connections to place — like that of Marcus Weaver, banjo player, whose father is pastor of Grace Chapel on Colebrook Road, Elizabethtown.

“[Bluegrass] is a social music. It’s the kind of music people play on porches. It draws people together.”

Eisenbise, a Lower Dauphin High School graduate, grew up on a farm off of Colebrook Road in Conewago Twp.

“Dry Ground Blues” is one of the band’s original songs that is told from the point of view of a Pennsylvania farmer hoping for rain.

“Growing up [on the farm] gave me a spiritual connection to community, the agricultural community,” said Eisebise, a science teacher at Palmyra Area Middle School. “I understand the value of empty space and how land should not be sold to the highest bidder.”

Eisenbise’s rural understanding and poignant, clear lyrics also are heard in songs such as “Coyote,” which couples the story of a bought-out farmer with that of a moon-howling coyote, both of whom mourn the loss of their homeland.

Other original Colebrook Road songs include “Grandma’s Cooking” and “The Delta Skunk.”

The band has observed a revival in the public interest of bluegrass music for its connection to hometown and its complex, intimate musical style.

Mandolin player Wade Yankey of Harrisburg was a classmate of Eisenbise’s in Lower Dauphin; his mother grew up near Colebrook and Roundtop roads. “Even though it never really was, bluegrass is now being seen as less redneck,” Yankey said. “We’re all from a small town somewhere.”

Joe McAnuty of Harrisburg, the band’s fiddle player and newest member, teaches at Harrisburg’s State Street Academy of Music. “Ninety-nine percent of my violin students want to play bluegrass,” he said.

“The fast fiddling sections, the open fifths — it’s just beautifully American music.”

Colebrook Road was recently named Best Bluegrass Band at Pickin’ in the Panhandle, a barbecue and bluegrass festival in Martinsburg, W.Va., and is a frequent performer at local venues including the Stage on Herr of Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center and McCleary’s Pub, Marietta. - The Patriot News

Colebrook Road, a bluegrass band from the Central PA region, isn't stuck in one place. "All the real standard songs that everyone's heard about five-thousand times, we don't really play those anymore," says Jesse Eisenbise, guitarist and singer for the band. "We kinda have more of our own voice these days which is a lot more fun."

The band formed in 2009 and has been playing in the surrounding states, some of the same Appalachian states in which bluegrass was born. And while bluegrass for years retained a very strict sound, lately a younger generation of musicians is bringing new melodies, chord progressions and rhythms to the genre.

"You have to keep the qualities of the growth going because you can't stay the same way," says violinist and vocalist Joe McAnulty. "That's a tricky thin line I think; you have to find that idea that is gonna keep people going."

The band's most recent, 2012 self-titled album (iTunes link) consisted of largely traditional-sounding songs, but when they visited the WITF performance studio last month to play a few tunes for an upcoming appearance on WITF's Center Stage (see photos below), their forays into bending the genre could most definitely be heard. - WITF.org

COLEBROOK ROAD – COLEBROOK ROAD (no label) Named after one of several such thoroughfares located near their home base of Harrisburg, Colebrook Road celebrates traditional-flavored bluegrass on their self-titled debut CD. Lead singer, guitarist and dobro player Jesse Eisenbise, banjo picker Marcus Weaver, upright bass player Jeff Campbell, fiddler Joe McAnulty and mandolin picker Wade Yankey introduce listeners to their brand of fast-firing, precision bluegrass and folk sounds through the disc’s ten tracks. The group’s instrumental performances are tight and sharp, and their vocals and harmonies bright and clear. Colebrook Road’s songs celebrate the values of small-town living, nature and rural heritage. Several songs herald the rural work ethic; the uptempo disc opener “Conewago Clay” and rapid fire disc closer “Sun Up Sun Down” both celebrate and tolerate long hours in the field and on the job, while “Both Sides of the Line” concerns survival and making ends meet. Other songs deal with farming issues; the hopeful “Dry Ground Blues” wishes for a little rain, while “Coyote” compares the plights of wildlife losing habitat and independent farmers losing their land. “Something in the Night” paints a picture of rural nocturnal calm, while “Without You” laments loneliness. Colebrook Road showcases their instrumental skills on two romping instrumentals, “Misfire” and “Grandma’s Cookin.’” Recorded and mixed by Bill Trego, Colebrook Road’s set sounds crisp and fresh; and the group’s arrangements are airtight and busy, with the blend of constant instrumental prowess and vocal dynamics resulting in never a dull moment. Colebrook Road’s first offering provides a strong introduction that roots the group’s sound in traditional bluegrass, while giving it a newgrass edge and makeover. (The CD can be obtained through the group’s website, www.colebrookroad.com.) - Pennsylvania Musician