Maverick Magazine, October 2007
****1/2
Brilliant debut Americana CD mixing pop harmonies with superb playing and song-writing
I’ve said it before and given my infamous reputation for repetition, I’ll no doubt say it again, but there is just a huge wealth of unheard talent out there. These groups seem to occupy a limbo space—banjos, pedal steel, mandolin; pointing to excellent country. Fantastic melodies and harmonies; symbolising predominant pop. This grey area has been labelled Americana as a catch-all but it seems to include a huge diversity of artists. New into the field (but judging by the sleeve photos not new to the world) are the superbly named Joltwagon, a four-piece band from Asheville, North Carolina. The group centres on the two main songwriters of David Bradshaw (vocals, guitars, mandolin, lap steel, and pedal steel) and Dalton Stansbury (vocals, banjo, fiddle and synthesizer) with Greg Sipes (bass) and Cory Maples (drums). What can I say? Every song leaps and sparkles, whether driven by Bradshaw’s guitar or the magic dust sprinkled over Stansbury’s banjo. The songwriting credits tend to swap between the two but the standard is so high that you’d be hard to know which was which. Added to this mix is the absolutely fantastic Klemzer Boogie. Starting with a banjo riff, the traditional Klemzer clarinet and trumpet soon join in to make a glorious sound. Country and Yiddish—I just wish I’d thought of it first. There are too many really great songs to start picking ones out although the opener Airshow is a delight as is Powdertown. The standout track is the penultimate Satan’s Den that is an ‘ol timey feel good sing-along which hides a darker side. It includes a marvellous guitar solo and has credits for Dalton Stansbury ‘speaking in tongues’. This is a one of those albums that is surprisingly adventurous but always remains reassuringly familiar. I know it’s an old axe to grind but when I hear music of this quality and find that it can’t get any mainstream country radio airplay then I feel that sometimes the country music establishment needs a radical shake-up. If more people were given the chance to hear this music, more people would love it. KM
Southeast Performer Magazine, August 2007
There are rules that all musicians must live by. The main rules for writing a song are make sure that the hook is catchy, keep the song simple and leave the audience wanting more. But on Joltwagon’s self-titled album, some songs are a little long for a country rock record, with nine out of 14 songs going at five minutes or more, which may be a bit overbearing for some listeners.
Now, this doesn’t take anything away from the musicianship between David Bradshaw and gang. But, if they are going to be a country rock jam band, they may want to keep the jamming part to just a live atmosphere because it doesn’t translate as well to disc. Besides that, the CD is solid and the band has the potential to go much further.
On “Just Fine” and “Fly So High,” the guys take all of the elements of writing good jam songs and nail it on the head. The instrumentals on “Klezmer Boogie” are especially phenomenal, stock full of trumpets, clarinet and banjo, sounding like something that may have come out of one of Gomez’s lost demo collection.
There is also a softer side to the album, shown on “Kim’s Song,” where you can tell the love is heartfelt. Then, there are songs that begin on the soft side but evolve into a progressive jam like “Visitors,” where Bradshaw exclaims that they are “only here for a little while.” Let’s hope that they are here a little longer than that to see where this potential takes them on later efforts. (Goldang Records)
-Kenneth Gambill
Smoky Mountain Navigator
Joltwagon takes great songwriting, quality musicianship, and a deep passion for their art and brings it to life on this wonderful CD. They offer a plethora of sounds that quench the musical pallet in every form, from country/rockabilly to grass roots/americana to an eclectic sound that can only be described as enjoyable. This CD surpasses your expectation with their originality and just ass-kickin good music.
Mountain Xpress, May 16, 2007
Joltwagon just dropped its eponymous debut CD, a whip-smart country-rock collection with enough minor-key excursions and exotic instrumentation (including klezmer clarinet and "speaking in tongues") to foretell a fine future.
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