Bring together a banjo, mandolin, drums, guitar and some viola and violin and you’ve got the Clumsy Lovers, an independent band from Canada. The band began in 1995 when Andrea Lewis (the violinist and viola player) left her basement, where she taught violin to 40 kids, to join bass player and “band leader” Chris Jonat.
Soon after Trevor Rogers, a vocalist, guitar player and harmonica player, joined in. While the three of them stayed on, other members kept coming in and out, not willing to make the commitment to a full-time gig.
“We knew for it to go further, we had to really hit the road, not just the weekend warrior stuff we’d been doing. But that was hard because we didn’t know if we could make it work financially,” Lewis recalled on the band’s website www.clumsylovers.com.
After having played in small towns around Canada, by urging from one of the band members, they started playing cities in northern Seattle. Due to the positive audience reaction, they began to add more northern Pacific shows to their roster. With only three members in the group, they searched for a new sound to add and found Jason Homey, who joined after one run-through of the band’s material. Homey, an accomplished banjo and mandolin player, was introduced to the band’s “mix of bluegrass and Celtic rock.”
“I found it very freeing to play outside of the traditional acoustic, everyone glued to microphones, configuration. And the sheer volume and speed of our music, nevermind the passion of our fans, is energizing,” said Homey, regarding his joining the band, on the band’s website.
After over 300 shows in the continental United States, in addition to some shows in Canada, drummer Gord Roberts joined the band this past summer. “It happened quite by chance. I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time,” says Roberts.
Their sixth album, After the Flood, is a triumphant collection of songs. The Clumsy Lovers can finally use a full band arrangement and a producer, John Webster, whose credits include Aerosmith and Cher. With its upbeat songs and fast pace, the album displays the livelier side of bluegrass. The banjo is a strong feature within each of their songs, sending the guitar into the background.
Their songs have a strong harmony between the violin and the banjo, which makes the songs seem almost symphonic as a result of the violin’s sweet melody. But the banjo brings the band’s melody and beat together. What’s interesting is how the beat and the singing are combined, making the band resemble a country version of the Barenaked Ladies.
In songs such as “Spare in the Trunk,” the band harmonizes together well, singing, “I know that you think that I think that you know / My love’s like spare in a trunk.” While the band writes the songs collectively, they have no profound meaning and are more for the fun and flow of the beat than the lyrics themselves.
The band’s lyrical content inspires you to ask questions. In one song, “Amen,” they tell the story of a farmer: “I’ve lived on this farm 30 years and a day / Some folks call me Junior but I don’t like it that way.” In other songs such as “Waterbound,” they merely show their skills as a string band, which is more monotonous than impressive.
Homey’s banjo playing is impressive, resembling the sound of a guitar, but with a little something extra. However, it is definitely a bluegrass group and for bluegrass fans. For those who have no real taste for such bands, the Clumsy Lovers may not be for you.
Grade: B/C
