Daggomit! by Max Wareham – It’s N0. 1 in My Book!

Daggomit! - Max Wareham

Daggomit! by Max Wareham – Daggomit, It’s Great Bluegrass!

The other day, I visited the FAI Folk DJ Chart in search of some new folk music. As I scrolled down the chart, I saw several interesting albums. However, it was the number 50 album — Daggomit! — that really caught my attention. With a title like that and its cartoonish cover, I thought: this is an album I will undoubtedly like. I need to check it out!

Boy, am I glad I did. So daggomit, let’s find out about the album and its creator, Max Wareham!

DAGGOMIT — Who Is Max Wareham?

Max Wareham is a banjo player, songwriter, and author who hails from Boston, MA. He’s also a member of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and was featured on the Grammy-nominated album “Calling You From My Mountain.”

After two years of touring nationally with Peter Rowan, Max recorded and released his own album, Daggomit!, in February 2025.

In addition to Max’s fine banjo playing, the album features an impressive roster of bandmates:

  • Chris Eldridge and David Grier – guitars
  • Laura Orshaw – fiddle
  • Chris Henry – mandolin
  • Mike Bub – bass
  • Larry Atamanuik – snare drum
  • Guest vocals – Peter Rowan

Sounds like a winning lineup to me! Even the production is top-shelf: Peter Rowan served as producer, and the recording engineer was multi-Grammy winner Sean Sullivan.

Max is clearly passionate about the banjo and committed to honoring the instrument’s early innovators — he’s even written a book about one of them! His dedication shines through every note on Daggomit! — a collection of soulful original songs brought to life by the hard-driving chemistry of Nashville’s top bluegrass players.

One More Thing About Max…

I admire and envy anyone who excels at more than one thing — and Max is one of those people! According to his website:

In addition to his work as a banjo player, he has studied jazz guitar performance at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC, written songs for and co-produced the album Cousin Moon, played bass with psych-pop outfit Sun Parade, and produced and recorded songs under the alias ‘Sir Orfeo.’”

Thoughts About Daggomit!

Daggomit! packs 13 terrific bluegrass tracks into 43 minutes. Max’s banjo is front and center on most of the tunes — some are all-instrumental (always my favorites!), and others feature strong vocals, including two with Peter Rowan.

Each track gives Max and his bandmates a chance to shine. Bluegrass, after all, is a lot like jazz — everyone takes a turn in the spotlight!

All I can say is, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Daggomit! climb higher up the charts. Or maybe it already has, and I missed it — boo hiss on me!

Either way, you should check it out. And as for me? I need to circle back and dive deeper into that Peter Rowan Band album: “Calling You From My Mountain.”

Links for Further Exploration of Max Wareham’s Music

Here’s Max with “Hard Times are hard to Find”! Enjoy!

Jeremy Garrett – River Wild Returns Me to Bluegrass!

River Wild - Jeremy Garrett

So I started this post Sunday, when I was on ADHD overload, watching the Phillies game, listening to Savoy Brown’s Raw Sienna and writing this post??Earlier in the afternoon, I was listening to River Wild by Jeremy Garrett, while watching the game. Jeremy Garrett is one of those Americana musicians I have been listening to over the last several weeks. He is also the subject of this post.

About Jeremy Garrett

Even though I haven’t, over the last several years,  listened to the amount of Americana music that I have previous listened to, there are certain bands whose albums I usually check out The Infamous Stringdusters are one of those bands. However, I unlike my younger days, I’ve never taken time to learn all the band members. If I had I would have known Jeremy Garrett is the band’s fiddle player, along with being an expressive singer and songwriter!

And what a career the infamous Stringdusters have had since they burst on the seen in 2007. That year they won 3 IBMA awards including Album and Song of the Year. Since then, the group has become an international ambassador for progressive bluegrass. Their album count stands at around 16!

About River Wild

River Wild is comprised of twelve bluegrass tracks: four  instrumentals (I love them all!) and eight tracks with vocals. Of the vocal tracks seven were written or co-written by Jeremy. On the other is a classic Bill Monroe song that Jeremy gives a new spin.

The musicians Jeremy assembled for the album include:  Seth Taylor (guitar), Alan Bibey (mandolin), Ryan Cavanaugh (banjo), Gena Britt (banjo), Russ Carson (banjo), Travis Book (bass), Barry Bales (bass), Andy Hall (dobro), Lou Reid (tenor vocals), and Josh Shilling (harmony vocals). All the musicians are great my favorite of the bunch though is the mandolin picker Alan Bibey!

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is River Wild is a terrific album with stellar songs and picking! Like I said I love the instrumentals. However, I do find myself saying “I AM the River Wild” throughout the day! So Check it out! As for me I have a lot more Americana music to check out so stay tuned!

Links for Further Exploration of the Music of Jeremy Garrett

Artist’s Website
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Here’s “ I Am the River Wild”

The Dead South Revives a Love of Bluegrass and Hopefully Blogging!!

tHYE dEAD sOUTH - sUGAR & jOY

So it’s been a long time since I spent an afternoon on the hunt for new music. Maybe even longer since I searched the Roots Music Bluegrass chart, but I did just that yesterday. I discovered several bands that I hadn’t heard of previously. I will try to write about several of these bands later in the week, but The Dead South is an initial favorite,

The Dead South is a Canadian folk-bluegrass band hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The band formed in 2012. However, the band’s fortunes took off when a 2014 video garnered over a million views on YouTube! Since then they have built an international following through a hefty touring schedule.

I listened to their  most recent release Sugar & Joy. Sugar & Joy is currently No. 36 on the Roots Music Bluegrass chart.

About The Dead South

The Dead South has a great uptempo energetic sound and are often jokingly referred to as Mumford and Sons Evil Twins.

The band is composed of Nate Hilts (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Scott Pringle (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Danny Kenyon (cello, vocals) and Colton Crawford (banjo).

Through the years the band’s membership has been tweaked. In 2015  Crawford left the band. He was replaced by studio musician Eliza Mary Doyle for several years. He  re-joined the band starting with the Voices In Your Head tour in mid-2018. On occasion cellist Danny Kenyon is unable to tour. If that happens Erik “Del Suelo” Mehlsen replaces him on cello and vocals.

The bottomline is that for me Sugar & Joy is a great album and should be in my music rotation for a long time so check the  out!  As for me I’m going to be checking out Illusion & Doubt the band’s 2016 Juno award-winning album.

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of The Dead South

Band’s Website
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YouTube
Amazon

Here’s “In Hell I’ll Be in Good Company” from The Dead South

Trout Steak Revival -Spirit to the Sea – A Great Toe-Tapping Album

Trout Steak Revival – Spirit to the Sea

Yesterday I posted that two albums have stood out in my music rotation over the last few weeks. The first one was Hard Times the latest release from jazz saxophonist Vincent Herring. The second one is Spirit to the Sea from the Colorado Indie-Americana string band Trout Steak Revival.

I first encountered the music of Trout Steak Revival back in 2012 , when I listened to their album Flight. After listening to that album I knew that this was a band that was going places. And they did!

About Trout Steak Revival

In 2014 they won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition. They also won an Emmy Award for a soundtrack they contributed to a Rocky Mountain PBS web documentary. they have also collaborated with school children in mentoring programs in Denver and Steamboat Springs. Their music is featured on Bank of Colorado’s radio and

Trout Steak Revival’s music blends the sounds  of folk, indie, bluegrass, and roots into their own style of Americana. The band members include: Casey Houlihan – Bass, Steve Foltz – Mandolin/Guitar, Will Koster – Dobro/Guitar, Bevin Foley- Fiddle and Travis McNamara – Banjo.

I love a band where the members are all masters of their respective instruments. That is certainly the case with the members of Trout Steak Revival! And while each picker is great there are two that make this album special for me and they are: Will Koster whose dobro sounds great throughout the album, and Bevin Foley’s fiddle which really makes some of the tracks soar!

Now many times when I listen to bluegrass albums I kinds cringe when I hear the vocals. There are some voices out there that are just too twangy for me. That is NOT the case with Trout Steak Revival, I love the vocals on Spirit to the Sea. On Spirit to the Sea, like their previous releases all five band members contribute unique lyrics, lead vocals and harmonies. And to my ears they all sound fantastic.

Bottom Line:

Spirit to the Sea is a 4.25 star out of 5 album for me. Five stars for the picking, four stars for the lyrics and four stars for the vocals and four stars for the overall upbeat feel of the album. Average them together and you get 4.25 stars. Ok so every time I start to pick out tracks that I like on an album, I usually find myself saying I like this one and this one and pretty soon it’s the whole album. So I ‘ll just say check it out!

Final Thoughts

I started this two-part post by writing about my eclectic taste in music. I said that I didn’t think there were many folks out there who like both bluegrass and jazz. So what connects the two genres of music for me. It’s like I wrote earlier listening to musicians who are masters of their respective instruments. In the case of Vincent Herring’s Hard Times it’s listening to the musical artistry of Vincent Herring, Cyrus Chestnut and Russell Malone. Masters of the saxophone, piano and guitar respectively.

On Spirit to the Sea it’s listening to great mandolin and guitar from Steve Foltz , dobro from Will Koster, Bevin Foley’s fiddle and Travis McNamara’s banjo.

The big difference between the two genres for me is when I listen to them. I mainly listen to jazz while I’m reading and bluegrass when I’m in the car or when I’m up moving around and doing something.  How is it with you???

 

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The Video

So how about we close out this post with “Feeling So Good” the closing track on Spirit to the Sea.The Video

Ray Cardwell – Tennessee Moon, A Steller Anchor for a Good Run

This post was originally posted in 2017 and has been updated in Nov 2025 with new stuff added!

The Run – 3.25 Mile Creek Loop

Today’s run was my fifth run in the month of February. That’s a good start on the year and on a pace to run on more days than a typical February. The soundtrack for the run was Tennessee Moon from Ray Cardwell.

I ran the same course today that I have run for the last  two runs. It is a 3.25 mile loop that is mainly flat with a couple of small increases in elevation. Initially, I thought about running 4 miles today, but after running the first mile in the fastest time this year, I decided to shorten it to 3.25 miles. I shorten the run  for two reasons. The first reason was so I wouldn’t be tired for the rest of the day! And the second because  I needed to leave time to shower and eat lunch between the end of the run and babysitting granddaughter Zoe!

The run was my best runs of the year. My time was a little more than a minute faster than my time last week over the same course. I maintained a pace averaging a little under 11 minutes per mile over the first 2 plus miles. Overall, my pace for the entire run was 11:05 min/mile. The splits were 10:49 (1) 10:59 (2) 11:25 (3) and 11:17 (.25). I really slowed down over the third mile. One reason was  to see if I could lower my heartbeat a little. The other was because I was going up one of those little rises in elevation! Overall it was a good run and left me feeling like I wanted to go out and do it again tomorrow! Ah, but my knees know better!

The Soundtrack – Tennessee Moon – Ray Cardwell

The soundtrack for the run was Tennessee Moon the 2017 release from singer, songwriter and bassist Ray Cardwell. When I first listened to this album the other night, I thought that it had a John Cowan, New Grass Revival vibe to it.

When I went to read about the album I discovered two reasons. The first was that New Grass Revival alum Pat Flynn produced the album and John Cowan provided tenor and harmony vocals on the album!  Here’s a little about Ray from the Pinecastle Records website:

Ray honed his musical chops playing in The Cardwell family bluegrass band in the late 1970’s. In the ‘80s he spent time playing rock and reggae before moving to Nashville in the ‘90s to be a member of the bluegrass band, the New Tradition.

He returned to his home state of Missouri a few years later to raise a family while teaching vocal and instrumental ensembles. Along the way he has had experience with an eclectic mix of musical genres from bluegrass and Americana to musical theater and Motown. Now living in Nashville, TN Cardwell has returned to his musical roots while blending in his varied influences to create a style all his own.

Ray Cardwell wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve tracks on the album. Ray says this about his music….

“I feel my music is based upon the traditional style of bluegrass and old timey music my parents raised me on, and the collection of musical experiences I’ve had in my journey through life. My songwriting is a direct reflection of new ideas balanced with the traditions of the past.

My Thoughts….

Favorite tracks include the title track “Tennessee Moon”, the opening track “His Will”,  “Stop, Look and Listen” and “Sailin’ for Glory”.  I must not have been struggling too badly throughout the run because I remember hearing most of the songs!

Now for me maybe the most important part of any bluegrass album is the picking and there are some good pickers on Tennessee Moon. First and foremost there;s my favorite dobro player Rob Ickes. Others include Andy Leftwich on fiddle and mandolin, Jesse McReynolds on mandolin and Scott Vestall on banjo. The producer Pat Flynn also provided some fine guitar and harmony vocals. Here’s the complete line-up…..

The Pickers and Singers

Ray Cardwell – bass, lead and harmony vocals
Pat Flynn – guitar, harmony vocals
Danny Roberts – mandolin
Jesse McReynolds – mandolin (“Tennessee Moon”)
Scott Vestal – banjo
Rob Ickes – resonator guitar
Andy Leftwich – fiddle, mandolin
Vocals: John Cowan, Claire Lynch, Ronnie Bowman, Scott Russell, Eric Morris, Brad Reside

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The Tennessee Moon Playlist

Here is a short playlist of favorite songs from Tennessee Moon.I  will admit that I don’t usually like gospel but the two gospel tracks here work for me! I

Post Update

Over the last four to five years, I’ve written fewer posts than I would’ve liked — a trend I’m working to reverse! I’m also checking in on the artists and bands to see what they’ve been up to since I first wrote about them.

Since I wrote this post back in 2017, Ray Cardwell has continued to release strong, soulful bluegrass albums. His music has blended the traditional tones of the genre with a warm, rootsy vocal spirit that still carries that touch of gospel he’s always had.

Albums Since 2017:

YearAlbum
2019Stand On My Own
2020Just a Little Rain
2025Singing Tree

I was listening to Singing Tree tonight while editing this post — and it reminded me why Ray Cardwell stood out to me the first time I heard him. The songwriting is strong, the arrangements are warm and lively, and that soul-through-bluegrass voice remains the anchor.

This one may work its way into a Tangy Tuesday post… stay tuned.

Mandolin Picker Jethro Burns born March 10, 1920!

 Jethro Burns of Homer & Jethro one helluva good mandolin picker!!

 

On this day in March 10th in 1920 “Jethro”Burns was born in north Georgia. When he was young his family moved to,Tennessee

 Since Jethro passed away in 1989, many of you young whippersnappers may not know of him, but Jethro was a fantastic mandolin player and one-half of the country musical comedy team of Homer & Jethro. Homer’s real name was Henry D Haynes and they started performing together in 1936!

Jethro Burns Musical Legacy

From Wikipedia:

Burns was a highly-influential mandolin stylist, preferring clean single-note jazzy melodies and sophisticated chords over the dominant bluegrass stylings of Bill Monroe, and since he performed mostly in a country music setting, introduced many country mandolinists to sophisticated jazz harmonies and improvisational techniques, as well as standards from the songbooks of Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt and Cole Porter. Read More

In his later years he taught a master’s class in mandolin jazz.

Jethro Burns & Steve Goodman Musical Magic

While I saw Jethro in the 60s an 70s on shows like the Johnny Cash Show an Hee Haw, I am most familiar with his mandolin playing from the years he spent with playing and touring with Steve Goodman. Both Jethro’s sense of humor and great mandolin picking blended perfectly with Steve and his music!

Steve once said this about Jethro:

“I never heard him play or say anything that wasn’t the very thing that everyone else in the room wished they had played or said.” How did he do it? His special skill was to mix equal parts mischief and genius. (While keeping his tongue firmly in cheek at all times!). A large part of his appeal can be summed up in his philosophy of “No matter where you go, there you are!”

Here’s a very good profile of Jethro from Dawgnet.com You can also check out some of their new music while you’re there! Dawgnet.com

So let’s start our week with a great song from Homer & Jethro. And say Happy Birthday to Jethro Burns and hope that he and Homer are making somebody laugh somewhere today!!

Trout Steak Revival – Flight

Trout Steak Revival – Flight

So if you’re like me and sometimes you need some good old-time mountain music, check out Trout Steak Revival! Their latest album Flight, is now number 15 on the Folk DJ Charts and it’s a good one!

The band calls Denver Colorado home and members hail mostly from Colorado and the mid-west. The band formed in 2009 after extensive close friend jam sessions during backpacking trips and backyard parties.

 

Band members include: Steve Foltz (Mandolin, Guitar), Will Koster (Dobro, Guitar), Casey Houlihan (Upright Bass), Travis McNamara (Banjo), Bevin Foley (Fiddle) follow in the bluegrass tradition, with each member of the band composing original tunes and adding harmonies and each one does a fine job! The band was among the Finalists at 2012 Rockygrass Band Competition and finished a respectable 3rd!

About Flight

Flight, released in October of 2012,  is  the band’s second studio album. The album is composed of six original songs that showcase the quintet’s songwriting competence, visiting themes of love, loss, settling into a new home, and other meditations. Other tracks include nice version of Swedish singer-songwriter “The Tallest Man on Earth” (aka Kristian Matsson) song “Where Do My Bluebird Fly”, two traditional songs; “Greasy Coat” and “Darling Corey” both reworked nicely by the band!. Harry Tuft of Denver’s Folklore Society remarked:

“I’m reminded of early Grateful Dead, with a smattering of Old Crow Medicine Show thrown in. The selections range from bluegrass, to a sort of jug band swing, to some more sensitive songs – a nice variety. Look for a fine future from the young group.”

Artist’s Website
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The Video

Here’s Trout Steak Revival performing “Greasy Coat” From Flight.

 

Tiger Maple String Band – Coming Home

Origanally posted Dec 2012 updated and revised 2026

So last night I was checking out the Roots Music Report for some new music, and there at No 45 sat a band named Tiger Maple String Band. Their name looked interesting. I usually like bands with String Band in their name because that evokes in me thought of old timey music and that’s what I heard when I gave their recent release Coming Home a listen.

I recognized a couple of old Appalachian standards mixed in with some great instrumentals. I love those instrumentals
Here’s what they say about their music – from their website:!

The band draws its inspiration from a variety of different musical directions. The main source of inspiration is old time Appalachian tunes. Fiddle tunes, mountain ballads, murder ballads, coal mining songs and beautiful originals make up a set that leaves a lasting impression on their audience and folks walk away with big smiles and a good feeling of friendship and love.

Tiger Maple String Band

Who are The Tiger Maple String Band

The band hails from Edinboro in northwest Pennsylvania and features Lori Burke on vocals and guitar, Justine and Alison Parker on Fiddle, Barry Smith on Banjo, and Fred Parker on Guitar and vocals.

The album is full of great vocals and pickin’, so check it out!

Links and Listens

Here’s some lunch time music from the band “Coming Home” the title track of their album!

Frank Solivan Rescues a So-So Twang Tuesday



So some days everything I listen to is enjoyable and well other days it’s just so-so! Guess which one today was! Well not the former – yes it’s Twangy Tuesday and I went looking for some new twang mostly on the bluegrass side.

The Box Cars – The Box Cars Kicked Off the Day

I started by listening to an album that I was really looking forward to hearing The Boxcars self-titled release. I was looking forward to it because two of my favorites are in the band Adam Steffey and Rob Stewart both two of the best pickers around.

Steffey won two IBMA awards in 2010 one for mandolin player of the year and the second an Instrumental Performance Award. But after two listens to the first part of the album I just can’t warm up to it – now I’m not writing it off yet – it may be on a different day or on a more thorough listen, I’ll really like it! Let’s hope!.

Next Came Tennessee Mafia Jug Band – Barnyard Frolic

After The Boxcars I listened to a few tracks from the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band and their 2008 release Barnyard Frolic again while it was good the album just didn’t grab me – like I said maybe it was just the day.

Then Frank Solivan

After lunch and reading a comment on my Favorite Bluegrass Bands of 2010 post at No Depression that I should check out Frank Solivan and Dirty kitchen I went to Rhapsody and the album was not there but Frank’s 2006 release Selfish Tears was, so I gave it a listen – hum some good picking and singing. This one did catch my attention so I kept it in the back of my mind.

Next Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers’and Ned Crisp and Bottomline

After dinner I checked out a couple of albums from the bluegrass charts at the Roots Music Report Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers’ Rambler’s Call and Ned Crisp and Bottomline’s Taking the Back Roads Home both good traditional bluegrass albums but again they didn’t quite fit my mood tonight!

Finally Brandon Jenkins’ album Brothers of the Dirt.

Later I checked out Brandon Jenkins’ album Brothers of the Dirt. This album is more like what I am looking for the first track “Blood for Oil” was good and then I kinda lost interest! So far all of the albums were pretty good and all deserve another listen on another night!

A Night Ending Return to Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen

So at the end of the night I listened to Frank Solivan again and that one does have some really good tracks on it and will definitely get another listen. Oh no I remember the closing track “Scorchin’ the Gravy”. Now that was what I was looking for!!

So let’s listen tomorrow and maybe I’ll find Frank Solivan and Dirty kitchen which is probably pretty damn good!

2026 Update: After first discovering Frank Solivan’s solo album Selfish Tears in this 2011 post, I eventually explored more of his music. I did find Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen;s self-titled debut album. It WAS terrific and I became a fan!

Check out my full Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen artist page for later albums, band info, and playlists.

Update No 2 : The reason that Brandon Jenkins album didn’t feel right was that he is not a bluegrass musician. He was a according to wikipedia part of the Red Dirt music genre.

The Playlist

Here’s a Baker’s Dozen Playlist with songs from the albums I listened to that day – they all sound pretty good t me!

y’s Missing You”!

Weekend Retreat – Tim O’Brien – The Hackensaw Boys

Tim O'Brien - Rock in My Shoe

So this weekend I went back in time to revisit some of the earlier work of Tim O’Brien. O’Brien recently received a nomination by International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) as Male Vocalist of the Year for his latest album Chicken and Egg. Unfortunately he did not win the award. The winner was Russell Moore of IIrd Tyme Out.

Anyway the album that I listened to this weekend was Tim’s 1995 album Rock in My Shoe. The album was produced by Jerry Douglas. I listened to the first several tracks so that I could hear my favorite track on the album “One Girl Cried”. A great track about what music is all about, making music that moves someone. Here’s the great chorus:

And one girl cried to a melody that turned around her soul
One girl cried amazed at how the lyric took it’s toll
There beside a little table she thought she was safe alone
But the music hit it’s mark when one girl cried

Tim O'brien and Hot Rise So Long of a Journey

Revisiting Hot Rize – So Long of a Journey

After Rock in My Shoe I listened to was Hot Rize. Tim co-founded Hot Rize in 1978 with guitarist Charles Sawtelle, bassist Nick Forster, and banjo player Peter Wernick.

I listened to a live album that was originally recorded in 1996 and released in 2002, So Long of a Journey . There’s a lot of great picking on this album from a great group of musicians, obviously including the multi-instrumentalist O’Brien!

Hot Rize also started touring again in 2002 with Bryan Sutton taking the place of Charles Sawtelle. Charles unfortunately passed away in 1999 at the age of 52 from complications related to a bone marrow transplant in his fight against leukemia.

Anyway if you’ve never heard Tim OBrien’s music there’s about 16 solo albums that you can check out along with a bunch of Hot Rize albums! Oh, and if you only listen to one song listen to “One Girl Cried”

Next Revisit the Hackensaw Boys and Look Out

The second band that listened to this weekend was one that doesn’t come up much on the iPod so their music gets a little lost. The Hackensaw Boys I listened to their 2007 album Look Out

At first, The Hackensaw Boy’s CD Look Out sounds like standard issue bluegrass but it doesn’t take long to realize that these guys aren’t pining for the good ol’ days of yesteryear, but are instead diving head-first into the hear and now and crowd-surfing into the future. – Taprootradio.com

These guys play it fast and furious and good and I don’t know why I don’t listen to them more!! You check check out some of their music

Tim O’ Brien

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and the Hackensaw Boys!