Hunger Mountain can be found approximately 10 miles east of Great Barrington, Monterey Massachusetts. You’ll find Teddy Weber, the guitarist of the Hunger Mountain Boys, in Club Helsinki’s Victorian-style dining hall.
“Kip (37), who sings, plays guitar, and fiddles in the group] built a timber-frame house on that mountain,” Weber (30), says. Downing, a slim, scruffy 29 year-old, adds.
Country music has not completely disappeared from America’s musical landscape. Or, even worse, it’s been jingoistic hate music. The Hunger Mountain Boys are part of a growing group of American acoustic performers who are more traditional-conscious than the country. They bring American music back to its roots in the 1920s and 1930s.
Weber’s roots are not just musical. Weber moved from New Jersey, to Maine to study forestry. Weber’s impressive performance resume includes stints as a jazz-fusion singer, playing in a Philadelphia bluegrass band Jim & Jennie, and Weber playing classical trumpet. Weber then moved to Colorado for a year. Weber eventually settled in the Berkshires/Hudson Valley area in the autumn 2001.
“It was like I had to meet local musicians when I first arrived in the area. Weber believes he must know the area. He took a look at their posters and went to see a few gigs by The Beartown Mountain Ramblers. These were an early band that featured Beacco, Downing and other members. Weber did not approach them.
Weber recalls that Matt saw an advertisement for a Dobro player who was available to jam/record in a shop and called me. It’s not common for players to be interested in this kind of stuff in the area. We started jamming at Kip’s house, half the Ramblers members, and some local musicians. Kip and I instantly connected. Matt was just about ready to go on the road with Jim & Jennie &The Pinetops, so Kip was eager to get started.
Weber & Beacco worked hard at festival and club circuits, where their vintage suits and microphone-sharing singing style made them stand out. Weber’s steel slide can also be a huge help. Beacco’s razor-sharp mandolin sprints to victory at high-speed barnburners such as “Departure Day,” with his agile fingers lighting the frets with pure white lightning.
The Boys recorded some lightning at Off The Beat-n-Track studios in Sheffield, Massachusetts. The CDs were released by Todd Mack, who also hosts “The Off The Beat-n-TrackRadio show at WKCR”. Both discs have been out-of-print.
Mack says it was an incredible experience to work with The Hunger Mountain Boys. They are a master of songwriting. The split might appear to be half covers. However, the original songs may still be available on the records. You can’t tell the difference if you don’t know the songs. But they don’t sound too old-fashioned. Their music is authentic.
Beacco and Weber joined Weber in 2006 to record “Third (Old Fi Records)” in Beacco’s basement. The group has received the best reception outside of the US.
Beacco recently started preparing for a new lineup change. Beacco isn’t able to tour as frequently as they used to. To fill Beacco’s shoes, the band has drafted Adam Tanner, an ex-crooked Jades mandolinist and fiddler to replace him. This makes The Hunger Mountain Boys an iconic old-time favorite.
Weber and Downing are confident that Beacco will soon return. Weber stated, “But we still hope that Adam and Kip will do some regional shows and record with us.” Weber mentioned that Downing had been on the road with The Blue Ribbon Boys, while Beacco was away. They evolved in parallel to their main band. They offer a wide range of music including blues, swing, novelty-pop, early country, as well as early country.
The popularity of the 2000 film Brother where Art Thou led to a new generation of roots-revisionists. Are the Coen brothers responsible for this wave?
Weber says, “No. Weber says, “No. ”
He said, “Plus…it’s just socialmusic.” “It’s my favorite thing. I have spent some of my most memorable times with the guys in the group. ”
Technology has always brought about an opposing reaction in the past. You can take the example of the Industrial Revolution’s aesthetic Arts and Crafts movement and the subsequent pop-music boom. Ironically, however, the Web’s growth is immeasurably helping to old-time radio. Weber asks, “Can you imagine how simple it would be to promote bands today without the Internet, cell phones, and all the stuff? It makes everything so much easier.
Weber explained how he discovered this music with his friends in pre-MySpace age. Weber also said that they listened to A Prairie Home Companion (NPR) while living at their house as kids. Weber added that it was the Grand Ole Opry. Weber-Beacco’s group won the songwriting contest sponsored by NPR’s “Mountain Stage”. They performed on that show in 2003.
Downing is a carpenter and finds the roots of his passion for acoustic music a little more tangible. Don’t let them do this. This is what I am doing. It’s what the group is doing. ”
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