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Original Harmony Creek Dipper Link:

The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers

Mark Olson & The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers
My Own Jo Ellen

2000, HighTone


A desert record. Now you may wonder, what the heck is a desert record? Well, the answer is that you will have to listen to Mark Olson & The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers latest offering to find out. Former Jayhawk Mark Olson, one of the main figures of the whole Americana thing moved away from the big city for good to Joshua Tree, California. He bought a shack, turned it into a studio and waited for inspiration. He didn’t have to wait very long. The album is a tribute to his grandmother, who was the catalyst for Olson’s departure for the country. Olson collaborates with his wife, Victoria Williams and his long-time friend Mike Russell on this project. Special guests include guitar whiz Greg Leisz and Don Heffington on drums.

The vocals are often shared by Olson and Williams. The two of them create a unique sound. Beautiful is definitely the wrong word to describe their voices, yet they are full of character and panache. So don’t expect any crystal clear singing or soaring harmonies, but be prepared for weird vocals from the heart. If Harry Smith went to the desert with his recording equipment looking for the folk music of today, he would be thrilled to find someone like Olson. Country, rock and folk are the main pillars of the slow paced music. Listening to the sound, you can feel the heat of the desert rising up, you can feel the dry air. Such music can only come from a vast place where the sun seems to shine endlessly. Olson tells personal stories and tries to look at life through them. Especially touching is the title song about Olson’s grandmother, who regretted all her life that she didn’t buy property in Mendocino when she could have afforded it—one of the reasons why Olson bought his little shack.

It's rough on the surface, but it is an important piece of music, a part of the new American folklore.—Michael Gasser



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