“Highly structured orchestral works… difficult to perform live.” So violinist Darol Anger describes Woodshop, the latest in a quarter-century of collaborations with mando-guitarist Mike Marshall. They certainly play more instruments per song than humanly possible—from traditional guitars, violins and cellos to something called an electro-banjo creepola—building a sound as big, open and ornate as an opera house. Whinnying
fiddle runs ride over galloping percussive string riffs, suddenly changing tempos, times and feels—medieval to modern, soaring to subtle, gritty to grandiose—using a foundation of bluegrass, folk and classical to flair out on more progressive jazz/fusion fronts. The final product is complex and calculated, but the heart is still two players jamming. And though every aspect of the release bears a polish of planning and permanence—including slick packaging and precise liner notes—the music flows with extemporaneous passion, silent applause roaring after each track.
