Canadian Frost is better known to Scottish audiences as one third of Sheesham & Lotus & Son, but his solo performance contains the same primary elements. A passionate devotion to recreating the sounds of old-time American music, recounting the history of the tunes he's playing. and a lot of humour - even when playing. Fiddle, harmonica, percussion, kazoo, a strong tenor voice combine to bring to life ragtimes, blues, jazz and folk in an eclectic package. Unexpected twists, funny lyrics and Frost's own brand of showmanship kept the audience engrossed, and he received strong acclaim for an excellent set.
Della Mae are a five piece, all-female, Nashville-based band with bluegrass roots but a wide range of influences. Guitars, fiddle, mandolin, washboard and double bass. While both bassist and mandolin player take a turn at singing songs, most of the lead vocals fall to the good-time voice of Celia Woodsmith who gets more Joplinesque the rockier the numbers become. The songs are mostly self penned, and the lyrics interesting, catchy. While there are a few slower numbers for the most part the tempo is rocking, the beat foot tapping, and the solos from fiddle, mandolin and guitar sparkling. Decent bass solo too. They're engaging personalities, there's a lot of smiles and joy in their playing, and that transmits well to the rest of the room. Great stuff and a lot of fun.
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