Vinyl Pile: Baskery: A little "banjopunk" at the Blues Festival

By the fourth day at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland over the 4th of July weekend, I was getting a little weary. Having had my dose of some solid blues for the time being, I was looking forward to something new and different and damn did I get it.
The Swedish band Baskery (Gretta, Sunniva and Stella Bondesson) came on amidst a day 4 lineup of traditional blues performers and proceeded to blow the top off an already enthusiastic audience with a high energy set of what they call "banjopunk" or "blues-grass", I would describe their sound as more like The Dixie Chicks on steroids.
Gretta ignited the stage with her explosive, fuzzed up, electric slide banjo playing, while maintaining a thumping back beat on a small drum kit she played with her feet. At one point she actually was playing drums, banjo, and harmonica, while adding to the trios rock solid vocal harmonies on the song "One Horse Down" from their debut album "Fall Among Thieves". She seemed to work in perfect unison with her little sister Stella who was spanking the hell out of a slap-happy upright bass and providing a solid bluesy groove. Sunniva's spirited lead vocals and fiery rhythm guitar work were only enhanced by her vivacious stage presence and a kind of sarcastic, witty interaction with her audience that was refreshing to say the least.
As they ripped through several cuts from their debut album "Fall Among Thieves" they seemed to energize the audience a little more with each song, highlighted by a frenzied, in your face, version of "Out of Towner" that brought the crowd to a fever pitch...I for one, was blown away.

I have posted a couple of links here for you if you want to check out Baskery or buy the album "Fall Among Thieves" I highly recommend a listen, it's a well written and amazing piece of music ...believe me you haven't heard anything much like this before.