Oakhurst (band)

Oakhurst is a bluegrass-rock band from Denver, CO. Founded by bassist Johnny James Qualley and Singer Adam Patrick Hill in 1999, Oakhurst became a full-time nationally touring act in 2004 and has produced 5 records. Most recently Barrel (2012) which was produced in Nashville, TN by Joe Pisapia.

Reviews

On their fourth album, Colorado-based progressive bluegrass outfit Oakhurst largely abandon the alt-country side of their sound that flourished on previous efforts like Dual Mono and Greenhorn. Even outlaw country-influenced rockers like "Soon as the Sun" and "Run Run" and the weepy trucker story "Jim and Nan" are built on the fluid mandolin and banjo lines and speedy tempos of traditional bluegrass as much as the rock & roll stomp of the rhythm section. The expansive seven-minute epic "Heartstring" is an effective blend of singer/songwriter-style rock form and bluegrass style. But the album's heart is in the handful of good old-fashioned bluegrass instrumentals, which are rooted in tradition but played with freshness and vitality that keep them from sounding like museum pieces. Oakhurst's strongest album so far, Jump in the Get Down is a solid piece of tradition-minded bluegrass tempered with just enough of a rock edge to appeal to alt-country and jam band enthusiasts with little patience with or knowledge of the real thing. Think of it as a gateway into the likes of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder[1]

A Denver-based quintet that usually vacillates between old-timey acoustic bluegrass string band music and rocking alt-country, Oakhurst were quite right to name their third album Dual Mono. Most of the album combines both of their musical approaches into a set of concise pop songs that lack the loose jam band quality of many Colorado acoustic bands but maintain a rootsy, rustic quality. According to album's press kit, the album was recorded in a variety of rural locations around Colorado, with minimal overdubs, and there's certainly a brisk live quality to the album. A.P. Hill's unpretentious, conversational lead vocals try neither for faux "authenticity" (which usually involves twenty-something college dropouts from the suburbs singing through their noses in poor imitations of A.P. Carter) nor for blue-collar rock-dude earnestness à la John Mellencamp, and all five players are casually excellent, without the need for showboating solos or flashily speedy playing.[2]

Rocky Mountain Guerrilla Grass

Awards

Personnel

Current members

Past members

Discography

References

  1. ↑ ALL MUSIC GUIDE - STEWART MASON - http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1335155
  2. ↑ All Music Guide - Stewart Mason - http://www.allmusic.com/album/r791692
  3. ↑ Westword Music Showcase Accessed September 13, 2007
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