[NOTE: This article was originally published online on TriadLiveMusic.com on 4/25/2011]If there were only one musical genre the world would indeed be a very boring and sad place. Music is a living and breathing thing. It changes, it evolves, it grows and it remembers. Music can be a comforter to the soul, incite the heart to action, it can heal and hurt. And sometimes it can just blow you away with it's beauty.
When I stopped by the Rusted Bucket Tavern in downtown Burlington to hear Back Porch Orchestra I figured I would enjoy a little music and leave after a beer and a few songs. Four hours later I walked away from the establishment into the chilled misty night air with a spring in my step and a smile on my face and soul. Back Porch Orchestra performed continually the entire evening, filling the crowded venue with sweet, tight harmonies and amazing precision on guitar, banjo and mandolin. Guitarist/banjo player Jeremy Brady and guitarist/mandolin player Chris Reed's skills give their instruments added depth and make their acoustic guitars mimic electric guitars - something I had never heard or seen done before. To call their playing masterful would be an understatement. Add to that mix the phenomenal vocals of charismatic singer/guitarist Bonnie Reed and this powerhouse trio is unparalleled in the bluegrass/country genre. Bonnie's vocals are as sweet and powerful as they are hypnotic and perfectly suited for the bluegrass/country genre.
With a willingness to perform requests (both rock and country) Back Porch Orchestra successfully accomplishes what so many cover bands never do - making the song their own. Giving a unique bluegrass/country treatment to Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and many more artists the trio transform the songs into tunes distinctly their own.
But cover songs are only part of the gift this group gives to an audience. Each member is also an accomplished songwriter and their collaboration together has resulted in a collection of well-crafted and engaging tunes, fourteen of which can be found on their recently released debut album. While the trio of Jeremy, Chris and Bonnie perform at smaller venues they also offer a fuller sound for larger venues with the addition of upright bassist Keith Miller.
The music Back Porch Orchestra creates is to the soul as honeysuckle nectar is to a hummingbird, and you just can't get enough.
-Charlton Wiggins-
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