Magic Tuber Stringband are an acoustic duo from Durham in North Carolina, Courtney Werner and Evan Morgan, heard here on Tarantism (FEEDING TUBE RECORDS FTR647). From what we understand, they live the “rural life” to the hilt in their mountainside retreat and their very pastoral folky music reflects this lifestyle choice, heavily influenced by traditional American folk forms. Very good combinations of spirited fiddling (violin or cello) on top of guitar or banjo picking.
The tunes on Tarantism may have an underlying “subtext” about the ravages of the pandemic contrasting with the abundant life forms from nature’s bounty, hence the rather double-edged sword imagery of the black plants growing from the ground on the cover, their very blackness indicating imminent decay. The acoustic vibe is a breath of fresh air, the music is all well-crafted and sincere, but I also feel theses players stay too long in one place with their shruti box drones or very simplistic chord changes; I’m looking for a little more tension in the music, or, failing that, something that truly sparks with joy. Many of my favourite Old Timey and blues singers from the 1920s won their spurs by playing dance music at inhospitable venues for hard-to-please audiences; maybe the Tubers could benefit from this kind of apprenticeship, except where would they go to do that in 2024? Their music somewhere has a deficiency of the necessary spring and snap essential for the dance. (21/01/2023)