Whiskey for the Lady

“Whiskey for the Lady, a six-piece from Platte County, then picked up where Konza left off and lived up to their own billing: a foot-stomping metal-grass/newgrass band. Their originals are typically fast-moving locomotives, rife with grooves, melodies and harmonies, the kind that get a dance floor percolating." - Timothy Finn - Kansas City Star

Whiskey for the Lady, “Too Many F Holes”

Some bands take themselves too seriously. Whiskey for the Lady isn’t one of them. If the album title itself didn’t give you the hint, maybe song titles like “Catch the Gout,” “Jimmy the Frog” and “No Pants Party” will.

That said, the group is serious about its musicianship and the adventurous use of multiple instruments. On “Too Many F Holes,” you’ll hear plenty of bluegrass standards like the guitar, the banjo, the mandolin and the fiddle, but you’ll also be treated to the sweet sounds of the xylophone, the stylophone, the jaw harp, the vibraslap, the washboard, the trash can, the cowbells, the coconuts and, of course, the saw blade.

That imaginative creativity is just one of many reasons why “Too Many F Holes” is such a great bluegrass album. Some other reasons, in no particular order: A) It’s a lot of fun. B) The harmonies are surprisingly good. C) No two songs sound too similar, which is a difficult feat to accomplish in the genre. D) Did I mention they have a song called “No Pants Party”?

The first track, “A New Place,” opens the album at a frantically shifting pace — making use of some beautiful fiddling by Mallory Edson, some blistering mandolin-strumming by lead vocalist Phil Craven and some great little percussion touches by Ike Zaebos Goletz. The twangy “Catch the Gout” and the manic “Where’s the A?” follow, and both songs give the band a chance to showcase its vastly improved harmonies.

Listening to guitarist Frank Bower and banjo player Ricky D play off of each other is a real joy on the fourth track, “Don’t Lie to Me, Self.” The song is a narrative ode to the lies people tell themselves, and let’s just say it has a familiar hook. The next song, “O.D.,” is an ornery, foot-stomping sing-along, while “Jimmy the Frog” is a fun, mid-tempo tale that allows bass player Animal to let loose.

Whiskey for the Lady shows its soft and gentle side with the captivating “Beautiful Things” and its wild side with “Leave In Fire,” a song in which Goletz goes crazy with the percussion and Animal grunts the vocals while he slaps the bass.

The album’s most memorable track has to be “Gravedigger’s Wife.” The song came about after one of the band members hung out with a real-life gravedigger, and it’s just as good when the music stops and the band stomps as it is during every blistering note. On this track, Ricky D. runs a violin bow across an old saw blade, which gives off a ghostly (and quite fitting) theremin-esque effect.

The CD ends with “No Pants Party,” the energetic hoedown anthem that’s pretty suggestive and very self-explanatory.

Throughout “Too Many F Holes,” Whiskey for the Lady draws you in with its kookiness and keeps you listening with its fantastic songcraft. This one’s a must-buy for any bluegrass fan. - Shea Connor - St Joe Live