Track 19: "Seven Story Mountain" by Railroad Earth

Oh lord, to hear a voice, but let it fade and wallow,
Sometimes it's hard to let it go.

Oh lord, to find the words, but keep them in and swallow,
One day the top is gonna blow.

What I miss most about freelance writing, other than the massive $50 I got per story (which seems like a grand fortune these days), was the chance to listen to a new band on a weekly basis.

Sometimes it was a blessing, and other times a curse. I wrote on more than my share of stereotypical 'jam bands' and unoriginal acts (ie. the Dave Matthews Cover Band). But every now and then I'd unearth a true gem, a band I'd never heard of, that would turn into a new favorite. That's exactly what happened with Railroad Earth.

When the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack became so huge in 2002/2003, it paved the way for an influx of bluegrass influenced acts. Some were gimmicky, some just outright sucked, and a handful were truly incredible.

If you cross-bred Bob Dylan, "American Beauty" era Grateful Dead, and a pile of bluegrass instruments, it'd probably sound a lot like Railroad Earth. The New Jersey six-piece (maybe the only good thing to ever come out of Jersey?) combines, bluegrass, folk and some other worldly influences. They started playing together informally at 'pickin' parties' and cut a 5-song demo. The demo tape turned into an amazing debut album, and the band immediately became must have at bluegrass festivals across the country. I love their lyrics, love the music, and the band is incredible live. It's been great to see them evolve over the years and all five of their albums are worth having.

Here's a piece I did back on the band back in 2003: http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch03/0303/arc03131042369.shtml

The Middle-Eastern influence on "Seven Story Mountain" is really cool. And I think the lyrics are amazing. Just a driving, gorgeous song about perseverance. It's unbelievably fitting on a cold, rainy Sunday morning while faced with compiling ten weeks worth of work over the next three days!