Railroad Earth - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA (4.24.2010)

Listen while you read...

Railroad Earth - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA (4.24.2010)


Set 1: Where Songs Begin, Just So You Know, Like a Buddha, Walk Beside Me, Stillwater Getaway, Bird in a House, Bringin' My Baby Back Home

Set 2: The Hunting Song, Carrying Coal to Newcastle, Happy Song, Old Man and the Land, For Love, Goat, Been Down This Road, Dance Around Molly - > Dandelion Wine, Hard Livin', E: Lovin' You, Little Rabbit


After a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Inman Park Festival, it was time to head to Little Five Points for a date with Railroad Earth. Karrin and I were drenched to the bone (thanks to a faulty rain jacket I had purchased earlier that afternoon at the Army surplus store) and were glad we had the forethought to pack a change of clothes. We found ourselves a parking spot in L5P and slid into our dry garments before heading over to Variety Playhouse. Karrin and I had seen the tail end of Railroad’s 2008 Rothbury performance and ever since then, have had an itchin’ to see them again. We didn’t remember much from that overwhelming Thursday night, but agreed that it had undoubtedly been some sweet sounding music.

As we walked inside Variety, we heard the sounds of the opening band, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, blasting from the stage. These North Carolina natives were brining a super positive vibe to the Playhouse and I couldn’t help but smile. Josh Phillips, the band’s chief songwriter, seems to have a natural ability for crafting songs that are heartfelt and sincere. But this music was by no means strictly folk. In the short time that we had the chance to listen to them, the band seemed to bounce around amidst this truly soulful blend of roots, reggae, and R&B tunes, expressing their jam side as well with fairly extended keyboard and lead guitar improvisation (compliments of Ryan Burns and Casey Cramer respectively). In addition, I couldn’t help but notice the sheer intensity and impressive chops of drummer Nik Hope (click on this picture, zoom in and check out the look on his face!). When it was all said and done, I wondered why the hell we hadn’t been there for the Folk Festival’s entire set. I plan on seeing this band again as soon as I possibly can.

After a short intermission, it was time for Railroad Earth to take the stage. The crowd was very receptive and welcoming as the sextet took to their respective positions, but in no way were we prepared for the auditory assault we were about to witness. If you have never heard RRE before, all I can say is listen to them. I’m not going to sit here and get into the whole genre classification game because frankly… there’s just no point. Railroad is one of those bands that just completely defy musical taxonomy. For them, having a label means putting chains on their capacity for creative expression (songwriting), so they choose to avoid the name game altogether.

The band opened things up with a slower paced tune called “Where Songs Begin” that really set the tone. Andy Goessling let loose on the straight saxophone during this one; just one of the absolutely absurd amount of instruments he would pick up and dominate over the course of the night. Andy is one of those freakishly talented musicians, quite possibly from another planet, who turns everything he touches into pure gold. My jealousy runs deep for these types. Playing music just comes naturally to them, as if it were some innate characteristic they’ve had since the womb. Karrin and I literally lost track of how many different instruments Andy picked up over the course of the night but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it were in the double digits. Acoustic guitar, flute, pennywhistle, banjo, dobro, mandolin, three different types of saxophones (two of which he played at the same time) … you get the idea. And not only that, but he played each and every one of them as if he’d been playing them for his entire life. I was blown away by his natural prowess and I couldn’t wait to hear more.

Todd Scheaffer, the band’s chief vocalist and guitarist was doing some serious picking on his slightly effected acoustic guitar that had this perfect blend of electric and acoustic overtones. He was just getting warmed up. Todd is the brains behind a good portion of the band’s songwriting and arrangement composition. In addition, he carries with him one of those strangely unique / spectacular singing voices that induce instant recognition upon hearing him. On his left stood Tim Carbone, a highly recognized violin player with a magical touch to his instrument. It was almost dizzying to watch his fingers dance effortlessly up and down the neck of his violin. He played with ease and confidence. Amidst the second song, “Just So You Know”, Tim was giving his violin this howling sort of voice that gave the impression that a train was headed into town. You could already feel the intensity starting to build. From here, the band went into a 15 minute version of “Smile Like a Buddha”. The mandolin player, John Skehan, laid down a very playful intro before Goessling broke out the flute and gave this number a real Celtic vibe to it. At this point in the set I started to realize how well this band complimented one another. Often times, especially in a group as large as this, you will tend to hear a lot of discrepancies in the volume level and intensity of certain instruments at certain times throughout the show. But RRE had an absolutely perfect blend of instruments, never allowing one player to overshadow the rest of the band. Each member seemed to be extremely attuned to one another and the group chemistry was just radiating. It was like a sea of stringed instruments all bombarding your brain simultaneously and attacking all of the tiny little receptors responsible for perceiving sound. It was one of the best feelings I have had at a show in a VERY long time and one of those moments that made me realize why I love this music life so very much. “Buddha” traversed into an infectious groove titled “Walk Beside Me” that had everyone in the room bobbing up and down and throwing back their heads in blissful delight. Tim, with unbelievably precise timing, was shredding the main riff on his violin and it sounded outstanding. At the end, Andrew Altman, RRE’s brand new bassist, took the spotlight and laid down a groovy bass line that had the roof of Variety Playhouse ready to come caving in. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have guessed this guy was playing an electric bass the way he navigated his instrument so quickly and effortlessly. Andrew fit right in with the group and played like he had been there since the beginning. A few more songs rounded out the first set including the bluegrass-driven “Stillwater Getaway”, crowd favorite “Bird In a House”, and a smokin’ version of “Bringin’ My Baby Back Home” where Carey Harmon nearly peels the skins off his drum set. I took the opportunity to grab myself a fresh brew and Karrin a nice, cold, $4 water (those bastards) and we got all giddy about another set of Railroad Earth.

The second set opened with “The Hunting Song” where Andy started blowing on this goofy looking instrument called a pennywhistle. It gave this slower paced tune that same Celtic vibe again. Tim Carbone sent me into a trance-like state with his meandering violin as the bass and drums seemed to be pulling this steam engine along with a deep, steady rhythm. About halfway through the set, Railroad played this 12 minute jam titled “Goat” that went into this delightfully trippy breakdown where John was caressing his mandolin and strumming these quick, quiet notes that made my head swell up with tension. With Tim adding some real strangeness on the violin, Karrin and I both turned to each other and acknowledged the fact that we were hearing something that sounded like a hybrid mix of Greensky Bluegrass and String Cheese Incident. Greensky is infamous for these types of wild breakdowns and the slow heavy bass and drum were very Cheese-ish indeed. The boys brought it back up like a storm and Andy began blowing an incredible sax solo to close it out. It was certainly a highlight for me. Immediately following, the band played a gorgeous sounding version of “Been Down This Road”. This song is the first to appear on the album “Amen Corner” and I was definitely hoping to hear it live. It’s one of those tunes that you listen to and it sticks in your head for the rest of the day (but in a good way). The next song “Dandelion Wine” was a complete bluegrass ripper that could have very easily been an old Irish drinking song. It made me want to swing m’lady round n’ round and I definitely recall being unable to resist the need to move my feet in a fast, cigarette stomping motion. A little knee slapping never hurts either. It’s my signature move. Almost every member of the band took an unbelievable solo throughout the course of this song. It made me realize just how good they really are.

A lot of people like to think of Railroad Earth as being a jamband. I too would probably tag them with this label considering their incredible aptitude for extended improvisation. But there is one thing that really sets them apart from the others in the world of jam music. As I was reflecting upon this concert experience in a car ride the very next day, I was explaining to Karrin how RRE uses jams to compliment their songs. Their true nature, their true talent, lies in the band’s ability to craft songs. A lot of jambands approach their music the other way around, using songs to compliment jams, maybe only playing the “song” portion of their music for 3 or 4 minutes of a 20 minute jam session. This is clearly evident in the studio work of bands in this category. More often than not, a jamband’s studio album is somewhat boring (if not painful) to listen to (at least in comparison to their live shows). The songwriting just isn’t there. But Railroad Earth completely shatters this idea. Just today, I got on the band’s website to read their bio and found this excerpt that was just too perfect not to share…

“Indeed, Railroad Earth’s music is driven by the remarkable songs of front-man, Todd Sheaffer, and is delivered with seamless arrangements and superb musicianship courtesy of all six band members. As mandolin player John Skehan points out, “Our M.O. has always been that we can improvise all day long, but we only do it in service to the song. There are a lot of songs that, when we play them live, we adhere to the arrangement from the record. And other songs, in the nature and the spirit of the song, everyone knows we can kind of take flight on them.” Sheaffer continues: “The songs are our focus, our focal point, they give the improvisation a starting point. The jams sort of ‘comment’ on the songs, and give them color. Some songs lend themselves to improvisation. They ‘want’ to be approached that way – where we can explore and trade musical ideas and open them up to different territories. But sometimes it is what the song is about.”



The set closing “Hard Livin” had Andy Goessling blowing the roof off on two different saxophones simultaneously. I can quite honestly say that I have never seen anything like this before. With an electric guitar in the mix, this was one of the more rocking jams of the night and left everyone screaming for an encore. Ask and you shall receive. Railroad came back out with a beautiful ballad titled “Lovin’ You” and then closed the show with an old time fiddle tune by the name of “Little Rabbit”. The band was absolutely gleaming and you could tell that they felt good about this particular performance. Two days later I went to see the Emmitt-Nershi Band play at Smiths Olde Bar downtown. I approached a man wearing a Railroad Earth shirt and asked him if he had been at the show the other night. Turns out he was an avid fan that had seen the band a whole shitload of times. Without batting an eye he looked at me and said “ That was the best Railroad Earth show I have ever seen.” After the show, my sweet-hearted lady Karrin took the reigns and drove my drunk ass home. After all, it was my birthday weekend and I had yet to go downtown without having to limit my beer intake and make a responsible drive back home. It was great having her there and we ranted and raved all the way home about how incredible the show had been. It was one that neither of us will be forgetting anytime soon and I think we both have a newfound appreciation for this incredible, incredible band. See them. The train will be headed your way soon.