Kissin' cousins span big gap
Also: A motherlode from the Petersens
They are kissin’ cousins in the musical sense, both having learned Bluegrass as youths in their family bands. But Geary Allen is from England. Anissa Burnett is from the heart of Appalachia.
These days Geary and Anissa often perform together in their home territory of East Tennessee.
And it is downright amazing to see and hear an Englishman playing Appalachian music in a voice and with a style that sounds as though he were born somewhere in that region.
But that is the Bluegrass phenomenon of Geary Allen, who is now spending much of his time performing with the Burnett Sisters Band -- a group which is as authentically Appalachian as can be imagined.
With "Worried Blues," Allen does some fabulous picking and truly excellent singing, harking back to the foundational work of Frank Hutchison (1897-1945), who penned the song.
Credit: Wikipedia
Like many Bluegrass guitarists, Geary learned his trade playing with his family band -- though not on the Appalachian circuit! -- but with the Allen Family of Margate, England. Somewhere along the line he met Anissa Burnett at a Bluegrass fest, and moved to the United States, working with her for a short time in the Tennessee Bluegrass Band.
Allen often performs with Anissa, either as a twosome or with her band, the Burnett Sisters Band.
Geary Allen does "Milk Cow Blues," a number by bluesman Kokomo Arnold.
Here Allen well complements the Burnett sisters. In fact, he makes an excellent addition to the Burnett Sisters Band, based in the Johnson City, Tenn., area, which is virtually a bull's eye for Appalachian Country string band tradition.
Anissa and Geary perform together.
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GRIST has played up the Petersens many times, and for good reason. Here is the group's latest, a version of Merle Haggard's inimitable "Mama Tried” … with Mama on bass.
Matt Petersen's fine voice melds well with the expert instrumentalism here. One thing you can be sure of about this band is that bandmates, under the fine craftsmanship of music director Katie Petersen, nearly always get it together musically and artistically. (One can do things right musically without reaching that extra mile where artistry is found.)
As this song is about Mama and prison, it is not the perfect Country song. The group should have included something about trains and pickup trucks.
The perfect Country song
https://savingcountrymusic.com/50-years-ago-david-allan-coe-records-the-perfect-country-western-song/
Somewhere on one of his resumes, the dry-witted Matt lists himself as "in a band with my mom."
Matt likes to whip up audiences to shout out "Get it Mama!," a tradition which began after one fan blurted those words, triggering gales of laughter from bandmates.
Mama is Karen Petersen, on bass. The others are Matt on guitar, sisters Katie on fiddle; Ellen on banjo; and Julianne on mandolin; and close family friend Emmett Franz on dobro resonator guitar.
Here is another ode to Mommy by the Petersens, as we switch from grassed-up Country to grassed-up Pop/Rock. "Mama Mia" has been part of the siblings’ repertoire since the days of their early youth.
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Below we have two excellent Grass versions of "Farther Along," one by the Petersens and another by the Burnett Sisters.
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Another Haggard prison song, "Sing Me Back Home," is performed by a fine Country band with the name "High Carbon Steel."
High Carbon Steel is a highly authentic Country band that definitely gives off Bluegrass vibes, even if the members don't follow strict Bluegrass string tradition (though important early Grassers surely had a snare drum and electric guitar in the mix). The young men are from Roane County, Tenn., just west of Knoxville, where Dolly Parton got her start and just a hop-skip along interstate roadway to Johnson City.
Cory Marshall carries the vocals with a fine precision, backed by Dawson Carter on acoustic guitar and Nathan Carter on snare drum. The electric guitarist is not identified.
Group bio