Tom-
Various music gurus have tried their hands at categorizing
The Be Good Tanyas, coming up with descriptions such as folk, Gothic, grunge, etc. They are three talented young ladies from Vancouver, BC, who write most of their own music although there is a smattering of traditional stuff also. My own description is "Canadian Country". I guess what I really enjoy most is the great variety of sounds they get, with guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass, trumpet, saw(!), etc. Although their recordings have been made under some rather rudimentary conditions, imaging and soundstage are remarkable.(If this weren't important to me, I certainly wouldn't be as deep into this High End hobby as I am.)
They presently have two albums out: "Blue Horse"(their first) and "Chinatown". I love 'em both. My favorite tracks are "Lakes of Ponchartrain", "Keep It Light Enough To Travel", and "Waitin' Around To Die"(by Townes van Zandt).
Again, you can hear snippets of these on Tower's website.
I can't close this without mentioning The Ahn Trio. They are three knockdown gorgeous young ladies from S. Korea. Two are twins: Lucia (piano) and Maria (cello). Angella is the younger sister (violin). They are graduates of Juilliard and are remarkably talented, their repertoire truly diverse. For example, I saw them in concert almost a year ago, and the program ranged from Haydn, through Kenji Bunch (another Juilliard gem), to---get this---"Hey Jude"
as an encore! On their latest CD, "Groovebox", the first track is their instrumental arrangement of The Doors'
"Riders on the Storm"! I suggest starting with their "Ahn-Plugged" (music including Bunch, Bernstein, Piazzola, and Bowie---yeah, David Bowie!) and "Groovebox" CDs.
If you're willing to give bluegrass a listen, I suggest Hot Rize's-"So Long of a Journey" (CD and track title). It was reviewed quite favorably in The Audiophile Voice before that mag went belly up, and is the only true bluegrass CD I have, with the possible exception of the "O Brother..." soundtrack, which is not that great from an audio standpoint, IMHO.
Maybe these suggestions will help you "broaden your horizons". I'll checkout My Morning Jacket.
Jim
