Some may remember Dirtball, the last group to feature the husband-wife team of Wes and Jyl Freed, which fell apart a couple of years back, just when they appeared to be hitting their stride. The Shiners are the Freeds’ latest congregation of musical hillbillies, and they return with their strongest work yet.
Bonnie Blue draws together a range of interesting influences; the music is passionately performed, and Wes Freed’s lyrics are forthright and finely drawn. The Shiners take a generous hunk of Southern rock and add some bluegrass, blues and old-timey Appalachian sounds; what comes out sounds refreshing, infectious and energizing. This is perhaps related to the previous experience the players bring to the band, which includes members of Gwar (producer, guitarist and Planetary Records label manager Steve Douglas), Cashmere Jungle Lords (bassist Greg Harrup) and the Deliberate Strangers (fiddle queen Erin Synder).
From the stomping title track that opens the disc, to the back-porch bluegrass tinged “Crow Holler”, to the haunting “Conjureman” (which features Split Lip Rayfield’s Kirk Rundstrom on steel guitar), the Shiners create an atmosphere that illuminates Wes’ striking artwork, which is featured in the CD’s packaging. The Shiners celebrate the South in their own particular way, and their vision is surprisingly complete.