One More Shot of Whiskey

The emotional barometer of bluegrass registers somewhere between hilarity and sorrow, like a hee-haw hiccup after an epic night of breakup drinking. Bluegrass laughs at funerals and cries at birthdays. Likely the antic mood of bluegrass, part comedy and part tragedy, derives from all that steamy choo-choo chugging on the snare and washboard, the hard, syncopated strumming of the strings and the mournful Appalachian moon-calls that scratch harmonic tattoos into the clouds. And there’s something about the dank, foggy Northwest that makes it fertile ground for bluegrass music; just look at all the crackerjack jug bands plying their pop and rattle in Eugene right now.

Among the vanguard of the Emerald Valley’s bluegrass cognoscenti are The Whiskey Chasers, a band of musical revivers formed at the dawn of this decade but with roots reaching into to the blood-and-booze soaked soil of Prohibition-era America. Their just-released debut, Well for the Worse, is a modern-day tour through the dusty byways and murderous mountain passes of rootsy Americana — a sepia-tinted landscape of boozy nights, violent femmes, lonesome men and the arterial kinks of broken hearts.

Helmed by singers-songwriters Gracin Dorsey (mandolin) and Kevin Davison (guitar) — and buttressed by Tony Cipolle on banjo, Cindy Ingram on washboard, Seth Kimmel on his handmade bass and Gregg Vollstedt on dobro — the Chasers’ breakout album opens with “Darlin’ Corey,” a traditional number that strikes the perfect tone with its rumbling, two-step lament about a bad woman who done a man wrong. From there, the superb songwriting of Davison and Dorsey takes over, as each musician, in turn, mines the psychic vaults of old-time country music, turning out a classic bluegrass cycle of murder ballads, mountain songs, harmonic jeremiads and upbeat jigs. In range, style and content, The Whiskey Chasers hew close to their forebears — the Carter Family, Lead Belly, The Band — and they do it with energy, integrity and talent.

Well for the Worse is solid through-and-through, full of lickety-split runs, bittersweet harmonies and the relentless rhythms of a runaway train. Standout numbers include Davison’s “Lisa Please,” a shiny, chunky love song full of high hooks, and Dorsey’s brokenhearted “Split Down the Way,” an irresistible tune with harmonies that soar.

The Whiskey Chasers host a CD release party with Conjugal Visitors 9 pm Friday, March 15, at Sam Bond’s; $5.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!