the Greencards

the Greencards

Movin' On In a town where gifted fiddle players swarm like honeybees, the Greencards' Eamon McLoughlin is arguably the best in the colony. The transplanted Englishman, who's performed and recorded with the likes of Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bruce Robison, Alejandro Escovedo, and the Austin Lounge Lizards, among others, is capable of playing soft and sweet, or so fast that sparks fly when his bow hits string. But the Greencards trade on more than just the top-notch musicianship of McLoughlin. The other two-thirds of the trio are Australian Kym Warner on mandolin and Carol Young on bass. Both enjoyed success Down Under before landing in Texas. Warner won four National Bluegrass Mandolin championships, while Young had two No. 1 singles there in 2000, and has twice been nominated for Country Music Awards in Australia. With those kind of credentials, it comes as no surprise that the trio's debut is a delightful compilation of traditional and contemporary folk, flavored with a dash of Celtic fiddle, a strong hint of newgrass, and some intricate yet never flashy interplay. Movin' On opens with "Jolly Hockeysticks," a feisty, instrumental digest of the band's phenomenal musical abilities, and ends with the breezy, uplifting "Life's a Freeway." In between there's a heartfelt version of Robert Earl Keen's "Love's a Word I Never Throw Around," a smart rendition of Gillian Welch's "Caleb Meyer," and a few instrumental flights ("Leonardo's Ride," "Small Tots") that defy description. Easily one of Austin's best debuts in 2003.