Northern California Bluegrass Society provides this CD review. You can find our most current reviews on our Message Board, where you can comment or query the author directly. Our monthly magazine, Bluegrass By the Bay also publishes them.

Stone Walls and Steel Bars, Rowan’s Run, Ship of Fools, I Found A Way, Sarah Jane, Fire on the Mountain, When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again, The Thief, I Guess I’ll Go On Dreaming, God Guide Our Leader’s Hand, Blue and Lonesome, Lauren’s Lullaby, Memories of Mother and Dad.

While David Thom may claim more fame as a member of David Grisman’s Bluegrass Experience Band, it’s on his home turf as the founder of the David Thom Band that we get to see some of his prowess as a writer and singer. With a craggy voice that rings bluegrass true, David sings of fools, thieves and the stone walls and steel bars. “Ship of Fools” is a classic Garcia-Hunter Grateful Dead song, but the rollicking banjo of Andy Shaw with Mike Tatar Jr.’s fiddle gives the song a wonderful bluegrass drive. The band blends voices in the classic “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again” and the Flatt and Scruggs gospel “I Found A Way.” Jon Mask on mandolin and Joe Ash on bass round out the tight ensemble sound of the band. David’s polished guitar leads are sprinkled throughout the songs, but he easily switches to mandolin on other songs. David’s “Rowan’s Run” and “Lauren’s Lullaby” are instrumentals named after his two nieces and give the band a chance to push the metal to the floorboard and show some great picking. “Rowan’s Run” has David Thom on mandolin joined by David Grisman and the two Davids punch out marvelous melodies on two of the Dawg’s classic mandolins. Awesome! Bay Area guitarist Jim Nunally joins the band for a rousing Bill Monroe song “Memories of Mother and Dad.” Kathy Kallick’s voice adds a special high harmony to an old Red Allen classic, “I Guess I’ll Go on Dreaming,” and David and Kathy revive the Jimmy Martin classic “God Guide Our Leader’s Hand” which has a strong message for these troubled times. High powered instrumentals, carefully crafted harmony vocals and a sound that echoes the traditional groove make this a band worth seeking out! (Major record labels – get these guys!)

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