Above The Town is a contemporary bluegrass band from Milwaukee, Wis., consisting of Bill Brenckle (guitar and lead vocals), Jerry Loughney (fiddle and vocals), Jon Peik (banjo and vocals), and Brian Baker (bass). For their debut recording, they have selected a dozen selections extracted from several sources, ranging from Bob Dylan ("Fare Thee Well") and Cy Coben ("Good Woman's Love") to Ola Belle Reed ("High On A Mountain") and Ralph Stanley ("Clinch Mountain Backstep"). The band's musical style can best be described as laid back but precise. "Uphill Climb" introduces Above The Town to the world of bluegrass and boldly exclaims that they are a band to be reckoned with. (Jerry Loughney, 2754 N. 70th St., Milwaukee, WI 53210, www.abovethetown.com.)

Here is a group of polished musicians playing bluegrass tunes and a few non bluegrass tunes that have been recorded by the likes of Tony Rice and other modern sounding artists.

"Above the Town", has coined their band as "contemporary bluegrass ensemble, blending a mixture of traditional bluegrass sounds with Celtic influences, jazz, and swing'. Whether they are called or considered contemporary, modern, polished or any other label, the bottom line is that they are excellent in all aspects of playing bluegrass music.

For example, you can feel it in the songs that these musicians are definitely driving even when the song is done a bit slower as with the song Clinch Mountain Backstep. They are able to take Clinch Mountain Backstep that is usually played with an upbeat tempo and slow it down quite a bite and still be able to "find the groove". Oh, to be able to present a song like that as well as this group does. Then they turn around and give us Gold Rush with a faster than usual rendition. Taking care in playing within the boundaries of the melody and without the additions of unneeded notes the song comes across as clean, uncluttered and tasteful. Most of all, you will want to play it more than once in order to enjoy it to the fullest.

Hopefully, I now have your attention enough to talk about the singing and then some. "Above the Town", is able to tackle any tune with ease. Every song as performed on this CD is now one of my favorites. So now it's just the degree of favorite that I point out for you a few songs. For the top of the top picks and not to list too many I'll take for the instrumentals, Clinch Mountain Backstep and Gold Rush. For the vocals and this is a tough pick I'd go for Ginseng Sullivan, Fare Thee Well and High Lonesome Sound which grows and grows on you.

All of these musicians are at the top of their form. Not taking anything away from any of them I will say that Jon Peik, the banjo player is so perfect with the roll and tasteful licks that I will just focus on his playing on some of the songs. Then I'll listen again to the same tune but this time I'll focus on Bill Brenckle, the guitar player who is about as clean a picker, as you could ever want to hear. When he is done playing his break you can still remember most all of the notes he played since he does not go overboard with quantity of notes. He does it all with quality.

"Above the Town", has sound bites of all their songs on their web site. For sound bite samples Click Here

This is one of those CD's that you do not want to pass by. You can listen to this CD over and over and over and .......

The band's bio states that the band "started with a desire for a new type of Bluegrass sound, one that blends the traditional styles with a more studied approach". Once you realize that the band members have been classically trained and have experience in other areas of music including jazz, western swing, folk and rock, it's easy to see how a "new type" of sound could evolve. Wow, this is really great stuff, and it's still bluegrass!"

Musicians include Bill Brenckle (guitar and vocals), Jerry Loughney (fiddle vocals), Brian Baker (bass) and Jon Peik (mandolin, vocals).

Highlights are many on this project, including the Dylan classic, "Fare Thee Well." The classical shows with the group's rendition of "Geargianna Moon Waltz," with that smooth, long bow fiddle work done best by classical violinist. Another great arrangement, "When You're Smiling," includes some awesome finger-style guitar breaks by Bill Brenckle. The lead is picked up by the banjo and bass player, Brian, gets an opportunity to flaunt his talent with a jazzy break that's nothing short of amazing.

Uphill Climb is traditional bluegrass with an obvious classical influence and the combination is great listening. I loved this one! JP

When listening to "Uphill Climb", Above the Town bluegrass band's initial CD release, three words come to mind - smooth, unhurried, and precise. This Milwaukee based bluegrass band that includes Brian Baker on bass, Bill Brenckle on guitar and vocals, Jerry Loughney on fiddle and vocals, and Madison favorite Jon Peik on banjo and vocals, has put together a very credible first CD effort, with more (hopefully) on the way.

The smoothness is found in both the instrumental work and the vocals. Brenckle's guitar is fluid and sharp. Loughney's fiddle has a sweetness reminiscent of Chubby Wise and Bobby Hicks. This can be heard in great effect on the Wise tune "Georgianna Moon Waltz." Jon Peik is one of the smoothest and most inventive banjo players around. His execution of triplets is worth the price of admission. Brian Baker anchors the group with a solid bass displaying some musical twists.

Smoothness translates to mellow vocals. This is not a strident bluegrass group that goes for the sharp edge in harmonies, but rather a well-modulated trio. The title cut, "Uphill Climb," a Chris Jones tune, is indicative of this approach.

When I mentioned unhurried I mean that even when the music is clipping along at a fast pace, it never seems to sound fast (until you try playing along). The music simply flows. In this way, unlike some groups, Above the Town is not trying to push through a song as much as journeying through it. In this case, the trip is more important than the destination.

This is a well thought out album. The group knew what it wanted to accomplish and how it would seek to do that. This process led to a precision of execution. There are no extraneous notes - no flash for the sake of flash. This is a group effort to a specific musical vision.

There are some standard cuts on the CD. "Uphill Climb" is a good rendition of a modern bluegrass song. The oft-recorded "Uncle Pen" has some interesting chord substitutions and then is linked to a traditional fiddle tune "Brownie Special." The band does a playful instrumental romp through the Tin Pan Alley classic "When You're Smiling."

But to me the best song on the album is "Clinch Mountain Backstep." Above the Town slows the tempo and then works to bring out the modal aspect of the tune. The slower tempo aided by the strong interplay between instruments (especially the bass), gives this bluegrass work-horse a melancholy menace.

Above the Town is a cut above.