Flown Home Band at Eclipse Mill Gallery
North Adams Based Folk Musicians
By: Charles Giuliano - Sep 13, 2008
During the recent exhibition by Robert Morgan and Pennie Brantley at the Eclipse Mill Gallery there was a performance by the locally based Flown Home Band. The gig came about through Eclipse resident, Steve Borns, who showed the musicians Lisa Sturz and Fran Mandeville the large gallery space.
On very short notice, just a couple of days, after a hasty round of e mails the event was confirmed and circulated to local residents. Despite the lack of lead time and minimal publicity there was a nice turn out for what proved to be a laid back and comfortable evening of music that combined blues and blue grass. So low key, in fact, that the multi-instrumentalist, Tony Pisano, walked about with bare feet. I asked what he wears in the dead of winter.
It turns out that Tony, who plays guitar, banjo and accordion, and his son, Josh, who plays hand drums could not possibly be more local. During an interlude when the band members introduced themselves, with a nod out the window over the river run behind the mill, indicated that they live just up the street round the corner. Tony, apparently, is also a beekeeper who sells honey but noted that with all the rain and other issues it has been a bad year.
At the beginning of the concert Tony walked around for a sound check and found it bouncy. But as people wandered in and the room filled the acoustics, unamplified, proved to be quite adequate. Accordingly, there are plans for more such events and possibly a series of performances as Fran and Lisa are well connected with musicians who tour in the Berkshires.
While this was the first concert in the gallery there have been classical music performances organized in lofts and the space of book seller Grover Askins. Those events have been successful and well attended.
Actually, this proved to be a relatively rare appearance by the full Flown Home Band. All of the musicians appear in other combinations. Currently Fran and Lisa appear regularly as the Bee Line Ramblers. The duo is named for their vintage camper. Lisa has recorded as the "Ravin Mavins." While Tony and Josh perform with "Flying Garbanzos." Josh plays percussion with all different kinds of combos including rock bands. On this occasion Eileen Markland was sitting in on violin. She performs classical music throughout the county. Markland explained that she took up fiddle as the result of an improv class, and though classically trained, came to enjoy the spirit and freedom of folk and bluegrass music.
Lisa, the daughter of folkies, Lyn and Don Burnstine, grew up with folk music and her parents were involved with the renowned Fox Hollow Festival. Fran started out with rock and ended up with folk and bluegrass. After some time in Colorado he settled in the Berkshires. He and Lisa live just up the road in a vintage home on Eagle Street.
With the exception of Tony's turns on accordion, and Josh's drum accents, it was mostly an evening of old time, country, string band music. They are all talented musicians adept at a number of instruments. There were many combinations of guitar and banjo with Lisa also taking turns with autoharp and a cigar box dulcimer that Fran made for her. Growing up Italian, in North Adams, Tony conveyed that it was just inevitable that he would take up accordion.
During a break between sets the band did a brisk business selling their CDs. I bought their release "The Cuckoo." Driving around town for the past couple of weeks I have been enjoying getting to known their wonderfully rich and diverse music. It has also been a chance to relive that intimate evening in the gallery. Their appearance proved to be one of the highlights of a busy summer in the Berkshires.
The album is named for the title track "The Cuckoo" a witty traditional song. With the exception of Markland, who was sitting in, all four regular band members wrote songs for this recording. So there is a nice mix and diversity to the lyrics and music. There are poignant passages of love gone wrong and disappointments of failed marriages and relationships. In "The Bottle" Lisa conveys the sad demise of a friend who has endured the pain of love. After a life fully lived Fran requests that we "Let My Ashes Fly," It reminded me by the Blind Lemon Jefferson song "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean." Josh wrote the catchy "Hey What" and Tony contributed an arrangement of the traditional "Hobgoblins Ball Medley." The album also includes a Gram Parsons tune "Wheels" as well as 'Where Can I Go" by B.E. McClelland and ends with "I'll Fly Away" by Albert E. Brumley. We strongly recommend this album as you ramble about the bucolic back roads of Berkshire County.
To these wonderful musicians we say "Y'all come back y'hear."
http://www.thebeelineramblers.com