Search - Jeff Scroggins & Colorado :: Over the Line

eff Scroggins and Colorado is what I call a band that s firing on all cylinders. I m not talking about a nice, quiet, Mercedes I mean a Pontiac GTO that gets up and goes, and takes you on a ride you won t forget. Greg Blake has one of the richest and most expressive voices in bluegrass music today, and his rhythm and lead guitar playing make a groove so deep that you can t get out, and neither do you want to. Jeff can finesse a banjo part on a delicate song like Darcy Farrow, and he may be a big, soft spoken fellow, but when the tempos pick up there s a freewheeling abandon to his playing that will make your blood pressure rise. His son, Tristan, who recently won an IBMA momentum award, shares his father s unleashed bluegrass passion, whether playing exquisite backup on A Few Old Memories or getting on his toes and lifting his mandolin toward their signature single mike and letting loose with an inventive and high spirited torrent of mando magic. Portland resident, Ellie Hakanson, burns it down on the fiddle, and her addition of perfect tenor harmony softens and refines the band s vocal blend. She makes her debut here as a lead singer on three songs that express female strength and vulnerability. === I live for a good groove and a great singer, and I have to say that I ve been spoiled and blessed in that regard in my years of playing music. This band has got all that and more going on and I really love playing with them. We gather around just two mikes and there are no stage monitors, so it s almost as if we re in a circle at a jam session - the acoustic blend and visceral energy generated by this physical proximity invites all who hear to get in that car and ride Over The Line with us. === I was thrilled to be asked to produce this project because of the level of collective talent and the fun that we always have together both onstage and off. It was truly a collaborative and gratifying process, and I am so very ===proud of the final product Enjoy! Mark Schatz