Album Review: The Salt Miners (Self Titled)

Every once in a while, a band blows through a scene doing something truly unexpected — something that may not necessarily be anything unique, but is still an incredible deviation from the norm of the scene it sits amongst. The Detroit area has found itself blessed with one of these acts with The Salt Miners, who have spent a recent spell showcasing bluegrass chops in live settings. Those shows eventually led the band to record this debut release, A Good Time to Be Had.

While the consideration of a bluegrass band existing within the Detroit scene is odd enough, it seems even stranger when the line-up of the band is taken into consideration. Guitarist Brian McCarty is known for his work in the Trash Brats, while bassist/mandolin player Mark Paul currently fronts the band Disgraziata (which takes more cues from the Afghan Whigs and Quicksand than it does from Bill Monroe or Earl Scruggs). Two other band members come from slightly more understandable backgrounds – Dan Tennant has history with the cow-punk band Doornail, as does guitarist Andy Henry with country rockers 20 Mule Team. Rounding things out is local producer Tim Pak, who dishes out banjo and slide/resonator guitar licks. All of the band members share in both lead and backing vocal duties, which does add a nice touch of variety to the disc.

Perhaps it’s just the sign of good production work, but I found it surprising exactly how ‘full’ a band with no percussive instruments can sound (there’s no drumming at all on this recording – the closest thing to percussion is the occasional handclap and stomp flare-up). Then again, with multiple layers of mandolin, guitar, banjo and resonator resting atop the deep bass sound, maybe the full sound shouldn’t have been a surprise at all. The playing on this record is quite impressive, as well, though admittedly, it takes more than one listen to appreciate the musicianship of A Good Time to Be Had because of the instrumental layering.

While The Salt Miners do throw in a few ‘traditional’ bluegrass covers (a sparkling country-flared take on “Danville Girl” and a rousing take on Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light” are highlights), the majority of the material here is original. Tennant’s “Lonely Times” is a surprisingly upbeat romp for such downhearted lyrical material; hearing the band members chime in to back his plaintive, yet sing-along chorus of “It’ll be alright” is somehow tenderly uplifting. Tennant’s “Spray Shellac” is quite the opposite, though – a fiery banjo romp punctuated by ghostly backing vocals and authoritative “For What?” gang choruses. The band’s take on Rodney Dillard/Mitch Jayne’s quick-lick “Dooley” is as traditional as it comes.

For all the fast finger-picking, the band spends an equal amount of time fleshing out slower, more standard compositions as well. Henry’s “Wrap Him Tightly” is almost bluesy, and McCarty’s “Sentenced Man” veers towards ‘country rock’ with it’s firm bassline and frequent resonator action. Tennant’s flourishing “Waterford Waltz” evokes chuckles with child-like lyrics such as, “I like that pretty dress/Bra strap is hangin’ out/But I think that is hot/So will you dance?,” and, “I like the way you smiled/When you stepped on my foot/It hurt like hell/But with you, I don’t care.” Storytelling lyrics aside, the band showcases musical prowess alone on a few instrumental tracks. An upbeat accordion rhythm in “Sideshow” is only trumped by a hand clap/stomp break; on “St. Clair Flats,” however, the band switches gears and offers up what can best be described as a lullaby.

It does seem that there are some subtle differences between the ‘traditional’ bluegrass standards and the band’s own material – namely, that The Salt Miners tunes sound a bit more grounded in more modern country and rock-based rhythms. This really doesn’t affect the disc negatively, though; it just seems to add to the diversity already offered by the varied approaches the different songwriters and vocalists take to the original tracks. A Good Time to Be Had may not necessarily be something most folks would put in an everyday musical rotation, but the disc does indeed offer up something fun and different. The energetic live shows are still the best way to experience the band, but kudos still go out to The Salt Miners for putting together a very strong disc that’s truly worth the 36 minutes of listening it holds. – Gary Blackwell