PHOTO BY JESSICA HORWITZ
Perhaps bluegrass music isn’t your thing. Maybe you shun country and roots-style music with a passionate fervor. But what would you say if I told you that seeing one bluegrass quintet, based out of Athens, GA, could completely change your stance on this music forever? I’m willing to bet money that if you’d been at The Side Bar in Gainesville, Florida on May 9, 2007, you’d be singing a new tune… and you’d have four talented guys to back you up with some kick-ass harmonies.
They’re called the Packway Handle Band, and I guess the easiest mainstream comparison of their music would be to the soundtrack of the Coen brothers flick, O Brother Where Art Though. The boys in Packway Handle crowd around two condenser microphones on a single stand, similar to the way George Clooney and company did as the Soggy Bottom Boys, in the 2000 smash hit.
Michael Paynter plays the mandolin, Josh Erwin picks guitar, Tom Baker works the banjo, Andrew Heaton bows the fiddle and Zach McCoy plucks the bass. No one plays the drums, and all except McCoy contribute on vocals. This makes for a whole heck of a lot a group harmonies, with Paynter providing the lead and Heaton hooking up the deep tones.
Continue reading Packway Handle Band’s show review at BreakThruRadio.com (JUST CLICK HERE)