Pert Near Sandstone is gearing up for the release of a new album. It's titled Waiting Days and drops on October 20, 2023. But first, for those of you not yet familiar with the act in question, a bit o’ background.
Pert Near Sandstone
According to the band’s official website, Pert Near Sandstone is a Minnesota-based band known for its progressive bluegrass sound. The group consists of Justin Bruhn on bass, Kevin Kniebel on banjo, J. Lenz on guitar, Nate Sipe on mandolin, fiddle, and steel guitar, Matt Cartier on clogs, and Chris Forsberg on fiddle. Their rockin’ resume includes several previous platters.
According to a recent e-communique, the group has worked to become “standard-bearers for the versatility and vitality of the Midwestern roots music scene.” They have performed onstage with an assortment of other artists such as Steve Martin, the Flaming Lips, and the Yonder Mountain String Band.
Signature Sound
Pert Near Sandstone’s signature sound is a mix of multiple music genres including Americana, bluegrass, country, and folk. The main writers, Bruhn, Kniebel, Lenz, and Sipe inspire each other by musically responding to each other's songs.
Waiting Days
Waiting Days is their eighth LP. In the band’s spirit of connectedness and collaboration, the band is backed by an assortment of other artists. Original Pert Near member and current Trampled by Turtles musician Ryan Young appears on fiddle and organ and recorded and mixed the project. Additional guest musicians include Sean Roderick on piano, Andy Lambert on drums, washboard, and percussion, and Jason Marks on trumpet.
Track by Track
The album lead-in is “I’ve Been Traveling”. It’s the second single and an energetic opening that works well as a road-trip tune too. The song was written by Sipe.
The next number is “Who To Choose” This song is largely about possibilities. It is about the choices we have as humans and about the people we want to be. It includes additional vocals by Anna Mason, Del Kniebel, Lena Kniebel, Lisanne Bogaard, and Katie Belleville.
Not to be confused with the popular piece by the Traveling Wilburys, this “End Of The Line”, like the other material here, is original. In keeping with a general theme of trains and traveling, this is a countrified cut that lyrically illustrates a dialogue between a railroad brakeman and a hobo in this electric steel guitar-injected song. It comes complete with whistle! (Mind you, one might initially argue this should have been the album endnote but don’t jump to that conclusion just yet.)
The titular “Waiting Days” is an upbeat, solid song that is the rhythmic result of the recent pandemic and inarguably the best choice to represent the origin and core of this new release and its connection to pent-up people expressing the need to get out again. The seventh songful serving is “Clouds Are Gathering” While the message isn’t unheard of, what matters is the unique way in which the band tunefully translates it. Here they tell a tuneful tale of the sensitivity of a relationship via a field in which the sun is being obscured by gathering clouds.
“Soo Line” is another road-trip track born of the band’s experience touring. It comes complete with clever road-related references and a melody that moves. Chris Bruhn appears on guitar. Also included here is the string-laced “Believe”. The band takes us in another direction in this fitting and gentler track.
“On To Dawn” is somehow reminiscent of early Whetstone Run. (Mind you, there is no need to research the reference if you miss this obscure observation.) Suffice it to say, this song certainly merits a listen. Additionally, it works well as yet another road-trip track. The band confirmed the travelin’ tune concept in a recent email. They stated that this song, as well as “I’ve Been Traveling,” and “Soo Line”, are, in fact, “traveling songs,” influenced by their having “hit the pavement hard over their time, simultaneously creating a soundtrack for those all night drives that music festival devotees well know.”
It’s time to “Lay Down Your Burdens”. Here things slow down a bit and refocus on something more basic. The song is both simple and sincere. At the end of the line, we must all remember what truly matters.
Overall…
Overall, this is an album on which each of the act’s songwriters offers their own individual perspective; each musician adds in their own rhythmic reciprocity to audibly illustrate their train of thought. They offer infectious energy without pushing the pop on an album that includes songs often honest as dirt, pertinent, and pert near perfect for anyone who likes prog bluegrass. So, pick up Pert Near Sandstone’s Waiting Days, “Lay Down Your Burdens” and enjoy yourself!
(Images courtesy of Tony Nelson and Pert Near Sandstone)