Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner

Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Great musicians are able to blend a range of styles in order to produce a single result. Yet it's even more impressive when these influences have been so completely assimilated by the players that they cannot be deconstructed. Such is the case with this virtuoso acoustic trio, which has produced an album that doesn't blur so much as annihilate the lines between Celtic, bluegrass, and jazz; the blend is innate. Guitarist David Grier, mandolinist Matt Flinner, and bassist Todd Phillips each contribute three original tunes to the proceedings, although each song becomes a spontaneous and even dialogue. Flinner's robust "Paint It Shut" sounds like both an age-old Erse reel and a bold "newgrass" composition. On Phillips's introspective "Said and Done," Grier engages in Wes Montgomery-style octaves before resolving his ideas with deep bends. Grier's bright and gentle "Car on Fire" becomes a gritty workout. "Dozing in the Sun Through the Window," another Phillips tune, has a breezy, tropical, Latin-jazz feel. Though the album occasionally loses momentum, it's challenging material that makes for equally challenging listening--challenging but mostly rewarding. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

High Ham
Look What the Dog Brought Home
Looks Like A Duck
In the Lion's Den
One Foot in the Gutter
Road to Hope
Stroll of the Mudbug
Scary
Little Bases
Not, Yet Not

Product Description

This new recording bears the unmistakable stamp of a mature group of artists at the top of their game. The all-original tunes ring with the authority of musicians who have mastered a vast swath of American music styles, yet are still exploring. Bluegrass music forms the grounding for a subtle and kaleidoscopic blend of seasonings which include jazz, rock, classical, and various international flavors, flavors that are not pasted over the music but woven into the sound of each player, expressed as a conversation, sometimes earthy, sometimes highfalutin, always totally present in the moment. Psychograss is a band of musicians who are indelibly written into the history of acoustic music. NOW HEAR THIS is both a signpost and a guidepost.

Customer Reviews:

psychotic bluegrass.......2007-04-08

I have been a fan of Darol Anger, Todd Phillips and Mike Marshall since the old days with David Grisman. When they got together with Tony Trischka and David Grier to form Psychograss they became one of my favorite performing bands, especially when Darol would get down on the stage and play fiddle horizontially just like the real lunatic he is. I have had their first album since 1996 when it was new and it has always been a favorite so was very pleased to see that after 11 years they had gotten together to record another. In addition, I have been following the careers of each of these musicians and love it when they get together. "Now Hear This" is good. It doesn't have the balls-out energy and creativity of the first, and because they were always a performing band it doesn't quite carry through to a non-immediate, semi-personal experience. Now don't get me wrong, it's a great album and I do recommend it. After all these guys are at the very top of their classes in each of their instruments. I don't think they could produce a bad album if they all had strokes and were unconscious. The music would still come streaming "psychically" out of their pores irregardless of their autonomic nervous systems. So give it a try.

Awesome acoustic interplay.......2005-08-12

When it comes to "new acoustic" -- the swinging blend of bluegrass, jazz, baroque, and Celtic pioneered by mandolinist David Grisman under the rubric of dawg music -- it doesn't get any better than Psychograss. Flatpicker extraordinaire David Grier and his mates Mike Marshall (mandolin), Tony Trischka (banjo), Darol Anger (violin), and Todd Phillips (upright) play with a relaxed virtuosity that inspires and astounds, yet remains fun and inviting. Phillips, Anger, and Marshall are Grisman Quartet alumni, and they reflect his original vision without letting the band sound derivative. Salting his 'grass with bluesy double-stops and jazzy voicings, Grier plays with thrilling clarity -- even at top speed. His Jim Merrill flat-top yields warm, ripe tones that sit beautifully below Marshall's tinkling mandolin and Anger's sweetly searing violin. In Grier's "Look What the Dog Brought In," his 6-string rings with piano-like clarity and sustain, recalling Grisman's original dawg flatpicker, Tony Rice.

Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner

Average customer rating:

Still Waters Run Deep
Slow waters
A stunning collaboration
A Great Leap Forward

Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner
Grier & Flinner Phillips
Manufacturer: Compass Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The View from Here
Walking on the Moon
Looking Back
Latitude
Now Hear This

ASIN: B00000JWCO
Release Date: 1999-08-17

Tracks:

Paint It Shut
Getting There
A Long Time Ago
Gilberton Road
Said And Done
Car On Fire
Meridian
Dozing In The Sun Through The Window
Told Ya

Amazon.com

Great musicians are able to blend a range of styles in order to produce a single result. Yet it's even more impressive when these influences have been so completely assimilated by the players that they cannot be deconstructed. Such is the case with this virtuoso acoustic trio, which has produced an album that doesn't blur so much as annihilate the lines between Celtic, bluegrass, and jazz; the blend is innate. Guitarist David Grier, mandolinist Matt Flinner, and bassist Todd Phillips each contribute three original tunes to the proceedings, although each song becomes a spontaneous and even dialogue. Flinner's robust "Paint It Shut" sounds like both an age-old Erse reel and a bold "newgrass" composition. On Phillips's introspective "Said and Done," Grier engages in Wes Montgomery-style octaves before resolving his ideas with deep bends. Grier's bright and gentle "Car on Fire" becomes a gritty workout. "Dozing in the Sun Through the Window," another Phillips tune, has a breezy, tropical, Latin-jazz feel. Though the album occasionally loses momentum, it's challenging material that makes for equally challenging listening--challenging but mostly rewarding. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Still Waters Run Deep.......2001-01-21

The first time I listened to this, I was vaguely dissatisfied. Like our friend in the last review, I found myself saying, "So okay, it's nice, but it's too nice." The second time I listened (a month later), it caught fire. The fire is in the details, and these guys are just burning. It only sounds low-key because these guys are such complete masters. I love it. I think it's a landmark album.

Slow waters.......2001-01-09

Think Backwaters-era Tony Rice Unit, but with less excitement. In a nutshell that's how I would describe this cd to someone who has never heard it. It is by no means a bad cd but it sort of drags on.

As a set of slower songs to be incorporated into the usually uptempo in-concert "newgrass" repertoire these songs are great. I just think it was a bit of a mistake to have all these songs together on one cd. Every time I listen to this cd, by the time I get to the end I always feel like "Okay Okay, that's enough ballad-tempo songs in a row!". Imagine being at a bluegrass or newgrass concert where the performer played 7 ballads in a row. It gets to be a little slow and dull.

The opening track, being more uptempo and cooking, is definitely not a preview of things to come because after that track the cd is slow-going for the next 5 songs or so. Then, thankfully, Grier's Car On Fire interjects a little life into things. Overall I would say that Flinner's compositions are the most successful. He really is one to watch, a unique compositional voice. Phillip's has his usual great acoustic bass tone, but with one languid tune after another even his presence isn't quite enough to elevate this cd to the status of the excellent cd's he has been a part of in the past.

So there you have it. These songs would be great as slower additions to a concert repertoire made up mostly of cooking fret-burners, but one after the other like this is a little too much for this listener.

A stunning collaboration.......2000-08-02

When friends ask about the state of modern acoustic music, this is the CD I play for them. On the surface this is a gorgeous sounding CD - dynamic, tasteful, and tone-rich. But the depth of the CD is what impresses me. David, Matt, and Todd recorded this CD at Todd's house (each sitting in separate rooms), and you can hear the intimacy in each track. The three musicians communicate brilliantly, playing off each others' solos and providing backups that are themselves a joy to listen to. The extra space afforded a trio is wonderfully filled by these three musicians.

A Great Leap Forward.......2000-06-03

This album has authentic Bluegrass roots, but the branches reach into the next century. The music is measured, intelligent and laid back. The less hectic and inventive flow of this music reminds me of Edgar Meyer and the Teluride Sessions musicians.

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