Nefesh Mountain – Beacons
Nefesh Mountain is a New York-based band consisting of Eric Lindberg (vocals and banjo) and Doni Zasloff (vocals), along with band members Ben Plotnick (fiddle), Bobby Hawk (fiddle), Thomas Cassell (mandolin), Danny Fox (piano, organ, Wurlitzer), Erik Alvar (bass), Andrew Ryan (bass), and David Berger (drums and percussion). Their music blends bluegrass, country, and jazz. On January 31, they are releasing a new double album, Beacons. The first album features eight Americana songs performed by the band, while the second album includes ten bluegrass songs with contributions from well-known musicians such as Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Sam Bush (mandolin), Rob McCoury (banjo), Cody Kilby (guitar), and Mark Schatz (bass).
It addresses social and personal issues, including sobriety in the track “Another Way” and the call for peace in “Better Angels,” inspired by the war in Gaza and current political turmoil. One of the tracks on the Americana album, “Mother,” discusses motherhood from Zasloff’s perspective.
I love the first track on the Americana album, “Race to Run.” The opening lines, “I fell out of bed and hit the ground running late again. Another good day just slipped away and gone around the bend,” set the tone by reminding us to slow down and make time for ourselves.
“Man of Manzanita” was written by Lindberg in honor of one of his heroes, the late great bluegrass picker, Tony Rice. The lyrics allude to some of Rice’s better know songs like “Under the Shenandoah Sky, I’ve kept your shadow next to mine on the path,” after Rice’s song “Shenandoah,” and of course, Rice also released the renowned album Manzanita.
Eric and Doni wrote all but three of the songs. There is a great bluegrass cover of Eric Clapton and Bobby Whitlock’s “Keep On Growing” as well as a cover of Rodney Crowell’s “Song for the Life.” The Americana album also includes “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning,” a traditional blues gospel song first recorded in 1928 by Blind Willie Johnson. There are two bluegrass instrumentals written by the couple, the banjo heavy and traditional bluegrass sounding “The Overgrown Reel,” a song you would hear at a good old-fashioned barn dance and the more modern, Billy Strings style bluegrass song, “No Farm, No Howl.”
Each track tells a story, even the instrumentals. If you enjoy bluegrass, country, or blues, you’ll find something to appreciate. I loved every song and am excited to see this band on tour.
The entire album was self-produced and primarily recorded in Nashville, TN.
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Nefesh Mountain “The Narrow Bridge”
Find more details here on their website: https://www.nefeshmountain.com