THE GREENCARDS. From the first notes struck together in 2003 through tours with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson and up to and beyond their fourth studio album in 2009, The Greencards have won steadily escalating acclaim for their multi-dimensional Americana vision.Each step they've taken has widened their appeal. Their releases have topped the Billboard Bluegrass charts. Two singles have garnered Grammy nominations. They've earned ovations from "newgrass" music devotees at MerleFest and rock loyalists at Lollapalooza.
But this four piece band, spearheaded by Australians Carol Young and Kym Warner, is interested less in past accomplishments than in looking ahead for new goals to achieve. That's why their latest release is also in many ways their most significant and impressive to date.
That immediacy was heightened by the addition of two new members of the group. Tyler Andal, a young fiddle whiz from Tennessee, reinforces both The Greencards' grounding in roots music and eagerness to let in the fresh air of newgrass, rock, folk elements, Latin America and much more. "He thinks outside the box," Warner explains. "We’ve always had a strong rhythmic aspect to our music, and Tyler definitely brings that."
With The Brick Album, though, the world becomes more than ever their stage. Their sound defies category, balancing taste and technique, engaging lyrics and melodies and wildly creative arrangements. There may be a wall on its cover, but the future suggested on these tracks knows no barrier.