Head For The Hills- Head For The Hills

contributor: Hoyt Emerson – April 23, 2010

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Colorado’s Head For The Hills is not just a bluegrass band. As much as you’d like to go ahead and title them that after hearing the first two songs from their new self titled album, it comes to bite you in the end. Granted, the two opening tracks “One Foot In The Grave” and “Solar Bowling Shoes” are workshops in modern bluegrass. Your assumptions are quickly put to rest, however, with the subtle exploration into Djangoesque compositions like “Nooks and Cranies”. It’s during this song we find Head For The Hills is not a band that rests on their bluegrass laurels. No, it is a tasteful, modern version of gypsy music of the late 19th century. Thanks to the fiddle work of Joe Lessard and the blazing mandolin of Mike Chappell you get exposed to a fast paced and engaging representation of a lost genre. Not to generalize from there, but the rest of the album falls somewhere in between those sounds said above. A varying difference of bluegrass (“A Poor Boy’s Melody”) and gypsy-jazz influenced jam sessions (“Chipchuk”) which cohesively move from song to song.

Head For The Hills is 100% a player’s band. The album is anchored by unbelievable musicianship. Unfortunately they aren’t able to piece together as many “hits” as fellow modern bluegrass counterparts such as Trampled By Turtles. Now songs like the opening track “One Foot In The Grave” may be their best attempt at a lyrical driven song and there is a great melody in “If’n When”. But make no mistake, its in the musicianship that this band finds their focus. Through relentless skill and head spinning chops Head For The Hills should remind everyone that virtuosic instrument playing is not a lost art quite yet.