BRADFORD LEE FOLK & THE BLUEGRASS PLAYBOYS

Somewhere Far Away

2014-04-27

Bradford Lee Folk was born in Louisiana and raised in Missouri. Bluegrass and Country music have been a part of his life since a young age, and when he got his first guitar at age 14 the genres influenced his playing. Since then, Folk has been chasing pretty girls and playing bluegrass gigs, but only by night. By day, Folk can be found "on a John Deere tractor on an organic farm in Tennessee, tilling the land for a living." Breaking the "hardworking, rugged individual" stereotype, Folk performs with The Bluegrass Playboys. The band is made up by Bradford Lee Folk, Robert Trapp, John Fabke, Christian Sedelmyer, and Dave Goldberg. The groups first album was released in April 2014 and features gorgeous banjo throughout, complimented exceptionally by the fiddle. Folk's vocals move easily rough drawls and high-lonesome calls.  "Foolish Game of Love" opens the album with what the group calls "barn burning-bluegrass," featuring banjo, fiddle, and Folk's vintage, clear vocals. "Trains Don't Lie" was written about Folk's hard-struck East Nashville neighborhood, but still retains a peculiar wistfulness. Folk draws from the tale of The Pied Piper of Hamelin to create the story of "The Piper."The playful instrumentation in "Denver" points to the groups talented musicianship. Folk's vocals meditate on nature above a sleepy waltz on the title-track. The album closes with a dark Americana ballad, "Soil and Clay."
Richard Martin

Quick Links:

• Bradford Lee Folk & The Bluegrass Playboys' Official Site