Malcolm Holcombe's music has been described as"insurgent country," a colorful if not completely satisfactory handle.His signature vocal growl and aggressive country blues guitar style doevoke the image of the outlaw troubadour, but "insurgent" has a hardring to it and Holcombe's work is anything but hardened. I Never HeardYou Knockin', his newest release, has a tender underbelly wrapped up inits tough skin.

Fromthe wild country of Chicago a collection of drinking songs that’ll getyou up out of your seat and keep you company on the morning after. Democracyis not always the best form of government and often not the best way torun a band.  However, here we have a cogent argument forproportionalrepresentation - three main songwriters, three complementary butdistinct styles and an ability to collaborate. ‘Maple Bun’ swings inold-fashioned country style, rocking like the Violent Femmes and worksthrough the Gourds indie-jugband shtick.  It would be easy enoughto beblown away by the high energy deconstructions of the various rootsgenres and the splashes of world music that spatter throughout andskate over the gentle lyrical patches like ‘afternoon’ that are likethe flashes of insight you get between realising how drunk you are,hyper-aware of your surroundings before it all goes to shit, and you doas they do on the next track ‘drinking from a dog dish sugar’.Saying alcohol plays a central role in these songs is like saying waterflows downhill. Alongside this predilection though is invention and funand good musicianship - the songs of Bob Kuhn are usually those thatdeal with more weighty concerns: ‘john Wesley hardin’ uses banjo andpiano to create a brooding atmosphere that succeeds brilliantly to givea substantial feeling to the heart of the record. At their mostauthentic as on ‘Long Decline’ they resemble Uncle Tupelo in theirability to assimilate traditional forms. ‘Henry Clay’ is anotherexample of this, the subject matter though less sombre, or sober,seeing as it is about a (drunken) mule and a leaking barrel of whiskey.The subject matter (alcohol not mules) is prominent again on ‘likkerpilla,’ a song that is as careful with itself as a man with aparticularly heavy hangover not wanting to move in case the worldbreaks. As they say ‘with liquor life tastes so good,’ coupleit with this record and your life will seem like one long party. www.clayheadrecords.com

From: Music-Eagle . “Magazinefor the Friends of Country and Western Music” Published in Hamburg ,Germany Oktober-Dezember 2004

From Texas toMontana
Bluebird Café Berlin Records CD 04-0015

JOHN SHREVEis an American who lives in Berlin . For many years he  studiedandtaught at several universities in the USA and Europe . He has beenliving and working in and around Berlin since the late seventies.

Westernmusic is his field. This CD is a trip through time and space in the oldWest. It is described with all its hard and beautiful sides inwonderful songs and stories. John Shreve doesn't write his own songs,at least there are none represented on this CD. He chose and arranged24 titles, so the CD is chock-full. With a love for detail, he has puttogether various traditionals and titles by such well-known Westernsongwriters as Andy Wilkinson or Ian Tyson. With the help of diverseBerlin musicians, not all of whom are from the country music field, hehas done a wonderful job on these songs. We hear guitar, bass, banjo,fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, dobro or even cello and accordion. Onlyvery seldom can a percussion instrument be heard.

Youwon't find drums or electric instruments. The arrangements are sparse,so that the individual titles have the sound of wide-open spaces andsolitude. And John Shreve's soft and gentle voice from the loudspeakersfits perfectly. John Shreve has also added a few brief Western poems.

Idon't want to point out any particular song because all of them arewithout exception well-done and taken together they present a wonderfulgeneral impression.

Withthis CD, John Shreve is entirely in the tradition of Michael MartinMurphy or Don Edwards. Anyone who enjoys those two will love this CD.Rarely has a CD from Germany sounded so American.

More or less as an encore there is alsothe song Walking after Midnight sung by Kay Shreve, JohnShreve's mother.

Rolf Baerenwald

***There will be a benefit for Uncle Josh on December 11th, 2 PM at theGibson Showcase in Nashville. Several of the big names in Bluegrasshave already signed on and more to follow. Once a final list isestablished, that information will be made available. The benefit isbeing set up by Sam Jackson. More news on the event to come as ithappens. *** *** 9-27-04 HAPPY 77TH BIRTHDAY UNCLE JOSH !!! ******Uncle Josh's health is slowly improving. He is home from thehospital, being cared for by family and home health nurses. There arestill health issues to overcome so please continue to keep him and hisfamily in your prayers. Thank you for all of your support.****** If you'd like to send Josh get well wishes, please sign the GETWELL SOON card:

I'm drownded in sorrow,I'm drownded in scorn.
I knew I'd end this waysince the day I was born.
I never learnt nothing'cept hunger and fear.
And the love that yougave me was lies to keep me near.

In afield of new grass you first lay me down.
I met you there dailyjust outside of town.
A fool I have lived anda fool I will die,
But you'll go to thedevil for making me cry.

'Outsideof Town', GeraldineFibbers

I looked tothe stars, tried all of the bars.
An' I've nearly gone up in smoke.
Now my hand's on the wheel, I've something that's real,
An' I feel like I'm goin' home.

'Hands on the Wheel' - Willie Nelson