Trapezoid - s/t

Name: Trapezoid
Album: s/t
Year: 1975
Style: Old Tyme, Folk, Irish
Similar Bands: (per allmusic) Darol Anger, Metamora, Mark O'Connor, Oregon, Adrian Legg, John McCutcheon
"One-Word" Review: Celtic Baroque Renaissance Fair
Based Out Of: West Virginia
Label: Troubadour Records

Cover, Catalogue, Record

Back, Catalogue, Record

Trapezoid (1975)

1. British Grenadiers/Swinging on a Gate 3:00
2. Opera Reel 2:15
3. Planxty George Brabizon 4:20
4. Whiskey Before Breakfast 2:46
5. Carrie Under the Arbor 2:25
6. Southwind 2:57 /
7. Dill Pickle's Rag 4:05
8. Jamie Allen 2:16
9. Wonderous Love 3:00
10. O'Carolan's Concerto 2:50
11. Chorus Jig 2:22
12. Margaret's Walk 3:22

Album Rating (1-10): 5.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Sam Rizzetta - Hammered Dulcimer, Fretted Dulcimer, Concertina (Madeline MacNeil, Blackie Cool, Maggie Sansone)
• Paul Reisler - Bass Dulcimer, Guitar (A Thousand Questions, Kid Pan Alley, Three Good Reasons, John McCutcheon, Holly Near, Si Kahn, Beth Nielsen Chapman)
• Pete Vigour - Dulcimer, Banjo, Pennywhistle, Vox (Albemarie Ramblers, Hubie King, Diane Jones, Erynn Marshall)
• Paul Yeaton - Dulcetta, Mandolin
• Sandy Davis - Spoons, Concertina, Bones (Roaring Jelly, Common Ground quintet, Dudley Laufman, Canterbury Country Dance Orch, Berlin County Dance Orch., Oh CONTRAire, Tony Saletan, Jay Unger, Jerry Robichaud)
• Sarah Gregory - Bass, Recorder (Flying Shoes, All Comers Band
• Lydia Mills - Fiddle (Arlington Street Women's Caucus)
• Bill "Smitty" Smith - Banjo
• Rosie III - dulcimer on cover

Unknown-ness: I honestly don't know if this is a band or an album of random songs just played on a Trapezoid/dulcimer, or just some completion with cool cover art and font...because it is a VERY cool cover and font. Seeing the pics on the back & reading the notes, I imaging it is all instrumentals, of old time folk played on old time instruments, the dulcimer spotlighted. It looks like the "finger harp" we used to strum & play in elementary school music class. reading more of the back, the band makes their own instruments, including these dulcimers, so this might be pretty cool.

Album Review: Well, the description was not wrong, the instrument makers definitely have a knack for old tyme folk music going back to the Renaissance period. The range of their designed hammered dulcimers is quite good, as they themselves forged bass & piccolo dulcimers to fit the range of music in a full band. 

Paul Reisler has been the one constant musician, with Sam Rizzetta perhaps being prolific / famous in his own right; still making instruments and recording albums (2020). Reisler has seen the band through many personnel changes, and played as Trapezoid for 25 years through 1995, reuniting in 2004 with their 1984 line-up. This is their first album. I read a little more and it seems Sarah Gregory and Bill Smith got married, and were together up to her passing in 2020.

Stand Out Track: Chorus Jig

Links:
Full Album on Spotify w/ Bonus Tracks
Wiki
Discogs
Allmusic
Rate Your Music
1995 Washington Post
Sam Rizzetta
Paul Reisler
Maine Fiddle Camp: Sandy Davis
Sarah Gregory obit 2020

American Minor - The Buffalo Creek EP

Name: American Minor
Album: The Buffalo Creek EP
Year: 2004
Style: Americana, Classic Rock
Similar Bands: Black Crows, Iron Butterfly
"One-Word" Review: Car-on-the-Lawn Rock
Based Out Of : New York, NY/Huntington, WV/Champaign, IL, West Virginia, US
Label: Zomba, Jive, Chrysalis

Buffalo Creek EP - Front & Back

Buffalo Creek EP - Inside & CD

Buffalo Creek EP (2004)

1. Walk On 3:23
2. Buffalo Creek 3:34
3. Movin' On Up 3:34
4. Get On It 3:04

Album Rating (1-10): 4.0

Memberd & Other Bands:

Robert McCutcheon - Vox

Bud Carroll - Guitars

Joshua Gragg - Guitars

Josh Knox - Drums

John Goodmanson - Produced, Engineered, Mixed

Benmont Tench - Hammond & Wurlitzer (Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Mudcrutch)

Howie Weinberg - Mastering

Rodel Delfin - Management

Michael Tedesco - A&R

Nick Gamma - Art Direction & Design

Clay Patrick McBride - Photography

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys, and this is a CD I received from a friend trying to cut back on his collection. What can I say; I’m a bit of a hoarder, so I took it. Based on the brown cardboard case and the wood-cut stamp looking artwork, I’d say these guys will be bluesy rock. I’m not a big fan of this genre, so I can’t compare it to too much. I’m just glad it is only 4 songs long, so it will not be too much torture if it is unpleasant.

Album Review: “Walk On” has shaky raspy vocals and rocks out right away. It takes elements from classic rock, the Black Crows and other southern rock bands of this niche. It feels like it would have had a nice place to thrive in 1995, with the dirty riffs and crunching melodic guitars.
“Buffalo Creek” is this albums namesake. And it feels a bit Black Sabbathy, with head banging guitars. The raspy vocals continue. The middle section lightens up with light guitars and vocals. But that turns into wailing guitars for the instrumental section.
“Movin' On Up” is more meandering and psychedelic, but it still fits into the bluesy rock style they’ve set in motion. The chorus is more rocking, and it returns to the original form when it gets back to the verse.
“Get On It” starts right off into power rock. The verse lets the guitars retire for a bit. The song is structured like a Tom Petty power pop song. But the rocking guitars are given their own chorus.

I don't really go for this sort of music, its jut not appealing to me, but it sounds like it is done well. I'm picking the stand out track based on the fact that it does stand out a bit more than the rest, and it is the album title, too.

Stand Out Track: Buffalo Creek

Links:

Myspace

Star Pulse

Blog Critics

all music