Bluegrass Europe
Blue Grass Boogiemen -
Who’s afraid of the Boogiemen?
Vandiver Records CD 2005
(Richard Hawkins)
When I played this CD my wife, at the other end of the house, could only hear
the bass clearly, but she recognised the band at once. Everything about the
album has the band’s prints all over it. The label name (com-plete with image of
Uncle Pen) is a firm assertion of the Dutch stake in bluegrass. The ample notes
are full of the Boogiemen’s vivid, inventive humour, as well as their strong
personal commitment, which is further shown in the many photos of them and/or
their musical heroes. Their encyclopaedic and – above all – enthusiastic
knowledge of the period of country music that first produced bluegrass,
honky-tonk, and rockabilly, is shown in the choice of material. Four items are
from the work of Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, and Frank Wakefield. Most, however,
were written or recorded by Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Little Jimmy Dickens,
Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, Buck Owens, Johnny Paycheck, and Marty Collins.
These songs, as done here, prove (for anyone who needs proof) that classic
country music can make fine bluegrass. Two originals by mandolinist/ lead singer
Arnold Lasseur stand firmly alongside this material. Lody van Vlodrop joined on
the fiddle a couple of years ago, and the Boogiemen favour the dense, complex
ensemble style of many ‘fifties bands, which at the same time is ‘raw, intense,
and full of energy’ (as guitarist Robert-Jan Kanis says of Jimmy Martin’s
music). For anyone who has not yet heard the Boogiemen, this strong album shows
exactly what they can deliver in performance. For those who have heard them, the
CD is almost as good as hearing them live – as good, if you accept the notes and
the neat cover design in lieu of their onstage humour.