Track Dogs – Fire On The Rails
Format: CD – LP – Digital
Label: Mondegreen Records
Releasedatum: 24 januari 2020
Track Dogs are Garrett Wall, Dave Mooney , Howard Brown & Robbie K. Jones – their artistic name derives from the dark subterranean world of New York’s subway system.
Well-established in Spain where they are based, Track Dogs have been barnstorming the UK with some major festival appearances and collaborations.
2019 Has been a pivotal year for the band, including playing to a heaving, rocking Trafalgar Square and the surprise on-stage participation of Show of Hands` Steve Knightley and Seth Lakeman at Shrewsbury Folk Festival.
Comprised of two Irishmen, an Englishman and an American. Track Dogs formed in Madrid in 2011 to bring to fruition their unique brand of acoustic music; a veritable melange of instruments and influences.
‘Fire on the Rails’ is Track Dogs’ second LP to be recorded on the Studer A80 analog tape machine recovered from Abbey Road at Playground Studio in Madrid. Since previous album ‘Kansas City Out Groove’ (2018) and their compilation of ukulele-based recordings, ‘Uke Songs By Track Dogs’ (2019), producer Germán Gutiérrez has packed yet more punch and grandeur into their sound.
As with ‘Kansas City Out Groove’ , Track Dogs again turned to Nashville talent to up the game, Eli Bishop (Grand Ole Opry, Wynton Marsalis) providing string arrangements for Love And War, On The Last Night’ and Abi’s Lullaby. Furthering the Nashville connection, Americana star, Ashley Campbell lends her pristine banjo picking to Don’t Delay.
On ‘Fire on the Rails’ , Track Dogs draw more deeply from world music influences, extended the reach of their established sound on Love And War, which in addition to the strings of Eli Bishop, features a cracking doumbek, and pulls together folk legends Phil Beer of Show of Hands, Grammy-winning Lisa Gutkin of the Klezmatics and Fergal Scahill of We Banjo 3, to elevate the call for unity and tolerance. Elsewhere Danny Erker (Jones Street Station) adds stellar mandolin to the track Dragonfly’s Castle.
Track Dogs’ lead vocals, mostly by Garrett Wall, are also shared by trumpeter Howard Brown on And The Piano Sings – a tribute to Freddy Mercury – and percussionist Robbie K. Jones on I’ve Needed You and Dragonfly’s Castle.
Tracks:
01. Love & War
02. I’ve Needed You
03. Better Off on Your Own
04. Dragonfly’s Castle
05. On the Last Night
06. Don’t Delay
07. And the Piano Sings
08. Abi’s Lullaby
09. When it Comes
10. All Clapped Out
All songs by Track Dogs
Track Dogs will be touring the UK in February with further visits planned throughout 2020.
