Portland, Oregon seems to be swimming in bluegrass revival bands and Water Tower Bucket Boys can be added to the list.
For this 5 track EP, they are a high energy four-piece band with three-part harmonies (the fourth member plays upright bass).
It is no surprise to learn that they started out busking and we see the band doing pretty much that at Glastonbury in the official video to the title song.
Instruments like banjo, fiddle, harmonica and mandolin make for a traditional sound which is augmented by a few more 'modern' touches like a whirly tube, the sound of a typewriter, percussion and a vibraphone.
Their brand of high octane music is as fun as it is predictable with the odd song out being the closing track - a slow, melancholy ballad called R Song. In this, a line like "up all night in the cell phone light" shows that, while mainly playing old-time, they aren't slaves to tradition.
This track also hints at a new direction for the band. After five years on the road and four albums they will no longer be Bucket Boys but just plain Water Tower. This change follows the departure of banjo player Cory Goldman.
This EP therefore marks the end of an era but hopefully not the end of the road.
