Chatham County Line twangs it up in Fall River

There was mountain music, fiery banjo, and rapid-fire mandolin lines ringing out through the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River on Saturday night as Chatham County Line concluded the New England swing of its current tour.

The Raleigh, North Carolina quartet was also celebrating the release last week of its latest album, “Sharing the Covers,” on Yep Roc Records, and their 19-song set included a half dozen of the covers from that album.   The 85-minute Chatham County Line set was a rare taste of bluegrass and traditional country sounds, delivered acoustically and without drums.

But there was no doubt that kind of music has an audience up here in the frigid North, not just based on the enthusiasm of the 130 fans present , but also evident in the reception the opening act received. Opening for CCL was Four Bridges, an acoustic quartet playing bluegrass, traditional country and acoustic rock, and hailing from Middleboro.

The keening sounds of the ballad “You Are My Light” was an early CCL highlight, as John Teer's mandolin and Chandler Holt's banjo crafted dazzling melody lines, and vocalist Dave Wilson's guitar and Greg Readling's bass provided the rhythmic foundation. CCL used just one microphone, as is their wont, with Wilson singing most of the leads, and Readling and Teer simply leaning in to sing harmonies behind him.

A song about finding romance on a speeding train, “The Carolinian” displayed several of the quartet's strong points,   not just the lively melodies and counter-melodies of the instruments, but also the detail and wit of Wilson's storytelling lyrics. And suffusing all of it was their foursome's palpable joy in playing their music.

Wilson noted that Mardi Gras kicked off last Tuesday, but CCL's “Bon Temps Roulet” was a decidedly different take on that party-hearty vibe, a morning-after lament from a fellow who'd enjoyed himself far too much. The first selection from the cover record was The Ventures immortal 1960s guitar raveup, “Walk Don'T Run,” delivered here as a wildly onrushing banjo/mandolin duel. Right after that jaw-dropping instrumental, the quartet did “people Gonna Talk,” from British r&b singer James Hunter, preserving all its sly sensuality while also adding plenty of twang to its soul. The third cover in a row was the old Louvin Brothers tune “My Baby's Gone,' offering a glimpse at how really classic bluegrass/country can still sound vital when performed in the right hands.

One of the band's own songs, the fast-paced, practically jaunty lost-love lament, “Out of the Running” yanked matters back to the present day. Holt took his only lead vocal on the tune he penned, “If I Had My Way,” sort of a traveling musician's promise to his loved ones to get home as soon as possible, and an evocative ode.  

As Wilson noted in our interview a couple weeks ago, the band is now entering their forties, and so the lyrical content of John Lennon's post-Beatles work is even more meaningful to them now. Which is just one reason their cover of Lennon's “Watching the Wheels” was such an indelible moment, both for Wilson's heartfelt lead vocal, and the lush stringed arrangement that closely followed the original, yet gave it added depth.

A bit later the plaintive ballad “Crops Come In” portrayed a working farmer's real world struggles, yet enduring faith in his lover.   The story-song “The Traveler” neatly combined folk and country elements, and Wilson's lines about the difficulty of constant motion could've been about musicians, traveling salesmen, outlaws, or what have you. Another cover has proven to be an early favorite off the new album, and the band clearly likes performing Beck's “I Think I'm In Love,' giving it a lilting, otherworldly feel.  

Chatham County Line ended their regular set with “Wildwood,” the title cut from their fifth album, another tune that traversed traditional country and bluegrass sounds, but also included a fiery fiddle solo from Teer that might have approached ten minutes. For their encore the quartet did their steamy cover of The Rolling Stones' “The Last Time,” giving it a laidback aura that was still also bright and triumphant.

Four Bridges' eight song set mixed old bluegrass favorites with their own intriguing originals. That band was fronted on most tunes by Middleboro's Jeremy Place, who plays mandolin and guitar, although Ben Marshall's rugged passion on a song that we're guessing was called “Tennessee Whiskey” was also compelling, when he switched out from his bass. The quartet did a lot of switching between instruments, and for example, mandolinist Greg Ferreira's vocal turn on “Even if I Have to Crawl” proved he also has a fine voice. But Place is the main man, and his “Empty Barrooms,” about the plight of musicians trying to get a foothold in the business while neglecting family affairs, was smart songwriting with telling details, as well as a refreshing ability to not take themselves too seriously. Four Bridges is playing at Foxboro's Orpheum Theater on May 18, and they're a band well worth catching.