The Coal Porters

The Coal Porters

Butterfly Hearts, from the new Coal Porters album, is heard in all its glory on Doing It For The Kids '08: A Compilation for the Yorkhill Children's Foundation. This charity THREE CD set is a worthy addition to any home and the money goes to a terrific cause. For more information go to www.MySpace.com/yorkhillproject or www.yorkhillchildrensfoundation.org .

The Coal Porters are an acoustic act with attitude and the UK’s most entertaining bluegrass ensemble, one firmly established on both the British and European touring circuits. Their live show is polished yet passionate and second to none. (Read some of the MySpace messages below for proof.) Should the Coal Porters come to a venue nearby check them out if you like cool pickin’, hot vocals and the wittiest stage announcements this side of the Comedy Store.

Their brand NEW ALBUM IS OUT NOW and is entitled Turn The Water On, Boy! Already the album has received rave four star reviews in Mojo, Uncut, The Sunday Times, Maverick and Word magazines with European reviews out soon. Turn The Water On, Boy! features songs by Coal Porters Neil Robert Herd, Sid Griffin and Gemma White as well as a startling cover of ex-Byrd Gene Clark’s classic Silver Raven. And speaking of the legendary Byrds the great Chris Hillman plays mandolin on the second song on the new album, one called Mr. Guthrie in tribute to Woody.

The sound quality of Turn The Water On, Boy! has a lot to do with its being mixed and mastered by Ed Stasium (Ramones, Smithereens, Belinda Carlisle, Jeff Healey Band) at his high tech studio in Colorado USA. Meaning the Coal Porters have finally made the connection between audience-friendly and radio-friendly!

Formed eighteen years ago in Los Angeles the Coal Porters were originally an electric rock group centred around native Kentuckian Sid Griffin, the ex-Long Ryder who wrote the hit single “Looking For Lewis And Clark”. Exchanging a home in Los Angeles for one in London in February 1992 Griffin’s original Coal Porters enjoyed indie chart success in the UK and Europe and toured frequently. But when Griffin produced the comeback album of British folk-rock legends Lindisfarne he found himself inspired by that band’s acoustic instrumentation. Upon completion of Lindisfarne’s Here Comes The Neighborhood album Griffin found himself the proud new owner of a mandolin. With that mandolin the acoustic, bluegrass Coal Porters were born. And bluegrass music received a very real shot in the arm as the band’s roots in punk and rockabilly gave their music an edge and the genre of “alt-bluegrass” was born.

The Coal Porters released The Chris Hillman Tribute Concerts in 2001, an acoustic celebration of Byrds, Dylan and Gram Parsons. Rave reviews piled in from America’s Bluegrass News as well as from periodicals from L.A. to London to Lisbon who all agreed: bluegrass was being performed via a fresh approach.

Two exhausting USA tours followed as did an exhilarating October 2004 showcase performance in Sid Griffin’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s prestigious World Of Bluegrass festival. Their album How Dark This Earth Will Shine was released on Prima Records to yet more great reviews and no less than Ricky Skaggs was spotted with a copy.
The Coal Porters were described by one USA bluegrass festival attendee back in 2004 as “a cross between the Clash and Bill Monroe”. The band loved that description as it encapsulated how dedicated they were to updating tradition and how dedicated they are to playing from the heart. Currently performing with Herd, Griffin, new recruit (and banjo virtuoso) Dick Smith, Paul Sandy on doghouse base and either Miss Hana Loftus or Miss Gemma White on fiddle the Coal Porters are here to stay and coming your way!

www.sidgriffin.com

The Coal Porters - Mr. Guthrie

Meet The Coal Porters

The Coal Porters - Silver Raven

The Coal Porters - Final Wild Son

The Coal Porters - New Cut Road