Both Sides of the Line

Chatham County Line rides it like it writes it

By Don Allred

May 31, 2006

http://clclt.com/charlotte/both-sides-of-the-line/Content?oid=2361137

Chatham County Line would like you to know that it don't rock jamgrass -- no neo-hippie hayrides in the sky, getting lost while looking for St. Jerry of Garcia. Nor does it play newgrass -- rehearsals for a Wynton Marsalis production of Riverdance ain't beckoning. Instead, the simple, subtle, lyrically propulsive sound that CCL brings to the Visulite Theatre on June 2 is what band members call "new traditionalism." Which basically means no drums -- but no singing through their noses either.

And no trying to hide the fact that this young quartet didn't get into bluegrass until the members graduated from high school. CCL learned fast, and won the Rockygrass national competition for bluegrass bands in 2004. But earlier experiences in rock & roll left impressions; in fact, lead singer/main songwriter Dave Wilson and bassist/pedal steel guitarist Greg Readling also remain true to their rock band, Stillhouse.

Stillhouse was formed in 1998, and its rootsy brew attracted fiddler/mandolinist John Teer and bassist Chandler Holt. However, these players all became further entangled in the late '90s Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Americana scene. Between other projects, Peer toured with Thad Cockrell's Starlite Country Band, while Wilson and Readling backed Tift Merritt in the Carbines.

Still, Chatham County Line got together when it could. Both CCL and Stillhouse became safety valves, away from the push for alt. country success. The Chathamites (who never lived in the county, they just like the name) also opened some shows for Merritt. Chris Stamey (of dB's fame) talked them into making their own self-titled CD, which he produced. It was released on the Bonfire label in 2003, and the safety valve became another real job.

But CCL is up to the task, having hit upon a way of working both sides of the trad-futurist sonic divide. The group's original songs can sound "old timey" but possess historical detail that often evokes more empathy than nostalgia. After all, bluegrass isn't much older than rock -- they're both spry great uncles, deep in this age of Hip-Hop. These genres are also children of the modern, migratory South, primed to follow the work or follow dreams.

So, on the Chatham County Line debut, the very first song, "Closing Town," is about a guy coming to the end of the line, in a place where he meant to settle down. He's complaining about the newspaper business (talk about historical detail), and while he knows his Captain Ahab and his Merle Haggard, he also knows he's "miseducated" for any job that'll keep him safe.

Not that the people in CCL songs have much time for moping around. The band's travelling and performances also inspire songs about how images -- in words and visions, in wishin' and hopin', in the scenery, for that matter -- have such power in our lives. The restless, wised-up culture worker of "Closing Town" is immediately followed by someone who's thrilled to be on his way to Nashville, to "stand before the stage." Because this song protagonist's connection to the Grand Old Opry comes from memories of listening to the show with his family every Saturday night, on station "WSM (650)." So now, although on the road, he feels more connected than ever to where he's come from and where he's ultimately headed. Life in a CCL song, whatever the feeling expressed, is always a work in progress. Even on the way to what seems like certain doom, there's never any big melodramatic finish.

Which also means the group knows how to keep the tension building. Even CCL's often hesitant second album, 2005's Route 23 (Yep Roc), sometimes makes effective use of its apprehensive atmosphere. "Saro Jane" is sung by someone who's wandered so far that he finds himself adrift in his own home, while the disappearance of his wife continues to sink in, and tables continue to turn. "The train it whistles, through the pines/One sun sets, while another one shines."

CCL's third album, The Speed of the Whippoorwill, released on May 30, is more than a return to form. The ensemble sound is richly detailed (but never too glossy), in both playing and singing. And Dave Wilson pushes his characters further than ever. Especially on "They Were Just Children," where a man discovers that his children have musical talent, and he takes them on the road to earn enough money to save them (and himself) from working in the mines. They live a hard, combative life and get ripped off by another performer in a grimly ironic play on the cliche aspect of "outlaw" music. Finally, the fear of going back to the mines is too much, so the father takes the money his children have earned and runs.

But the song doesn't hurry; it tracks the thieving father with the measure of coldness, compassion and justice. This is also in the cadence of bluegrass, and like all the people in Chatham County Line songs, somewhere he's still running down a dream.

Chatham County Line plays the Visulite Theatre on Friday, June 2, at 9pm; Hooverville opens. All tickets are $10. See www.visulite.com for more info