“Hoedown At Alice’s” - Steve Martin, “The Crow” (Rounder Records, 2009)
Listen to this beautiful bluegrass tune, and then remind yourself that, yes, it is THAT Steve Martin playing the banjo. I like bluegrass music, and my dad got me this album for Christmas. Steve Martin only cuts up once (“Late For School”), and the rest is just earnest, mostly instrumental bluegrass tunes. His sound is very traditional, more Earl Scruggs than Bela Fleck. In a couple of places, including during this song, he introduces some non-traditional sound—there is a section in here that I would describe as “modal”, though I don’t know if that’s exactly the proper term for it. It may actually just be very rapid changes of key, but it creates a pretty yet subtle effect.
What a talented guy!
