Lackawanna Rail lives up to it's moto of Poetry in Loco-Motion! The songs have lyrics that pull at your heart, bring back memories, and make you smile. The music has a 60's-70's influence that feels so comfortable, and the performance pulls it all together for a wonderful musical experience.
Notice: The vocals on this CD have NOT been digitally enhanced so they don't have to lipsync at their concerts and TV appearances!
Poetry in Loco-Motion
Lackawanna Rail blends the excitement and energy of Bluegrass with the power and passion of Rock and Roll. Michael Meade, Ed Dubell, and Karen Dubell have a special presence, on stage and on your radio. They make you smile, and sometimes, even cry. But however you react to their fanciful arrangement of songs, you will enjoy yourself!
"Life is just a big adventure," says songwriter Michael Meade. "Some of it is painful. Other bits are really quite nice. But whether it is good or bad, it's still a part of life. Everybody's life, not just mine. So when I write about my life, other people can relate to it in some way, because we are all on the same adventure. We react to things differently, but we are still doing the same things. We all get broken hearts when love doesn't work out. We all cry when we lose a loved one. We all smile when we have a memory. I just open up my heart in my songs and everyone else feels the songs in their own way."
The three performers have been working together since about 1993. They played traditional bluegrass tunes and found that they could work well together. "Mike wasn't very good," jokes Ed. "In fact, he's still not, but he's a nice guy and I don't want to hurt his feelings."
"The guys call me the Music Director," says Karen. "They tell me that it's my job to listen to everything that we play and tell them when they are wrong or make a mistake. It's a perfect job for a woman!"
"But," she adds with a twinkle in her eye. "I let them get away with a lot. They do a lot more wrong than I tell them about. I don't want to crush their egos too bad!"
Karen also plays Bass Guitar and provides the band with a solid steady tone that holds the entire sound together. Mike considers himself to be the foundation man. He writes the songs and provides rhythm guitar and drums. He also does the lead singing for all the original tunes, and shares the singing with Ed on the cover songs. But when Ed starts to add his part is when everything starts to come alive. He plays the mandolin and lead guitar, and is responsible for all the fancy bits to the songs.
But Lackawanna Rail is not about any of the individual members. It's about what happens when they put their talents and personalities together, and what comes out. They work together to create a sound that is all their own. The band has a synergy that comes from working and playing together for so many years. They not only work together as a band, but they are good friends. They are comfortable together.
You can catch the 1960’s – 1970’s influence in their music. You can hear the influence of their years of being the backup band for Mr. 50’s and the Yakety Yaks (Yup, they were the Yakety Yaks!). But mostly what you hear is energy and heart.
