The Brooklyn-based old-time musical duo Dubl Handi is back with a followup to its 2013 debut Up Like the Clouds, which was one of my favorite Americana releases of that year. This new release Morning In A New Machine doubles down on the debut and comes up a winner.
Dubl Handi (pronounced “double-handy”), named after an Ohio washboard company, is one of the leaders of the current Brooklyn folk revival scene that’s centered on the Jalopy Theater. Hilary Hawke plays banjo and sings lead vocals, and Brian Geltner provides the rhythm on brushed snare and kick drums, washboard and whatever else comes to hand or foot. They’re joined by one guitarist or another — Wyndham Baird is joining them on tour promoting Morning In A New Machine but I’m not sure it’s him picking and supplying backing vocals on this disc.
As with their debut, the bulk of this recording is Appalachian old-time and other American folk standards, with a couple of originals thrown in. As fetching as that first album was, Morning In A New Machine is an even sharper recording with a high energy level and a confidence that makes every note just pop.
It starts with a tune they call “Cindy” (also known as “Cindy, Cindy”) a venerable American folk song with roots in North Carolina. If you’re a baby-boomer you’ve probably heard this song many times, possibly without it even registering very much. It was a fixture of the folk revival and appeared in movies and television shows in the ’50s and ’60s. Dubl Handi’s version is a rocking affair propelled by Geltner’s brushed snares and kick-drum and Hawke’s energetic three-finger picking. Like most of the songs on Morning In A New Machine it has modern touches in the arrangement; in addition to Geltner’s drumming there’s the presence of the droning trombone (or perhaps synthesized horn) on the chorus.
Ditto the next track “Cumberland Gap,” an old and very popular song in the mid-20th century from versions by everybody from Woodie Guthrie to Flatt and Scruggs. Introduced by ambient sound recording of the deep forest behind Hawke’s claw-hammer banjo, this version is slower than many, and includes a booming bass drum sound at the beginning of every other measure as well as other post-modern touches.
Geltner’s drumming on this music is less revolutionary than some purists might have you believe; you can find a video online of Flatt and Scruggs’ version of “Cumberland Gap” that includes a fellow playing a snare with brushes.
Hawke and Geltner find the old-time roots of “Ida Red,” a song that’s better known for its Western Swing version. This is a real old-timey style song with lots of Dubl Handi touches that personalize it, including a melodic keyboard. Likewise “Red Rocking Chair,” another old and well-worn song, here given a slow bluesy treatment and full arrangement including additional guitar, steel guitar and three-part harmonies. Here’s a performance video of “Red Rocking Chair” from a couple of years ago.
This is an economical album with 11 songs lasting just under 40 minutes, rather like an LP from 50 or 60 years ago during the first New York folk revival. Every track is a gem. You can purchase Morning in a New Machine on Dubl Handi’s Bandcamp site. Dubl Handi has a website.
(self-released, 2015)
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