There’s something about those hills and woods in upstate New York that often breed engaging music. Certainly The Band and others from Woodstock come to mind. Think also of the Felice Brothers from the Catskills and Simone Felice specifically who produced this effort in his Sugar Mountain studio. Driftwood hails from an area a bit further west– the blue-collar town of Binghamton. Nonetheless, their music emanates many of the same rural qualities.
The fiddles, banjos and acoustic guitar usually mean bluegrass, but this band makes that sound much more interesting as they approach it with a punk-rock attitude that embraces country and rock ‘n’ roll. Their harmonies bring rushes of excitement to these songs, and it’s clear that Driftwood plays with exultant joy that is undeniably rooted in their aggressive touring schedule of 150 shows per year. In fact, as you listen, it seems that the studio is a bit confining for this band– even though this is their fifth studio album. Yet, Felice succeeded in dialing down their sound to get to the essence of the song.
Formed by childhood friends Dan Forsyth (guitar) and Joe Kollar (banjo/guitar), Driftwood began as a duo before adding violinist Claire Byrne, who also shares songwriting and lead vocals with the founders. Bassist/background vocalist Joey Arcuri and newest member, drummer Will Sigel, round out the quintet.
Driftwood’s music is immediately enticing but the first impression on this one is not bluegrass, as Kollar’s piano and sparkling electric notes imbue the opening “CalifornIA.” Striking melody and gorgeous harmonies color “What You Do to Me.” Guitarist/songwriter Dan Forsyth says, “We recognized early on that one of our strongest points was songwriting. The greatest songs transcend genre and time and this was one of the motivating ideas behind the band at the start,” adds banjo player/songwriter Joe Kollar. The third lead vocalist and violinist Claire Byrne, chimes in, “I give so much of myself when I play because I deem it necessary in order to do the music justice.”
The warm sound, spiced with strumming banjo, continues in “Lay Like You Do,” the first single, with Forsyth on the lead vocal. Byrne gentle vocals and superbly toned violin introduces “New Year’s Day” as if a late riser awakes to clear blue skies and fragrant smells emanating from the kitchen. Byrne handles lead vocal on the slow shuffling folk-rocker “Lost Child” as well. The acoustic “Stick With Me’ is a duet, later augmented by harmonies and resonating electric guitars.
Byrne leads again on the rocking, infectious “Conquering Man,” the only tune featuring new drummer Will Sigel, who meshes well with Arcuri’s upright bass. This leads into the reflective title track, with its ethereal harmonies evoking a similar sound to that of Felice’s solo albums. “Goldmine” begins as a lovely piano-driven ballad, strengthened by Byrne’s sensitive fiddle work and enthusiastic group harmonies as it builds to a crescendo and then fades back down. “Santa Fe” is another that rolls along gently with Byrne in the lead. “Hello,” the closer, is a half-spoken word that morphs into a rouser for the chorus that hearkens back more closely to band’s previous work. One can easily envision this a live performance closer.
Tree of Shade stands apart from Driftwood’s earlier work. Felice used a “less is more” approach to give the band more finesse and clarity than they’ve previously demonstrated. It’s some of the most beautiful music of the year so far.
