This past monday, the Ark stage was brought to life by a new, young chambergrass group called Westbound Situation. The quartet, comprised of Grant Flick on violin, viola, mandolin, and nyckelharpa (ooooh), Matt Davis on banjo, Zach Brown on cello and Jacob Warren on bass, released their first album titled “Pilot.” The eleven track album features ten new compositions and one cover, a jazz big band piece titled “Kogi.”
The band laid down the album for the first half of the show, starting with “Griffin,” one of Grant Flick’s compositions. I found myself grooving with the chops and I still have the opening melody stuck in my head (it also probably does not help that I have not been able to stop listening to this album since Monday). Their tunes were charming but full of layers that combined to create a full sound. There was not too much chatting between numbers, but Zach did elaborate on the story behind “Upstairs Coffee,” a tune inspired by poor insulation, buckets and friendship;)
For the second half, the band played some new tunes they had recently worked up, and Grant brought out the nyckelharpa which he described as, “a viola… only not.” They also invited Kristen Engebretson, singer, to join them for a number on stage. Her voice was sultry and warm and balanced well with the band. After a standing ovation, the group came out for an encore. They chose “Nocturne,” one of the only slower tracks on the album. The contrast from the upbeat tunes beforehand made the concert that much more intimate and was a sweet send off.
Westbound charmed the audience with their natural charisma and stage presence. They are a group that truly enjoys themselves when they play. It was almost like they were in their own musical world, inviting us in for an hour or two to share the experience with them. The crowd, huddled into the middle of the seating area to get the best view of all four musicians, was very involved, cheering at tune changes and impressive improv (which there was a lot of!!!) It truly seemed like they were just friends making music for the fun of it, and as an audience member, I enjoyed watching them interact and perform.
Westbound’s album is released and available for purchase on bandcamp as well as streamable on spotify.
Links are below:
Artist Website:
https://www.westboundsituation.com/
Artist Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0UwUiw5AEUiYcB6ELJR025?si=EkRKfXLXSLaQ_rchWRoMbQ
Purchase Album:
