Is there such a thing as a parking lot banjo picker who doesn’t drop Alan Munde’s name before the jam session ends?  Probably not, and rightly so, since Munde’s been carving out his own unique peaks in the banjo and bluegrass landscape for decades. Now, he’s carved another one, his latest CD, Made to Last by  Alan Munde Gazette on Munde’s Child Records.
The Gazette…is a top notch group of singers, songwriters and musicians from the Southwest…They’ve put together 12 tracks of enjoyable music on Made to Last, including the title cut, written by bass player Bill Honker. It’s a song about a mining town that’s long past its heyday but not past the indelible marks that mining has left on the community.  Honker also wrote another gem for the CD, “Above the Waterline,” which was inspired by the time he spent in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Guitarist Elliott Rogers wrote four of the CD’s tunes, including the outstanding “Haul Away,” a ballad done here as a simple duo with Rogers and mandolinist Steve Smith. It’s a sweet-sounding melody with some very outstanding vocal work.
Smith brings a unique, bluesy type of vocal style to the Gazette, and he uses it to full advantage on the traditional “John Hardy,” which commonly is played as an instrumental but gets a great vocal going-over here in this rendition.
And, of course, there are instrumentals on this CD. After all, this is Alan Munde we’re talking about here. He throws a couple of originals in — “Traditional Family Breakdown” and “The Run of ‘89.” And, Munde and the Gazette pay homage to Bill Monroe with a fine version of “Brown County Breakdown.” On the latter, fiddler Nate Lee shines with a twin-fiddle break. While it’s probably safe to say without offending anyone that the Gazette generally includes graying veterans of the business, Lee is the young buck in the pack at barely two decades old.
Munde, indeed, has been around bluegrass for a couple of generations. And, he’s still pulling off some great, left-of-center (left of Scruggs?) banjo antics. With his Gazette, he’s found a great group of allies to carry on. Just like the new CD, it sounds like they’re made to last.
For the complete review, see http://www.bluegrassjournal.com/2009/03/09/alan-munde-gazette-is-mutli-talented-bunch/
 
 
 

"This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time."

Kyle Cantrell
Sirius XM Radio
Program Director
Bluegrass Junction & The Roadhouse

"Many thanks for sending us a copy of your sterling new effort, Made to Last, which I think is one of the strongest albums the Gazette has ever made. That's saying a lot, considering the band's long and distinguished history. The songs are powerful, creatively arranged and passionately sung. And, of course, there's plenty of mouth-wateringly fine banjo pickin'. I especially enjoyed "Little Teardrops" (maybe my favorite), "Wave Goodbye," "Haul Away" (what a cool arrangement!--Fairport Convention comes to South Plains), "What's So Good About Goodbye," the original instrumentals and the fine title track."

Dave Higgs
Nashville Public Radio
Bluegrass Breakdown

We are pleased to announce the addition of 2 new members to the Gazette: Steve Smith and Nate Lee have joined Alan Munde, Phill Elliott, and Bill Honker in the band. Yes, we´re now a 5-piece band, and no longer an all-Texas band, as Steve lives in Las Cruces, NM Steve Smith needs no introduction to many bluegrass fans. He is widely known as a musician, composer, performer, and teacher. From his work with Cloud Valley and the Nothin´ Doin´ band to his stage and session work with many top bluegrass and acoustic music performers (Robin and Linda Williams, Jim Hurst and Missy Raines, Stephen Bennett, Bill Evans, Charlie Provenza, Nosostros, Eliza Gilkyson, Anna Egge, Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, Tony Trischka, Eddie and Martha Adcock, the list goes on…), Steve has performed professionally for over 25 years and has toured in 47 states, 8 European countries, Cuba, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Steve will continue to lead his old-time, retro-bluegrass, modern acoustic band Steve Smith and Hard Road and will also brings his many talents as mandolinist, singer, and composer to the Gazette. Nineteen-year-old Nate Lee brings a youthful energy to the "old souls" of the band. Like Steve, Nate was born in Virginia, but moved to Texas when he was four years old. Growing up in a musical family in Ovilla, Texas (Nate´s father is banjo maker Chuck Lee), Nate started playing fiddle at the age of ten. He took lessons from Valerie O´Brien and gained valuable experience in Texas Old-Time Contest fiddling. Nate is currently a student at South Plains College, in Levelland, Texas, where Alan teaches. He cites his influences as Terry Morris, Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, Sam Bush, Byron Berline, and Casey Driessen. Nate plays fiddle and sings harmony vocals with the Gazette. The new group made its stage debut at Camp Bluegrass last month, and we´re well underway with a new CD.

Congrats to AMG bass player Bill Honker for another songwriting award. Bill's song "Above the Waterline", which he wrote about Hurricane Katrina floodwaters in Louisiana, won first place in the Americana/Folk/Bluegrass category of the Dallas Songwriters Association 2006 Song Contest. Bill's songs "Home Again" (which is on the current AMG CD) and "This Old Town is a Mining Town" (which the band is considering for inclusion on the upcoming CD) received the same honor in 1999 and 2004, respectively.

As you can see, the website has been totally revamped. Thanks to Tamalita and Enchanted Graphics for the great work!