Dirty Blanket
‘Long Time
Comin’ ‘
Self-released
What began as an
acoustic folk duo featuring guitarist Max “Dirty” Flansburg
and singer/songwriter Kevin “Blanket” O’Leary in 2013 became a foot-stomping
bluegrass quintet by the end of 2016. The original duo was augmented with
longtime friends Richie Colf on mandolin, Joel Fedkiw on five-string banjo, and Aaron Oldweiler
on upright bass. After five years of writing and playing various festivals in
the Western New York region, Dirty Blanket is celebrating the release of its
second full-length album, “Long Time Comin’.”
Raise your mason
jars: “Long Time Comin'” is a bluegrass party on a wide-open landscape with
sweet country air blowing through your hair. Recorded at The Green Room by
Matthew Ramerman, “Long Time Comin'” features 10
fast-picking tales of old times past and the growing
pains of life. Songs like “Hobo Jones” and “Mindless” will make you want to put
your dancing pants on, while “Flat Tire” and “However Long We Roam” are sung
with warm and bittersweet tenderness, as sippable as
a fine whiskey. Vocal harmonies are howled over the top of the strings,
providing prime sing-a-long material for the audience. Dirty Blanket makes
rowdy Appalachian dance music that puts a refreshing twist on an old country
tradition.
This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2018.
