The Carmonas

Daily Discovery: The Carmonas, “Oh, Alice”
By American Songspace August 28th, 2012 at 9:03 am


Musicians Corner Fall 2012 Winner:

ARTIST: The Carmonas

SONG: “Oh, Alice”

BIRTHDATE: 2011

BIRTHPLACE: ‘merica

AMBITIONS: To write The Great American Novel (Alison), To get my ’89 Ford Ranger to 300,000 miles (Aaron), To stay warm and not starve (Chad)

TURN-OFFS: Mold (Alison), The word “Foodie” (Aaron), “Hobo Chic” (Chad)

TURN-ONS: The Brooklyn Bridge (Alison), Five Piece Chicken Dinner (Aaron), Buy One Get One Free (Chad)

DREAM GIG: The Ryman Auditorium (Alison), The Coliseum in Rome (Aaron), International Space Station (Chad)

PETS: Honey, Lucy, Rita, Larry and Jackson

CELEBRITY CRUSH: Leadbelly or ABBA

I NEVER: could have done it without you.

5 THINGS EVERY MAN SHOULD OWN: According to Alison: A perfectly tailored suit, a valid passport, jumper cables, a cookbook, a compass. According to Aaron and Chad: A guitar, a dog, a job, a toothbrush, a plan.

WORDS TO LIVE BY: “Life’s a fragile thing. One day you’re chewing on a burger and the next you’re dead meat.”

I WROTE THIS SONG: on the back porch.

The Carmonas were selected to perform on the Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage at Musicians Corner for the Fall Season opener on September 1st in Nashville’s Centennial Park. Music begins at 3 PM and includes performances from The Blind Boys of Alabama, Karen Elson, and Jeremy Lister.

Listen to “Oh, Alice” from the Carmonas at American Songspace - American Songwriter

This is the debut full length CD from The Carmonas who comprise brothers Aaron and Chad Carmona, sister Alison and three friends Eben Cathey, Willie Huston and Daniel Heacock. The siblings grew up in an Army family travelling the US and thus have been influenced by a wide variety of music styles although there is more than a nod to the North Carolina scene with a laid-back California vibe thrown in.

There is a freshness and vitality to this album that anyone with a love of proper country or bluegrass music will instantly fall for. There are eleven tracks here, all written by the band and they are all top drawer with no hint of any "fillers". The opener "Into The Sun" has a fantastic fiddle entry which is mystical and almost sitar like that gives way to a main banjo theme which soars with optimism and provides wonderful accompaniment to the tight vocals that are a major feature of this album.

As the great Bob Harris has often said, there is something about sibling harmonies that is hard to beat and there are many examples of the truth of that statement throughout the record with "Crickets" being one such song. This is a deceptively simple affair with the majority of the song featuring accoustic guitar over which are the floating melodies of Aaron and Alison Carmona. And whilst on the subject of harmonies the hauntingly beautiful "Dead And Buried" with an even more stripped down accompaniment deserves a special mention.

While most of the lead vocals feature Aaron Carmona his sister has her share of the limelight and delivers a strong and stirring performance on "All Things Fall Apart" a telling comment on life and love.

You would be forgiven for thinking that you had heard the painful yet beautiful "Salinas" before as the sentiment and story mirrors almost exactly the Jimmy Webb classic "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". However, there is no plagiarism here and it is quite possible that the similarity is entirely unintentional.

This really is an exceptional album of its genre. -

Inoffensive is nice, right? Pleasant is pleasing, no? While descriptions such as these may seem innocuous at best, be assured that The Carmonas are anything but. Having staked themselves out at Nashville's famed Bluebird Café, these army brats (brothers Aaron and Chad and sister Alison Carmona) absorbed the influences of a vagabond childhood that found their family journeying from coast to coast and up and down the Appalachians. With added members Eben Cathey (banjo), Daniel Heacock (fiddle), Eric Wilkey (upright bass) and Tom Hoey (drums), they've further honed their stage show playing support to the likes of Emmylou Harris, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Marty Stuart, and performing for soldiers overseas under the auspices of the USO. It's an impressive resume thus far for a band that's only now releasing their first CD, but one that bodes well for their proficiency and expertise.

One indication of The Carmonas' credence is the fact that their songs sound remarkably familiar even on first encounter. Beginning with the mournful violin that intros "Into the Sun," and on through a gentle banjo pluck that picks up the pace, the jaunty saunter of "Human Hurricane," the bluegrass ramble of "All Things Fall Apart" and the down home hoedown that constitutes "Corner of the World," the band manages to keep matters easy and accessible, eschewing ragged edges in favor of an exceptionally agreeable sound. They don't necessarily up the ante, but there's a clear confidence at play, making it all too obvious that The Carmonas have all the cred necessary to achieve wider recognition.

There's quite a bit of competition out there when it comes to Americana contenders these days, but thankfully the Carmonas are more than capable of holding their own. -

One perk of reviewing music is that you get to listen to artists you know and love, such as Beth Orton or the New Mastersounds. But the real perk is receiving a disc in the mail from a band or artist you’ve never heard of that becomes a surprising new favorite. The self-titled release by the Nashville-based Carmonas is one such -- the band blends a wide range of musical styles into a cohesive, original sound. With fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and double bass, I expected a bluegrass sound -- but what I hear is something much more complex. Drums, piano, and vibes add body to the sound, while the songwriting -- for example, “All Things Fall Apart” and “When You’re Older” -- gives me pause. The natural blend of the voices of primary members and siblings Chad, Alison, and Aaron Carmona is what really draws attention to the talent apparent in this Americana group. -

With enough collective chops in evidence to hack it as a traditional bluegrass band, the principals of this Nashville-based outfit take their roots-bound sound to fresh melodic and lyrical regions with cut-above song crafting. The deal is typically sealed with strong vocal choruses and ear-grabbing harmonies. Standouts include “Into The Sun”, “Corner of The World” and “And So I Woke”. A fresher-than-average release -