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Andrew Olson
Reader Weekly
Traditional folk music is coming back like the blues did 30 years ago. Bands like Trampled By Turtles and their electric mandolin are making the instrument posh in 2005. With that folkin’ wave comes Elizablue, Celtic folk band from St. Paul with a dark saturine lugubrious sound.
There is a five minute mandolin instrumental on Elizablue’s demo CD, with a promontory West Virginia violin classically sliding behind. It moves and has some deep feelings expressed musically. Lost love and hoping to be saved are highlighted in the song “April"…a bit depressing, the song begs, if not pleads the weeping heart to let go. “Get up, drink coffee… did ya get, did you find, what you wanted even so… so, take anything you can… remember when we laid in your bed and I said.. I said… save me baby.. Save me, save me, save me, save me…" A little too clingy for my ears, but perhaps if you were sitting in Beaner’s and relaxing with your wine and holding a lover’s hand…ahh…
Elizablue is Elizabeth Bonacci (guitar, fiddle, writes and sings), Karen Olson Edwards (writes harmonies, sings back up, fills in with rhythm guitar), and Paul Miksic (everything else: guitar, bass, mandolin, recording and production). They are a coffee shop band at this point but have talent. Their bio says, “It all began in the spring of 2004. Paul met Beth when she opened for the band that opened for his band"… (Got that?) Anyway, “He liked her style and she liked his, so they decided to make a recording, one recording was all they needed to book their first gig, but still felt something was missing… So they decided to call Beth’s friend Karen… (a bunch of stuff about how they met in high school)… with Karen singing back up, and filling in on rhythm guitar when Beth played fiddle; the band was finally complete." They are new to the music scene and young. They are experienced as musicians though, and have a nice sound.
So while sipping your wine and feeling all warm inside, the poetic lyrics will tickle your mind. The music will coolly sit in your glass. You may have thoughts of that young depressive state of mind when you wanted to be saved, but didn’t everyone?
Elizablue really seems genuine. As they grow and reach their pinnacle as songwriters this deep inward soul searching writing will pay off, like another folkie/rocker… John Lennon... But remember, Elizablue doesn’t play rock. They play Ani Difranco classical dark Beatles inspired traditional folk. Check out their show and see what you think, or feel.
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