From the April, 2008 edition of Dirty Linen Magazine:


"If your'e gonna take a ride ya gotta imbibe" was Belle Monroe's requirement for forming her bluegrass Brewglass Boys. Apparently, it turned out to be a good strategy. Not only does this bunch have tons of fun and the sudsy chemistry of a well-fermented bunch of hops, water and yeast, but they also play some pretty tasty bleugrass in between sips, guzzles and gulps. With all the sawdust-flying fiddling, string-shredding mandolin playing, bangin' banjo, springy dobro, and string-slapping acoustic bass, at times the proceedings are so high-energy, you'd swear the the brew was laced with ginseng, caffeine and Red Bull. On the slower numbers, what takes the spotlight is their occaisional breathtaking harmonies and Monroe's undainty-like, gutsy croony. While some selections will be familiar to bluegrass devotees, several more represent the band's eclectic tastes with tunes from folk icon Woody Guthrie, alt country rockers Old 97s, American hipster Gillian Welch, traditional jazz, and various inner circle musician pals. When you hear these guys play, it's not the beer talking.

Here are a few Reviews from Cyberspace on the subject of our debut CD:

BELLE MONROE DISTILLS "BREWGLASS"

"They don't like us," according to Belle Monroe commenting on a certain segment of the bluegrass community's feelings about Belle Monroe and her Brewglass Boys. True, there could be some things to upset them like taking Saint Bill's name in vain, using the name of His blessed music as a beer pun, and particularly for failing to play Bill Monroe's music the way it's supposed be played! (Funny how the very things that alienate them from the bluegrass community endear them to Hicks with Sticks.)

Bluegrass bands mainly cover songs written by others and some wags have even suggested that all bluegrass originals are covers too. Belle Monroe distinguishes itself from the pack with the band's choice of material and with vocals that are more throaty than nasal. Ted Silverman (mandolin), Jordan Klein (banjo) and Rick Hendricks (lap steel) boost the band's vocal horsepower by sharing leads and harmonizing. The CD kicks off with their version of 77 el Deora's "Fire on the Mountain" and soon gets into a torchy bluegrass interpretation of Gillian Welch's "Tear My Still House Down". They cover "Baby Let Me Follow You Down," a song from the 1930s that was popularized later by Bob Dylan, and carry on with rompin' numbers like "Johnson County."

Whether live or on CD, Belle Monroe and her Brewglass Boys are not just another Bill Monroe camp meeting, and that's a good thing. A very good thing.
Hicks with Sticks

For Whom Belle Tolls
Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys Toll For Thee Thursday at Sweetwater
By Matt Kramer
Pacific Sun
June 1, 2007

Thursday night marks the next edition of the ongoing Bluegrass Gold series at Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Saloon, and it’s a CD release celebration. The cheekily named Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys have at last—after a decade or so of performing around the Bay Area and beyond—produced their first full-length recording. Sharing its name with the six-piece band, the CD is a genuine homegrown product: it was mastered across the bay in Richmond, and was recorded in the heart of Marin at the Icehouse Recording, on Fourth near Shaver Street in San Rafael.

A small studio audience gives the 16-song set even more of a hand-made aura, and according to the liner notes, the recording session was akin to jamming at a party: making music, having fun with friends, and passing around a bottle or two. The disc definitely has a good-time vibe to it. Mirth and musicianship mingle to color quite a few of the bluegrass tunes, originals and covers that include compositions from the Reverend Gary Davis to Peter Rowan and Bill Monroe to Gillian Welch to Bob Dylan. The majority clock in around the three-minute mark, with plenty of good, clean picking packed into each and every song. True to the few times I’ve seen this band perform live, Belle and her boys—one of whom is a girl—share the lead vocal chores, and also harmonize mighty well together when called for. Belle (I’m uncertain if I should reveal her true identity. It’s inside the CD, but I didn’t pay for the privileged information) has some fun singing lead on “The Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me.” Actually, the entire band’s having fun on this one, contributing to the vocals and taking the tempo from lope to gallop and back again. The Russian/Gypsy homage in this tune, complete with a shouted “Hey!” works perfectly.

Yet this band is far from a one-trick pony. There are serious songs, bluegrass-befitting doses of lonesome, and a waltz replete with trembling mandolin and weeping violin. And then there’s the eerie and gorgeous take on the Monroe/Rowan nugget “Walls of Time,” which has been playing in my head off and on for about three days now. Belle’s plaintive and strong vocals rise above the lushly arranged and perfectly paced rhythms, taking me back to Peter Rowan’s performance of this song at a KWMR benefit earlier this year. The loud and powerful acoustic guitar chords contribute emotion to this potent rendition, which is also enhanced by a short, stuttering run on the resophonic guitar. At 4:26, this haunting track is tied for longest song on the disc with a cover of Gillian Welch’s “Tear My Stillhouse Down,” a song I love in spite of the chills it sends down my homebrewer’s spine.

There’s plenty of fiery fiddling and banjo picking along the ride, too, from the first fretted chords of “Fire on the Mountain” to “Leaving Wins My Heart” and its odd take on romance and relationships and right on through the “Trainwreck of Emotion” that brings this overdue recording to a crashing close.

Take a look around, listen to the tunes, read about us and get in touch. To learn more about the band check out the Meet Us page. Check out our schedule!

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