Onion Creek Crawdaddies
Irons in the Fire
One of the leading lights in Austin’s lively bluegrass scene, the Onion Creek Crawdaddies perform an animated variant of the high lonesome sound they call “beergrass.” Irons in the Fire, their second self-produced effort, accurately captures the young quintet’s sense of frivolity offset with occasional flights into sentimentality. With boyish harmonies and nimble instrumental prowess, the Crawdaddies most often recall punk-bluegrassers Split Lip Rayfield, while the occasional pedal steel and washboard sets them apart from everyone else. At 16 songs, Irons in the Fire could use tightening, but the easygoing “Off the Wagon,” gospel tinged “Dusty Bibles Lead to Dirty Lives,” and atmospheric fiddle tune “Saltillo Sunrise” unveil OCC’s ability to portray different sentiments with a combination of self-confidence and clever ensemble play that’s rare on a band’s sophomore effort.
This article appears in February 9 • 2007.