CD Review: Carter & Grammer

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Drum Hat Buddha
(Signature Sounds, 2001)

by Ralph DiGennaro


If youÕre a folk music enthusiast and havenÕt heard Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer, then youÕve no doubt been on an extended sabbatical somewhere. Like, say, the planet Venus. At last yearÕs Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, New York, this picking and fiddling duo tore up the mainstage (as much as any folkie can actually ÒtearÓ up anything) and easily won literally thousands of fans in one fell swoop of a fiddle bow.

That Carter & Grammer would virtually steal the show all three days on whatever Falcon Ridge stage they graced was no surprise to those in the know, most of whom probably wore through at least two copies of their impossibly brilliant early 2000 release, ÒTanglewood Tree.Ó The question most likely on the minds of Carter/Grammer fans everywhere soon after was how these two hugely talented musicians, and Carter in particular who pens the songs, could top that masterful effort. It would doubtless be a Herculean undertaking, for ÒTanglewood TreeÓ was a nearly perfect record and showcased a heretofore unheralded songwriting talent in Dave Carter unseen or heard since a young and sober Townes Van Zandt walked among the living (Carter has often acknowledged the late Van Zandt as his most important influence and muse).

Damn if the boy (and girl) didnÕt do it. Despite its somewhat cryptic title, ÒDrum Hat BuddhaÓ furthers the innovative amalgam of folk, country, bluegrass and hillbilly pop that Carter, tongue, no doubt, planted firmly in cheek, cleverly defines as ÒPostmodern Mythic American Music.Ó Just so.

Not unlike ÒTanglewood TreeÓ this new record similarly opens with a dubious paean to Hometown USA with ÒOrdinary TownÓ (Tanglewood Tree opened with a song called ÒHappytownÓ). On this newer version, Carter sharpens his satirical edges a bit and whittles away at the desperation of growing up in a small town and the need to get free of its attendant universal myopia, as Tracy sings:

Òraised on hunches and junk food lunches and punch-drunk ballroom steps
you get to believe youÕre even-steven with the kids at fast-track prep
so you dump your bucks on a velvet tux and you run to join the dance
but your holy shows and the Romans know youÕre just a child of circumstance
cause this is an ordinary town and the prophet has no face
this is an ordinary town and the seasons run in place
and every highway leads you prodigal and true
to the ordinary angels who watch over you...Ó


It is important for me to state right here and now that if Tracy GrammerÕs formidable vocal abilities went unnoticed up till now, this is the record that will establish her as one of the more distinctive and emotive voices in folk, to say nothing of her extraordinary talents with violin and mandolin.

Indeed, GrammerÕs impressive violin playing punctuates this entire record and often adds a alternating lively and woeful textural break to CarterÕs lyrical gushes and staccato choruses. The two-step beat of ÒTillman CountyÓ moves things along right well, with GrammerÕs lively mandolin picking filling in before and after each mournful if poignant verse about life on a river. A real foot-tapper, here is an eloquent example of CarterÕs true genius, an uncanny ability to combine powerful lyrics in elegant alliterative arrangements of words that glide effortlessly from the tongue with spare yet strong melodies:

Òchickasha trickster calls to the funnel cloud/demon come screamin over Wichita Falls
lines down, power out, Ryan and points south/time and direction donÕt matter at all when
youÕre raised on the river/washed in the blood/blood runs thicker than bottomland mud
and the wheel sinks deeper as the years spin Ôround/thirty bad summers in Tillman Co.Ó

ÒDisappearing ManÓ stands as the ultimate showcase for GrammerÕs infectious singing, as her sweet voice melodically turns CarterÕs wordy, image-filled lyrics into a wonderful tapestry of words and music. It is a powerful song that underscores the strength of this duosÕ beautifully balanced harmonies.

Displaying his playful side, Carter works the telephone number musical idiom onto the record with the catchy Ò236-6132Ó that has Grammer singing and nimbly picking her mandolin with control and inventiveness.

Spending his formative years in Texas, Carter is predisposed to Western cowboy myth themes, and his ode to a gun, Ò41 ThundererÓ is used as an allegory for a dangerous woman in a gunslingerÕs past. Here some of his best writing is on display:

Òslender and wicked, flame in her eyes
pearl white and nickelÕ round the curve of her thighs
smooth as dry whisky, but cold to caress
she slid like a viper from her tooled leather dress.Ó

If there is more literate, original writing in the folk music universe, IÕd like someone to show it to me. ThereÕs playfulness too with the kicking, on-the-lonely-road lament, ÒHighway 80,Ó with Carter using some sort of voice distortion device to attain a kind of megaphone quality to the rapid-fire chorus he manages to sing without tripping over the onslaught of syllables.

The quieter, more intensely lyrical songs on the album, including ÒThe Power and the Glory,Ó ÒMerlinÕs LamentÓ and the closing ÒGentle Soldier of my Soul,Ó require repeated listenings to comprehend the colorful stories and rich images that Carter seems to write so well and so effortlessly. With writing this good, one canÕt help but wonder if he has ever thought of turning his talent toward fiction or playwriting. Seems he would be equally adept at both, though this is certainly not meant as a slight to his musicianship, which is first-rate throughout the record.

While there is no shortage of impressive, high quality work being turned out by contemporary singer/songwriters at this point in time, with ÒDrum Hat BuddhaÓ Carter & Grammer have advanced themselves a notch or two above the rest. This is a remarkable album that should be heralded as their best effort to date and one that will undoubtedly allow Carter and Grammer to break through to larger audiences around the country. No one in contemporary music, in my opinion, deserves the recognition more. - Ralph DiGennaro