(Columbus, NC) - Greg Cahill and Special Consensus release Signs on March 24th. Band members include Greg Cahill on banjo, Justin Carbone on guitar and vocals, Ashby Frank on mandolin and vocals, and David Thomas on bass and vocals.
Through the band's 34-year existence, 14 albums, and 38 band alum, Cahill has been able to maintain the same high standard of music through each incarnation.
Cahill explains "I'm not a lead singer, so I can either try to mold them, which doesn't necessarily accentuate their strengths, or I can look at change as a positive thing. And if I do that, one of the things that keeps me going is the freshness - we always try to keep doing some of the old songs, but people are excited because they're going to be putting something in themselves, too."
Signs features twelve songs, half of which are written or co-written by band members Frank, Carbone, and Cahill. "Everyone brings in songs they think might suit the style."It's a real team effort - everybody is pulling for the other guy as much as for himself," says Cahill. Guests include Randy Kohrs on dobro, Tim Crouch on fiddle, and Sonya Issacs contributing vocals on the gospel song, "Footprints" by Ronnie Bowman.
Cahill has been fostering talented musicians the whole while and continually gives back to the bluegrass community. He conducts workshops at festivals, teaches at various music camps and the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, in addition to releasing four instructional videos. He has recently been thrust into the limelight of the bluegrass community as the President and Chairman of the Board for the International Bluegrass Music Association.
To listen to tracks from the record and to view Special Consensus' online press kit: Special Consensus.
"Every incarnation of the band has had its own sound. This one - combines the momentum of the best bluegrass bands with a melodic and lyrical bent." - Vintage Guitar
"More than 30 years into the history of the Special C, (Cahill) knows the sweet spot where tradition and innovation are balanced in a satisfying equilibrium, and where individual strength and team effort are so well blended that it's hard to see where one leaves off and the other begins...Signs is one aptly titled album that ought to make the world sit up and take notice. - Jon Weisberger
"Every incarnation of the band has had its own sound. This one - combines the momentum of the best bluegrass bands with a melodic and lyrical bent." - Vintage Guitar
"More than 30 years into the history of the Special C, (Cahill) knows the sweet spot where tradition and innovation are balanced in a satisfying equilibrium, and where individual strength and team effort are so well blended that it's hard to see where one leaves off and the other begins...Signs is one aptly titled album that ought to make the world sit up and take notice. - Jon Weisberger
"Special Consensus has a remarkable record of being able to survive adversity and improve their overall sound each time they change members. Greg Cahill is a master at finding great songs, great musicians and vocalists." - Hank Janney, WGTY
FYI: SPECIAL CONSENSUS WILL BE PART OF THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS LUEGRASS FESTIVAL, JUNE 19 - 20. Click here for festival details.
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