Ideal Proof by HogMaw. Artwork by Brandt Imhoff
What do you get when you cross a thundergrass band with a Grammy-winning musician, and a Spider Man? You get HogMaw‘s latest album—Ideal Proof, produced by Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, engineered and recorded by Ernie Tokay of Little Spiders Have Big Dreams Music Studio.
A year after their first album Wake, HogMaw has “Come On Down” back to a traditional sound with Ideal Proof—a mix of old-style country, bluegrass Americana. What you get is 9 tracks and just over 30 minutes of moonshine-sipping, toe-tapping tunes that will leave your belly full and body buzzing.
You’re invited to “Come On Down” to some behind-the-scenes footage, courtesy of photographer/videographer Karl McWherter, to see and hear the musical craft blending of Matt Baldwin, Colin Reeves, Ryann Lynch, Dom Flemons, and Ernie Tokay.
Come On Down
One my favorite tracks which conjures images of Nashville, barbecue, and dancing with your honey. The following video shows Matt Baldwin and Colin Reeves learning the song with a flip chart of chords and lyrics, assisted by Dom Flemons. You can listen to the final cut here.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anhI83fHeIE’]
Pass Me Not
A song and voice that will leave you weak in the knees and strong in the heart, fiddle player Ryann Lynch is breathtaking. You can listen to the final cut here.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usC7olnTLjI’]
Cripple Creek
Here we have Dom Flemons playing quills—a traditional African-American pan flute. This outtake is a nice example of the recording process and how Ernie Tokay can take a piece here and a piece there and make a full song come to life—Frankenstein-style. You can listen to the final cut here.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvmQON_Yhgs’]
More Ideal Proof
HogMaw appeared on Gene Shay’s folk show on XPN where they played folk throwback “Darlin’ Corey” which you can sample below.
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Photo by Karl McWherter.
Other songs include “Deep Elum Blues”, “Rabbit in a Log”, “Red Haired Lass”, “The Johnson Sisters”, and “Whitehouse Blues/Beatbox Tuba”. Don’t miss out on a trip to traditional bluegrass the way it was meant to be played. HogMaw brings such an original sound and spirit to their music—they were even featured in the recent “At Fest” documentary” about the Philly Folk Fest.
You can buy Ideal Proof on iTunes and CDBaby and even get a copy on vinyl from select record stores like our friend Ernie over here. If you see HogMaw live, you may even get an autograph. You can also play on Spotify and stream the songs here. Follow @hogmawband on twitter and find them on facebook.
HogMaw and Dom Flemons at Sellersville Thetre. Photo by Karl McWherter.