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McCaffrey's Stone Cold Roosters swings Western

A new Vermont band, comprising some of the best talent in the state, has successfully melded Western swing, country, honky-tonk and blues into a very listen able, danceable and sometimes comic album. "Out of the Woods," the first offering by The Stone Cold Roosters, works these musical elements into its 12-song set. The result is one of the year's best albums by any band from any state.

The Roosters are primarily the creation of East Montpelier's Colin McCaffrey. His credentials – as a multi-instrumentalist, multi-band member, singer, songwriter and recording producer – are impeccable. Frankly, one wonders how he manages to wear all the hats he does and be so good at all the aspects of music his hand touches.

For this band McCaffrey gathered together musicians he has performed with in his decade-long career. The band was formed three years ago but has, until now, failed to release a CD.

McCaffrey, who plays guitar, fiddle and mandolin on this CD, sings and also wrote several of the songs. He is joined by Thal Aylward on fiddle, Chuck Eller on keyboards, Roy Cutler on drums and vocals, Jim Pitman on steel guitar, Casey Dennis on bass and Ted Mortimer on guitar and vocals.

"I played with each of these guys in different bands and I winnowed down the dream band," McCaffrey said of the Roosters' lineup. "I played for a lot of weddings and used pick-up bands and hired these guys for a lot of different situations."

Eller, a part-time member, is a well-known sideman and record producer. Mortimer, whose songs include the album's best cut, "Happy as a Pig in Sh*t," plays in The Goat Broke Loose, a zydeco band. Aylward and McCaffrey have played in contra dance bands together. Cutler and Pitman also perform with Rick Norcross and the Ramblers, while Dennis and Mortimer play in Dr. Burma, a Burlington blues ensemble.

McCaffrey said the CD is due to audience response to the band's live performances.

"People loved it, we loved it – it's so much fun to play together," said McCaffrey.

Western swing, which fills much of this CD's style content, comes out of the music of the Southwest. It originated in the dance halls of small towns throughout the Lower Great Plains in the 1920s and 1930s, evolving from the old house parties and ranch dances where fiddlers and guitarists entertained dancers. If you've heard the music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, probably the most popular band of that style, then you've heard Western swing at its best. The most popular contemporary band is Asleep at the Wheel.

This is music driven by fiddle, guitar and pedal steel guitar. It has elements of country, jazz, New Orleans, Mexican and polka music in it. It is definitely dance music.

Pitman, the band's ace steel guitarist, has composed two instrumentals, "Well Swung," and "Uncle Jim's Rag," that exemplify the style. Four of the band members, Pitman, McCaffrey, Mortimer and Cutler, have written songs for the CD. These are solid contributions, strong in both lyric and melodic content.

McCaffrey's "Gotta Learn How to Dance" leads off the CD. Here, the oft-sensitive singer-songwriter unleashes a smoking, hook-laden song about a wallflower. It's a perfect lead-in to the CD's dance-oriented content.

According to McCaffrey, this style of music has not been prominent in Vermont – or elsewhere for that matter – recently. One would have to go back to the late 1970s for any groundswell for Western swing. Yet, for him, "It's such happy, up-tempo music."

While listeners may recognize elements of this music in the current sound of country music, McCaffrey said what the Roosters are playing "is the purer, older form."

The CD was recorded, mostly live, at Chuck Eller's studio in Charlotte where the band set up one evening and played for four hours and again the next day.

Because these musicians each play in several bands, the Roosters have a limited performance schedule. However, with the release of this album that may change.

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