Jim and Jennie and the Pinetops make their first Seattle appearance in a few years when they hit the Tractor this Sunday, September 4. Life has changed for the bluegrass ensemble since they passed through town in 2002, supporting Neko Case. The individual members of the band, which originally took shape in eastern Pennsylvania, have scattered all over the East Coast. Co-founder Jennie Bedford and banjo player Brad Hutchinson reside in North Carolina, bassist Matt Downing lives in western Massachusetts, and Jennie's foil, Jim Krewson, is based in upstate New York.
"We weren't sure when another [record] might happen," says Bedford of the break between their 2002 release, One More in the Cabin, and their recent return, Rivers Roll on By (on Bloodshot). Consequently, everyone forged ahead with other outlets too. "I had been playing with a lot of different people in North Carolina, and I wrote all these new songs but I didn't know where they would end up."
Rivers marks a discernable progression in the quartet's sound. Although there are numbers that recall the more uniformly lively textures of Cabin, such as the jaunty "Quit Barking at Me," the new album boasts a much wider palette of tempos and dynamics. Benford contributes hushed, pensive originals like the bittersweet "The Poison Vine," and Krewson introduces a memorably murderous protagonist on the haunting "Blackie Moore." Throughout the 13-song set, Hutchinson adds texture with his captivating performances on the Banjocaster, an instrument that can sound like a pedal steel, electric guitar, or an organ.
"We didn't really plan to make such a different-sounding album," says Benford. "We just tried to make each song sound great on its own. It's amazing that they all go together, because they have a lot of different sounds."
Pacific Northwest residents will undoubtedly be particularly curious about Benford's "Mt. St. Helens," written about a brave soul who continues to live on the active volcano long after the 1980 eruption. "That mountain is so incredible looking," says Jennie. "We went to the visitor center there three or four years ago, on one of our tours out here, and I was fascinated."
Rivers also includes a pair of covers, "Country Boy Rock & Roll" and "I Know You're Married but I Still Love You," from the songbook of Don Reno. "He was one of the great bluegrass banjo players," explains Jennie. "He never got as famous as Earl Scruggs, but he's definitely a legendary, innovative player. And he was a big influence on us, so there he is... twice!"
Though they no longer live in a communal house, Benford insists the bond between the players is as strong as ever. "It goes beyond music," she says of her chemistry with Jim. "And the differences between us complement one another, too. I can be a little too serious, and he can be a little too silly. The band could have gone too far in either of those directions, but we've kept a nice balance between the two over the years."
