Bawn in the Mash: Hurry Up and Wait
Much like the oak casked bourbon whiskey distilled in its native Kentucky, Bawn in the Mash proves with its second release, Hurry Up and Wait, that good things get better with age. The album is an adventurous undertaking; the Bawn boys stray from the more traditional sounds of their first release, 2006’s “Welcome to the Atomic City,” and charge down the genre-bending road forged by bands like Leftover Salmon and Railroad Earth. Bawn goes about creating an appealing, eclectic sound by adding some electric guitar, harmonica, percussion, and even a little trumpet to their traditional string band set up. Grass fans will dig “Big Poppa Reel.” But the opening track “Little Piece of Paper” is ripe and ready for some improvisational exploration, and the band even shows some alt-country swagger with “Black Mountain.” Like some of Kentucky’s finest, Hurry Up and Wait goes down easy.
—Dave Stallard
Big Poppa Reel
Black Mountain
