Ruthie & The Wranglers, Shenandoah Run at El Golfo Restaurant (WFMA Showcase), 9/13/2015

Another nice evening of food (Salmon Pacifico, Masitas de Puerco) at the monthly World Folk Music Association second-Sunday showcase. Had seen local country/honky-tonk band Ruthie & The Wranglers on numerous occasions at outdoor shows (mostly at Rockville Town Square), but not previously indoors – was a little worried about the volume during sound check, but worked out fine. Featuring frequent solos from pianist Bill Starks and guitarist Andy Rutherford, the band highlighted a number of their most popular songs over the course of their 45-minute set, such as “All The Honky Tonks Are Closin’ Down”, “A Dime At A Time”, and the finale “Lost Ball (In The High Weeds)”. They also did a couple strong tracks from Starks’ recent solo CD (“I See Trouble” and “300 Miles (From Memphis To New Orleans)”).

 

I hadn’t seen the 9-member (!) folk ensemble Shenandoah Run before, but was actually pretty impressed; their main problem was fitting onto the relatively small stage. Featuring a full panoply of instruments (banjo, mandolin, upright bass, fiddle, multiple guitars) and multi-part vocal harmonies on most of their material, their highlights included the opening “Power And The Glory”, “The Sound Of Silence”, “Wild Mountain Thyme”, “I’ll Never Find Another You”, “Today”, and “Charlottesville” (which I thought might have been an original, but was written by Mark Erelli).