Search - Citigrass :: Serpent in the Grass

Best Bluegrass Band From New York City

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 07/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having heard Citigrass perform many of these songs last month at a delightful gig during the Brooklyn Museum's fabulous "First Saturday" that's held almost monthly throughout the year here in New York City, I have to wonder when they'll release another album. In the currently over-hyped Brooklyn bluegrass and country music scene, Citigrass has demonstrated not only sterling musicianship - in a roster that includes musicians from classical, jazz and Off-Broadway traditions - but more importantly, ample dedication to ensuring that they perform at the very best, as evidenced by having been invited to perform personally for current New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Musically, they ought to rank upward somewhere with such eminent masters as acclaimed banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and the Grammy Award-winning Del McCoury Band (However, stylistically, they're really more a part of the emerging urban folk tradition here in New York City than a Nashville-quality bluegrass ensemble which just happens to be from the Big Apple; here in New York City, their closest musical equivalent could be the Wingdale Community Singers, another excellent Brooklyn-based urban folk ensemble.). Anyone who wonders whether it is possible for a fine bluegrass ensemble to exist here in New York City won't after hearing Citigrass' fine musical debut."

...and 1/2....Butt-kickin' hickity-split groovegrassin' musi

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 11/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 48:36 -- "I like my bluegrass hard, I like my bluegrass fast, If you got a problem, My boys will kick your ass." And this group isn't singing about any slow mules or donkeys here. On their sophomore release, listen closely to the lyrics in Citigrass' "Harder Faster" to understand their butt-kickin' hickity-split approach to music. I wish that lyrics for more than three songs had been included in the CD's jacket because some of them tear by in nothing flat. Don't think that everything Citigrass plays is with a heavy foot. "The Grey Fox," for example, is a slower Civil War ballad written by James Kerr, and a humorous "The Ballad of Jeff Van Gundy" is about the departure of the famous basketball player from the New York Knicks. "Walkabout" is a melodic 5-minute instrumental with some jazzy and new acoustic stylings included.



The "citi" in Citigrass refers to the Big Burg on the Bay....New York. With a sound that goes considerably beyond bluegrass, this quintet is turning plenty of heads. While they can pick a standard like Olabelle Reed's "High on a Mountain," their rendition isn't much like Del McCoury's. Their "Ain't Gonna Change" has the outward appearance of straight-ahead bluegrass, while a tune like "Serpent in the Grass" uses some Middle Eastern scales and licks. These guys definitely like to have fun with their music, plus a photo in this CD indicates that their fiddler likes Black Butte Porter. My kind of people! I can't think of too many bands who do bluegrass arrangements of "Viva Las Vegas," followed with an original Celtic reel like "Noah's Irish II" that keeps building steam along the rails. Knowing few boundaries, one's got to appreciate the eclectic nature of Citigrass' music. There's a little something for everybody here.



Citigrass was formed by banjo player and singer Sandy Israel, and the rest of the band is Noah Chase (mandolin, vox), Kenji Bunch (fiddle, viola, vox), Tim Kiah (bass, vox) and James Kerr (dobro, guitar, vox). Liner notes don't clearly identify who's singing when, but follow-up with the group indicates that Noah Chase is the primary lead singer on everything except "Viva Las Vegas" (Kenji Bunch), "Rose of Time" (Tim Kiah) and "Jeff Van Gundy" (all bandmembers taking turns on lead vocals).



The band is joined by two guests: rhythm guitarist/singer Jordan Shapiro (3 tracks) and percussionist Mark Ambrosino (2 tracks). Despite backgrounds in rock, jazz, classical music (and even off-Broadway), these five guys have chosen the bluegrass genre as their current starting point for musical creativity. Citigrass has been receiving some good press in places like Relix, The Village Voice, N.Y. Press, and on-line at Jambands.com. With a heavy concentration on originality in their spirited and eclectic presentation, this band is sure to build a legion of fans, especially among the younger demographic, that likes to boogie to their alternative and urbanized groovegrass. (Joe Ross, staff writer for Bluegrass Now, Roseburg, Oregon)"