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The Western Box Turtles
"Western Box Turtles draw from the music’s deeper-than-Nashville roots…" Western Swing is fiddle music with a big-band beat. Bob Wills rose to prominence in the 1930s and ’40s by combining Texas fiddle styles with blues, jazz, and traditional songs, all driven by a popular dance beat. The result is an improvisational style that has withstood the test of time and provided a platform for such modern performers as Asleep at the Wheel, Commander Cody, the Hot Club of Cowtown, and countless others. The Western Box Turtles add jump (and jive), hard-driving rockabilly, archival country, and many other sounds to produce dance music that is unique.
"…twentysomething neo-swingers and folks old enough to be their grandparents turn out to hear the band." The resurgence of big-band swing was a pleasant surprise to the Western Box Turtles. Bassist Mark Hembree recalls, "We were drawing these big crowds and wondering why. People had to tell us there was a fad going on! It works for us because we would be playing this music anyway." "Not just a bunch of goons in big hats, no not at all…" Neither Stetsons nor hay bales are found onstage with the Western Box Turtles. Most apparent is spontaneity and excitement, tempered by top-notch musicianship based on decades of professional experience. "You guys look like you’re having fun" is a frequent audience comment, and it’s true — the band studiously avoids being studious, preferring to swing rather than play it safe. It’s a high-wire act performed without a net! "The Western Box Turtles showed… that old Western Swing done right is ageless." The Western Box Turtles self-titled first album, released in March 1999, received excellent reviews and sold out of its first pressing in less than a year — not bad for a live, unedited recording! The band recently recorded a new album to be released in spring 2000. meet The Western Box Turtles Based in Milwaukee, the band was formed in 1995 as a one-time venture to play a show at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. The band name was chosen at the same time, minutes before the first show. Fiddler and lead vocalist Danny Smith, charter member and front man of the band, is a former pro musician who spent much of the ’70s touring with a country rock band, The Miller Brothers, before settling in Milwaukee. His Texas fiddling and vocal versatility are mainstays of the band’s eclectic style. Joining the band a year later was guitarist Steve Hajduch, a familiar figure in Milwaukee acoustic music. Playing a 1937 Gibson electric in the complex rhythmic style of Eldon Shamblin, Bob Wills’ longtime accompanist, Hajduch adroitly keeps the Turtles from flying apart. Drummer Andy Pagel’s arrival was a turning point in the Western Box Turtles, which had not previously included percussion. In the early ’80s Pagel was part of the New York rockabilly scene which took in the Stray Cats (featuring Brian Setzer), with whom Pagel’s band toured. He also has been the rhythmic drive for Milwaukee bands such as Johnny On Washday. Acoustic bassist Mark Hembree is another ex-pro with extensive experience including a five-year stint with bluegrass legend Bill Monroe as well as recording sessions with several of Nashville’s finest, including Bela Fleck, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis, and many others. On steel guitar, tenor sax, and vocals is Eddie Rivers. Local fans will remember Rivers from groups such as Ida Red and Beverly Jean and the Bluebillies. The steel guitarist of choice for Wisconsin recording sessions, Rivers has declined offers from national acts such as Asleep at the Wheel and Wayne Hancock, who heard him play and offered him a job on the spot. STREAMLINE Not that the first album wasn’t fun — but there are good reasons why the cover photo was a vintage photo of a train wreck. The new album, Streamline, with a cover photo of the Burlington Route’s famous Denver Zephyr, is everything the first album wasn’t. This time the band took advantage of "modern" techniques (such as studio playback and overdubs) to record a "real" album. The title and cover photo reflect the contrast between this and the first album. The band is more than ably assisted by pianist Dean Crocker and trombonist John Simons. It’s the Bob Wills way to swing — throw it all in there and let it RIDE! Tried and Qualified This is on the level — members of the Western Box Turtles have performed, recorded, toured with or opened for:
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