from Where y' at Magazine New Orleans
April, 2007 Twangorama The disparity is striking – rarely does such a wealth of talent and such a dearth of ego grace the same musical stage. Twangorama is part mutual admiration society, part comedy and above all, one of the greatest collections of guitar virtuosos you’ll see on one stage. Jimmy Robinson, longtime Woodenhead frontman and the hardest working man in show business (according to his colleagues), is the ringleader of this six-string showcase. Twangorama is a five-piece band anchored by Phil deGruy, Cranston Clements and the aforementioned Robinson, three of the most enduring and accomplished guitarists of the New Orleans music scene. Woodenhead veterans, bassist Paul Clement and drummer Mark Whitaker, comprise the band’s rhythm section. The band’s repertoire is skewed toward rock, but during a recent performance at Carrollton Station, elements of jazz, pop, blues and even Celtic were also clearly audible.“Pop 40 Goes the Weasel,” a medley of samplings of 40 songs in less than three minutes, was an insightful opening number. The freedom that three guitars give to the ensemble provides great latitude to the players and gives a certain fullness to their sound. The meticulous synchronization of their fretboard mastery is a delight for guitar aficionados. xxIn fact, during one song, Clements and Robinson ran harmonized licks while deGruy plucked octaves, essentially providing a rare 4-part harmony of guitars. deGruy’s astounding myriad of chord voicings often provided a more sophisticated backdrop than is typical of a rock band and Phil demonstrates that he’s equally adept on the six-string as he is on the guitarp, the unique 17-string guitar/harp hybrid instrument that he usually dons for solo performances. Clements shines on a stirring rendition of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” a bluesy minor tune which plays to the band’s strength, and there are plenty of tradeoffs of solos to appease all of the players. During a recent interview, Robinson noted the Fab Four as one of his early musical influences.xx“It was the Beatles really for my whole generation as far as playing guitar and getting into a band. But the real guitar thing was Hendrix. That’s when the whole picture changed.”He recalled meeting Clements at free “concerts/love-ins” at Audubon Park in the ‘60s that were a regular Sunday event. They had recorded some and played an odd gig together, but never formally got together until Twangorama formed. |
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