With four releases in four consecutive years, Oregon Punk Bluegrass collective Larry & His Flask are not fucking around. They’re on a mission to spread their banjo/mandolin-fused punk rock from city to city and while no album to date has been able to quite capture their amazing live show, By the Lamplight is the closest so far.
Since the band’s grand re-opening in 2008, when they went from being a more traditional 5-piece punk group to the fantastic motley crew of acoustic instrument-wielding musicians hell bent on making Americana and Bluegrass just as enjoyable for the tattooed set, they have added one solid release after another. By the Lamplight is just the latest in this fascinating evolution of a band.
The dozen tracks on this one – save the slow tempo “Justice and Justification” and the melancholy “Gone from You” – are rambling and rambunctious, tear-up-the-dance floor compositions. It’s still no match for their live set, but a great substitute until they hit your town again.
Larry & His Flask – By the Lamplight/12 tracks/Silver Sprocket Bicycle Club/2013
Larry & His Flask By the Lamplight CD Review