Track Listing

1. Late Last Night
2. True Historia
3. Aragon Mill
4. Economical Talk
5. John Henry
6. Pitiful Thing
7. Cowboy Song
8. Housework Is My Life
9. Red Rocking Chair
10. Cultural Exchange
11. Someone Play Dixie for Me
12. Hambone/Balo's Song
13. Testosterone Poisoning
14. Midnight on the Stormy Deep
15. Banjo Jokes/Decorator Blocks
16. Bluegrass Breakdown
17. Band Introductions
18. World's Greatest Folk Singer
19. Hard Times (Come Again No More)
20. Goin' up on the Mountain
21. Walk the Streets of Glory

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139279 in Music
• Released on: 1996-10-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
This 1995 recording captures the Squad's mixture of hillbilly humor (allegedly the basis for much of Jeff Foxworthy's work) and their formidable folk and bluegrass. Lead jokester Ron Thomason handles the comedy with an exaggerated drawl and a somewhat trite hillbillies-are-dumb theme. When it comes to actual music, however, the Squad can truly light it up. Thomason's mandolin and Bill Evans' banjo impressively race through standards including "John Henry," "Late Last Night," and "Blue Grass Breakdown." Gentle ballads such as "Aragon Mill" and the lovely "Hard Times" are handled with sensitivity while "Red Rocking Chair" showcases Suzanne Thomas' clawhammer banjo. While the comedy may become stale (especially after repeated listenings), it's nothing the CD program function can't handle. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

If You Can Only Buy One, This is it!
I own every single CD and most of the preceeding albums that this band has produced. I play them all, but Live! At Last is my favorite, as it is the only one that captures a hint of their live performances. (Although after awhile, you skip the stories--you can only hear them so many times...) When Ron Thomason sings Aragon Mills, he is, without a doubt, an out-of-work mill worker. The song breaks my heart. If you have to make a choice, make this your first DBFS CD. There's not a loser in the bunch, though. And I have to agree with the other reviewers; Dry Branch Fire Squad MUST be seen live to be fully appreciated.

Captivating music, humor, and style!
To see this group in person is a wonderfully memorable experience. To have them on a live album is a gift. Their talent is exceptional. Their humor, spotlighted in leader Ron Thomasson - who also plays a mean mandolin, keeps one laughing inside long after the show. Ron comes across as the personification of an Appalachian hillbilly, but his intelligence cannot be hidden as the funny stories teach unforgettable lessons about life and our country's history. And yet, with all of the laughs there is a deep haunting reality to the music. This is bluegrass at its best: pickin', singin', story tellin'... nonstop talent from a class group of "hillbillys".

Live Bluegrass!
Dry Branch Fire Squad offers a range of bluegrass & gospel music in this live CD, plus several tracks of the comic interludes common to their performances. Seeing them in concert is an unforgettable experience, but owning this CD is the next best thing to seeing them live. Dry Branch plays everything from the old-timey traditional bluegrass (try the song sample above for "Little Red Rocking Chair") to fast-paced banjo (check out "Bluegrass Breakdown") to variations on folk ("Aragon Mill") & gospel ("Goin' Up on the Mountain"). I've seen Dry Branch in concert for over 10 years now & this CD is the one I listen to when I'm waiting for them to come back to town. My all-time favorite songs on the album are "Hard Times" and "Walk the Streets of Glory." Whether you're new to bluegrass or a longtime fan, you'll enjoy Dry Branch Fire Squad's CD "Live! At Last". I started out listening to this as a tape, but after 5 non-stop years of play, I finally managed to break it, so now it's on my short list of favorite CD's. Try it out!.