The Carolina Chocolate Drops begin a months-long spring and summer North American tour this weekend with a free shows in New York City as part of Carnegie Hall's Neighborhood Concert Series. The Knoxville News Sentinel says "the trio reclaims string band music with a sense of passion and fun that is infectious ... The members trade banjos, fiddles, guitars, other instruments and vocal duties with ease."
The Carolina Chocolate Drops begin a months-long spring and summer North American tour this weekend with two special, free shows in New York City. First up is a Friday afternoon event exclusively for residents of a Bronx family shelter, through Carnegie Hall's Musical Connections program. On Saturday afternoon, at 2 PM, the Chocolate Drops will give a free concert at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center in Harlem, as part of the Neighborhood Concert Series from The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. The latter event is open to the public, but RSVP is required, at 212-491-2040.
From New York, the trio heads north for two shows in Ontario, before returning to the States for concerts across the country through mid-July, when it's off to Europe. For complete tour information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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Previewing the coming shows in Ontario, the Globe and Mail recently named the track "Cornbread and Butterbeans," off the band's Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, an "essential track," calling it "a jaunty jug-band ode to the simpler things in life."
Knoxville News Sentinel writer Wayne Bledsoe calls the song "joyous and lovable," in a piece that examines the rich but often forgotten African-American roots of country music the Carolina Chocolate Drops bring to the fore. "It might be enough that the group act as much-needed historians and revivalists," he suggests, "but the trio reclaims string band music with a sense of passion and fun that is infectious."
Bledsoe goes on to credit the producer of Genuine Negro Jig, Joe Henry with being "smart enough to step back and let the trio do their stuff. The members trade banjos, fiddles, guitars, other instruments and vocal duties with ease."
Read the complete article at knoxville.com.
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In fact, there hasn't been much time since the Chocolate Drops were last on the road. Creative Loafing was at the trio's concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this month. Reviewer Jeff Hahne "was immediately drawn in by the band’s energy and talent. Each band member has an expansive wealth of talent on a variety of instruments." There are plenty of great photos from the show at creativeloafing.com.
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To pick up a copy of the Genuine Negro Jig CD with an instant download of the complete album MP3s plus seven exclusive live bonus tracks, head to the Nonesuch Store.
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