“If you ask us who are influences are, you’re going to get five or six different answers,” said Aaron Donaldson, bassist for the local bluegrass punk band Sid & Fancy.
The band certainly provides an eclectic sound. Ranging from screeching fiddles and maudlin mandolins to psychedelic guitar riffs, deafening drumbeats and booming bass, Sid & Fancy have created a buzz within the local area, not only as a kick-ass, body-thrashing rock band, but also as a generous bluegrass sound to which a punk non-conformist can jig.
Sid & Fancy began a little over a year ago, but their sound and shows seem to embody years of practice and complementary companionship. While each member seems to provide a specific attitude to the group, their individual instrumental sounds culminate in accenting crescendos of increasingly riotous noise, both beautifully bountiful and painstakingly punk at the same time. Enthralled by the aesthetic atmosphere of the bluegrass/punk sound, the band notably claims to be initially enthused by the style of Flogging Molly.
The band is bound by six members: Ruxton Schuh on electric guitar, Jess Kieras on fiddle, Kyle Jackson on drums, Aaron Donaldson on bass, Alex Winterle on acoustic guitar and mandolin and Corwin Bolt on Banjo. Vocals are split three ways among Donaldson, Bolt and Jackson, but songwriting derives from the synchronization of the entire ensemble.
While Sid & Fancy carried a rough start finding their audience beyond friends, they have gathered a following for the only reputable grass punk in Eugene. Members still remember being ridiculed for playing “too loud” at an authentic bluegrass gathering that was told to be billing new sounds. But Sid & Fancy still incorporate the traditional, often highlighting bluegrass and folk favorites with a new style and translation for a younger generation.
When it comes to musical history, Sid & Fancy know their stuff. Citing patented folk tracks as rip-offs from the public domain, the band’s stylistic allusions are as widely abundant as the diverse aspects of each members’ personalities.
“People want a high-energy sound, but I also think people look for that more natural sound, that authentic feeling,” Kieras said.
Sid & Fancy’s new EP, “Now Naked,” is being released while the band promotes via a Northwest summer tour. The band tries to capture the essence of their eccentric live experience, progressing from suave vocals with accompanying subtle strings to shrieking guitar licks, machine-gun drums and yodeling yells. The songs are catchy, honed and, in a strange sense, the vocals sound as sacred as a gospel staple. Schuh brings punk guitar back into action with his electric fret skill as the tracks climax into an ecstatic blend of rock and bluegrass.
Sid & Fancy will be playing at the Indigo District on Wednesday, July 25, with their sister-band My Life in Black & White, from Portland, a folk and country band with punk panache. The show will be hard-hitting with a hint of bluegrass charm, enough for a square dance right before the moshpit begins pushing.
A league of their own
Daily Emerald
July 18, 2007
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