MilkDrive vs. Richard Thompson

MilkDrive is a bluegrass band based in Austin, TX. The current lineup consists of Noah Jeffries (guitar/harmony vocals), Dennis Ludiker (mandolin/harmony vocals), Brian Beken (fiddle/lead vocals), and Matt Mefford (double bass). MilkDrive actually got its start in the northern climes of Idaho, where principal songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Noah Jeffries grew up playing bluegrass and gospel in his family’s band and started writing amazing tunes at age 14. The first band he put together, 36 String Swing, toured the state as Jeffries studied jazz performance at Boise State University. He also played with Jason Boland and the Stragglers for seven years. Jeffries moved to Austin and moved in with fiddling champion-mandolin player Dennis Ludiker, whom Jeffries had met long ago when both were kids competing in the National Old-time Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho; as well as the young Brian Beken, who also would ultimately join the band. The members have each won many awards and titles with their instruments. Awards are a great measure of technical prowess, but they reveal nothing about the musical soul so palpable in MilkDrive’s music, the quartet’s sound is a textural, multi-layer mix of rhythms, tempos, flavors, harmonies, improvisation – and the confidence each possesses that comes from experience with an instrument (or instruments). Check these guys out because they are furrr reel! This is the band performing Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."

http://milkdrive.net



Richard John Thompson OBE is a British songwriter, guitarist and recording and performing musician, highly regarded for his guitar techniques. He made his debut as a recording artist as a member of Fairport Convention in September 1967. He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. Thompson makes use of the "pick and fingers" technique (sometimes referred to as "hybrid picking") where he plays bass notes and rhythm with a pick between his first finger and thumb, and adds melody and punctuation by plucking the treble strings with his fingers. He also makes use of different guitar tunings. Thompson occasionally makes use of a thumb-pick, playing in fingerstyle, the most notable example being seen here in the video. This is "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" off his 1991 release Rumor and Sigh. This song remains the most requested song on NPR.

www.richardthompson-music.com

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