The High Ground Drifters recording "Blue Train" down at Never Records in the Warehouse district, October 17th, 2012. Thanks to Ted Reiderer for inviting us. We had a great time, and Ted hand-pressed us an excellent vinyl record to boot!
The High Ground Drifters on the Old Time Country and Bluegrass show at WWOZ studios, September 30, 2012. Many thanks to Hazel The Delta Rambler for having us on again! Playing her show is always a pleasure.
High Ground Drifters at Jazzfest 2012!
Mark the date, 4/28/2012! First Saturday of Jazzfest on the Lagniappe. The earth gonna rumble, the stage gonna shake from the Bluegrass mayhem we're about to make. We hope to see the lot of y'all on 4/28. It's gonna be a foot stompin', mind blowin' time. We are so pleased to be back in that number at Jazzfest 2012! Thanks to all who made this happen. Be prepared for further explorations of what music can be brought into the bluegrass firmament. 'Cuz that's what we do!
Make your plans and circle your cubes.
Oh, and let us know if you need a bluegrass band for local gigs (obligatory bidnezz reference there).
Thanks.
--The Drifters
The High Ground
Drifters The High
Ground Drifters
Independent
By Alex Rawls, Fall 2009
A bluegrass band in New
Orleans has to be lonely. There’s a community of
pickers, but the dearth of country and bluegrass
bands and clubs suggests that it’s a small one.
If the High Ground Drifters’ self-titled debut
album is representative of the level of talent,
we should be paying more attention. They rarely
hit that fleet, exhilarating rush of notes that
can make bluegrass viscerally exiting, but they
cater to their strengths instead. They play
clean, emphasize the textural interplay in the
instruments, and pay attention to the song,
whether it’s a standard or their own solid
compositions. The “OZ Breakdown” would be a
shameless plea for airplay if the instrumental
weren’t so well executed, and the Drifters’
harmonies are refreshingly accurate. The most
likeable thing about the High Ground Drifters,
though, is that they seem happy to be a
bluegrass band. They don’t punk it up, and
they’re not in it for the wardrobe. The album
suggests that they actually enjoy picking, and
the pleasure is contagious.
Excerpt from David Fricke "Fricke's Picks"
Rolling Stone Magazine, May 2009
Crescent City Grass
Bluegrass bands are as rare in New Orleans as
high ground, so the Jazz Fest debut of the High
Ground Drifters was an opening day surprise. The
quintet come from the town's Mid-City
neighborhood but shuffled covers (Bill Monroe,
Django Reinhardt) and originals ("Hellbender"
"Jack 'n the Bull") with plenty of Kentucky in
the bravado and no slack. Get more of these good
times on The High Ground Drifters, the group's
self-released first album.
The High Ground Drifters are an all star assemblage of bluegrass pickers and singers that joined together post Katrina. They combine traditional and contemporary bluegrass in a tightly interplayed style that emphasizes harmony singing and energetic tempos. Whether it is Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, or Del Mccoury and Ricky Skaggs or their originals featured on their debut record, The High Ground Drifters (Lonesome Cul De Sac Records), the influences are plain to see and encourage the band to put their own mark on the songs.
Festivals around the area have featured the High Ground Drifters and their acoustic bluegrass style as a nice departure for audiences in a jazz oriented town. This Mid City based band includes Grant Ligon on Guitar, Paul Williams on Mandolin, John Noble on Banjo, Jeff Bagwell on Fiddle, and Glenn Grass on Bass. Their fast paced sets often include reworkings of songs by Fats Domino, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and Yes, among others. Gather around the stage as they gather around a single microphone and bring bluegrass to you with New Orleans musicality.
Our band members include: Paul 'Willie' Williams - Mandolin, Vocals John Noble - Banjo, Vocals Jeff Bagwell - Fiddle Grant Ligon - Guitar, Vocals Glenn Grass - Bass, Vocals
Drifter Fellow Travellers include:
Greg Nichols - Bass, Vocals
Sam Price - Upright Bass, Vocals
Tom Maron - Fiddle, Harmonica, Vocals (including his
singing dog "Pickle")
Leo the Cat - nuff said!
The High Ground
Drifters CD is here and available for purchase...click the "Buy
Now" button to purchase.
Friday - 12 April 2013
Join The High Ground Drifters Bluegrass Band for
a night of pickin' at the
