Everything you need to know about the current plans and plots of Old School Freight Train—where they’re performing, what sounds to expect from Six Years, the band’s latest album, to be released during a pair of gigs at Gravity Lounge—you can gather from frontman Jesse Harper’s newest toy: a vintage Fender Telecaster, not too different from the model played by blur-fingered guitarist Bill Frisell, a hero of Harper’s.
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Train on the run: Frontman Jesse Harper and Old School Freight Train release Six Years on March 21 at Gravity Lounge. |
“I’ve played acoustic guitar pretty much exclusively,” said Harper during an interview. “The problem is, in larger clubs, you miss the nuance of acoustic guitars.”
Don’t take this comment as simple shop talk, folks: Old School Freight Train has long been the woodshop of some of the area’s most gifted virtuosos, including in-demand violinist Ann Marie Calhoun. The band’s more recent lineup—fiddler Nate Leath, drummer Nick Falk, bassist Darrell Muller and mandolin catalyst Pete Frostic—found a group identity that seemed stable amidst genres and solos that were swapped like gossip.
Six Years changes just about everything—Harper’s axe, the band’s goals and gameplan, and even the lineup. Both Harper and the band’s manager, Artist Farm founder Michael Allenby, mention that the group is geared towards playing rock clubs rather than performing arts centers that cater to seasonal subscribers. Six Years also represents Freight Train’s first stab at group songwriting.
“There’s this sense of ‘We all write everything together,’” says Harper. “If I come up with an idea, I’ll bring it up, but everyone contributes to it, so the album doesn’t sound like a bunch of different bands.”
Some might argue that the charm of the band’s 2005 album, Run, stemmed from that very dynamic—a record that juxtaposed banjo-led jazz and salsa with Celtic raves with some of the more subtly polished folk-rock gems I’ve heard. But having a stable identity for a few years leads to new kinds of stability, and —save the loss of Frostic, a recent father who won’t join the band on the road—Harper seems to suggest that Freight Train is cranking along with a whole new engine.
“There’s basically a four-piece going on the road,” said Harper. “We’ve been practicing more than we ever have. I’ve always wanted the experience of practicing all the time.” Once spread across the country, the band members now live in Charlottesville full-time.
And Harper is staying true to his drive: Around the time that Freight Train’s latest surfaced (last fall, sold at gigs but recently committed to a distribution deal through Sony’s Red imprint), Harper also started selling a solo record.
“I still have it; I sell it at shows,” said Harper. “I’m trying to decide whether to release it myself.”
“Old School Freight Train has a certain following we’ve built up. It’s not enormous, but we know we’re going to sell a certain amount. For me, personally, I have a smaller share of that same thing. And I don’t know how it’s going to go.”
If you’re curious about the same, catch Old School Freight Train’s back-to-back CD release gigs for Six Years at Gravity Lounge on Saturday, March 21. Frostic joins the band for a 7pm set, and Harper plugs in his Telecaster for a 10pm gig with the band’s new touring incarnation. The ticket price, $12-15, also nabs you a copy of the album.
For breaking news and regular updates about local music and arts, read Brendan Fitzgerald’s blog, Feedback.
