Reviews

Bold Life Magazine, January 30, 2009

http://www.boldlife.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A8958

CD Reviews: Joltwagon Whyanosis
BY BRENT FLEURY
Admittedly, I’m one who tends to easily be swept into a river of nostalgia by a song. How pleased I was, then, when the first track on Whyanosis, Joltwagon’s sophomore album, dumped me into a veritable ocean of odd and wonderful memories from my early adulthood. There’s something amazing about getting tripped up into a state of wistfulness by a song that you’ve never heard before, and at least for me, this album is full of them. One criterion I’ve always used to determine whether something is “good art” or not (be it a song, film, book, poem or painting) is if it makes me feel something. The specific emotion is immaterial; rather the strength of the feeling is what is crucial. Whyanosis stirred up a strange mixture in me, as I recognized homage to so many of my favorites. An exceptional effort by this band, each track is miles apart from the one before it, but the album still holds together as a singular work. With shockingly transient musical jabs of Big Brother and the Holding Company, Dick Dale and Bela Fleck, the vocals impressed me more than anything else. Not because they were virtuosic (no offense), but because it should have been impossible to sound simultaneously like Pink Floyd, Foo Fighters, The Grateful Dead, Jane’s Addiction and They Might Be Giants. Somehow, they managed to do it. I’d recommend this one to anybody looking for something comfortable, but laced with surprise.

Honest Tune Magazine
http://www.honesttune.com/content/view/1680/27/
Written by Bill Whiting
04/03/2009

Joltwagon : Whyanosis
Starting fast out of the gate with the breezy instrumental laden, "Why Are You," Joltwagon's glue of rock, bluegrass and blues sticks tight in the brain, and refuses to let go. "Cumberland Daydream" is a fused mix of styles, highlighting the talents of guitarist David Bradshaw and banjo/fiddler Dalton Stansbury. Bassist Greg Sipes and drummer Jamie Hurlston add an anchoring sway to the monster grooves on "Lighter Than Air." "Hummingbird" again pairs Bradshaw and Stansbury with startling results. Produced by Sipes, Whyanosis is full of high quality roots-oriented compositions that aren't afraid to swing mightily. Joltwagon's second foray into the connection of blues and bluegrass is a dizzying marvel that has the flight of a sky-sweeping kite in springtime. Whyanosis is out now on Goldang!

From Rootstime in Belgium, below is an internet translation of the Dutch article (he he)
www.rootstime.be
www.myspace.com/rootstime

The U.S. Asheville, North Carolina reached our latest CD, Whyanosis, the formation Joltwagon. It is the successor of their debut album title free from 2007. The group seeks a nice mix of melodic pop and rocksongs to occasionally to less conventional instruments in this genre is seized as banjo, violin and keyboards. The basis of the songs remains guitar that their typical alt-country music a hint of Wilco or give Crazy Horse. Song Writers of service and David Bradshaw Dalton Stansbury, at least for 10 of the 11 songs on the album. Only the ballad Why I'M Staying, New York was their friend and banjo player Sean Condron gepend. The tracks on this album were as good as live in the studio for them in this way the desired spontaneity needs. Opening Track Why Are You illustrates that immediately Joltwagon path to follow. Easy pop-rocksongs and without too many fringes. The banjo sounds easily get the upper hand in the following song, Lighter Than Air, and also in the instrumental, Cumberland Daydream plays the lead instrument. The style of the various songs is quite varied so the CD a rich mix of numbers consolidate. The wide range of artists who have influenced the band is typical of the sound Joltwagon on Whyanosis consult them. If they fine imported pieces Richard Thompson, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Band and Jayhawks in each of the songs. The Americana sound dominates the entire album and the banjo, the harmonica and the violin of Dalton Stansbury in Hummingbird stress for the sake of this argument. One of the songs is streamlined Shake Yourself Away as a cheerful meezinger be brought. Also, I'll Believe It swings and calls us to spontaneous comparisons with the sound of our own Seatsniffers. Whatever hangs in the listening of this album is the great assists purposes and the pleasure of the group that is clearly audible in each track. A fine image for true lovers of Americana and country sound. (valsam)

WNCW, Laura Blackley, January 2009
Whyanosis, from Asheville-based Joltwagon.... Rooted firmly in rock and roots, yet remaining difficult to categorize, Joltwagon combines earthy gypsy soul with psychedelic sensibilities. "

Maverick Magazine, October 2007
****1/2
Brilliant debut Americana CD mixing pop harmonies with superb playing and song-writing I’ve said it before and given my infamous reputation for repetition, I’ll no doubt say it again, but there is just a huge wealth of unheard talent out there. These groups seem to occupy a limbo space—banjos, pedal steel, mandolin; pointing to excellent country. Fantastic melodies and harmonies; symbolising predominant pop. This grey area has been labelled Americana as a catch-all but it seems to include a huge diversity of artists. New into the field (but judging by the sleeve photos not new to the world) are the superbly named Joltwagon, a four-piece band from Asheville, North Carolina. The group centres on the two main songwriters of David Bradshaw (vocals, guitars, mandolin, lap steel, and pedal steel) and Dalton Stansbury (vocals, banjo, fiddle and synthesizer) with Greg Sipes (bass) and Cory Maples (drums). What can I say? Every song leaps and sparkles, whether driven by Bradshaw’s guitar or the magic dust sprinkled over Stansbury’s banjo. The songwriting credits tend to swap between the two but the standard is so high that you’d be hard to know which was which. Added to this mix is the absolutely fantastic Klemzer Boogie. Starting with a banjo riff, the traditional Klemzer clarinet and trumpet soon join in to make a glorious sound. Country and Yiddish—I just wish I’d thought of it first. There are too many really great songs to start picking ones out although the opener Airshow is a delight as is Powdertown. The standout track is the penultimate Satan’s Den that is an ‘ol timey feel good sing-along which hides a darker side. It includes a marvellous guitar solo and has credits for Dalton Stansbury ‘speaking in tongues’. This is a one of those albums that is surprisingly adventurous but always remains reassuringly familiar. I know it’s an old axe to grind but when I hear music of this quality and find that it can’t get any mainstream country radio airplay then I feel that sometimes the country music establishment needs a radical shake-up. If more people were given the chance to hear this music, more people would love it. KM

Southeast Performer Magazine, August 2007
There are rules that all musicians must live by. The main rules for writing a song are make sure that the hook is catchy, keep the song simple and leave the audience wanting more. But on Joltwagon’s self-titled album, some songs are a little long for a country rock record, with nine out of 14 songs going at five minutes or more, which may be a bit overbearing for some listeners. Now, this doesn’t take anything away from the musicianship between David Bradshaw and gang. But, if they are going to be a country rock jam band, they may want to keep the jamming part to just a live atmosphere because it doesn’t translate as well to disc. Besides that, the CD is solid and the band has the potential to go much further. On “Just Fine” and “Fly So High,” the guys take all of the elements of writing good jam songs and nail it on the head. The instrumentals on “Klezmer Boogie” are especially phenomenal, stock full of trumpets, clarinet and banjo, sounding like something that may have come out of one of Gomez’s lost demo collection. There is also a softer side to the album, shown on “Kim’s Song,” where you can tell the love is heartfelt. Then, there are songs that begin on the soft side but evolve into a progressive jam like “Visitors,” where Bradshaw exclaims that they are “only here for a little while.” Let’s hope that they are here a little longer than that to see where this potential takes them on later efforts. (Goldang Records)
-Kenneth Gambill

Smoky Mountain Navigator
Joltwagon takes great songwriting, quality musicianship, and a deep passion for their art and brings it to life on this wonderful CD. They offer a plethora of sounds that quench the musical pallet in every form, from country/rockabilly to grass roots/americana to an eclectic sound that can only be described as enjoyable. This CD surpasses your expectation with their originality and just ass-kickin good music.

Mountain Xpress, May 16, 2007
Joltwagon just dropped its eponymous debut CD, a whip-smart country-rock collection with enough minor-key excursions and exotic instrumentation (including klezmer clarinet and "speaking in tongues") to foretell a fine future.