“Haunting Appalachian Folk”
“Honey Sweet Harmonies”
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Our first album, Harvester, is available now! BUY IT HERE
REVIEW BY BLUEGRASS TODAY – Read Full article here
We first discovered Geraldine, a contemporary old time/bluegrass string band from Maryland, late in 2019 following the release of their debut album, Harvester. The record highlights the distinctive appeal that has made them a popular live act in the Ellicott City and Baltimore region, partly coming from them featuring a flatfoot dancer on stage whose footwork is amplified to provide percussion at their shows.
REVIEW BY AMERICANA UK – Read Full article here
“Recorded live over two days in August of 2019, ‘Harvester’, incorporates the same freewheeling organic process that informs their live performances, that often finds the band switching instruments throughout shows, at times even during songs. With no drummer, percussionist Haversat keeps time with a washboard kit and a dance board coated with cornmeal. “We wanted to make an album with elements of old-time source recordings, country standards, and bluegrass classics that inspire us,” explains primary songwriter Bolten. Their songs evoke images of the emotional turmoil of the working man. Like Uncle Tupelo they connect and relate to the simple struggle within all of us. But whereas Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy growled about bleak Midwestern landscapes, with Geraldine there is a positive turn in the lyrics that are tinged with a hopeful, optimistic outlook even as they tackle tough topics.”
REVIEW BY GEOFFREY HIMES (Paste, Nashville Scene, American Songwriter Magazine, Washington Post)
“Bolten leads Geraldine, a string band based in Ellicott City. Though the instrumentation (acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, dance board and washboard) suggests a bluegrass band, Bolten’s songwriting leans more toward the storytelling Americana of the Band (he has a song named after “Miss Moses” from “The Weight” and references “Whispering Pines” on the song “Appalachian Highway”)”
“The quintet’s debut album, “Harvester,” is a terrific conjuring up of an American history that lingers on into the present—an achievement due not only to the lyrics but also to a music that echoes the past. The songs evoke the landscape of the American South—from the coal-mining mountains to the faltering farms and then zooms in on characters facing the latest crisis. You can hear the full band play these songs around the region, but only at the Roots Café will you get to hear Bolten play those songs in stripped-down arrangements and talk about them.” – Geoffrey Himes