Last evening’s  Joy Kills Sorrow concert in Mountain View expanded the boundaries of bluegrass music for the long-running, mostly traditional Redwood Bluegrass Associates concert series. A curious crowd of RBA regulars — plus many new fans — gathered to hear the youthful Boston-based band that has strong West Coast influences.

Most familiar to the audience was lead singer Emma Beaton, who matched her exalted advance billing with her exalted voice. The audience also found much to like about her lesser-known bandmates Matthew Arcara, Jacob Jolliff, Westly Corbett, and Bridget Kearney, who write the group’s songs and supply excellent instrumental work, plus vocal harmonies.

Beaton is very entertaining on the band’s many charming, slow, breathless, and girlish tunes.  She becomes a towering vocal star when she opens up on the band’s less frequent, more powerful material that fully reveals her deep emotional range and talent.

Next: This was the last stop on the current Joy Kills Sorrow California tour. They will return for next month’s Strawberry Spring Music Festival. The NCBS-sponsored 2009-2010 RBA season concludes with the Kathy Kallick Band on May 1.

Posted Apr 11th, 2010 by Michael Hall in RBA |