Bluegrass used to be about the past, but Big Richard is playing for the world we actually live in right now. Their new album ‘Pet’ arrives February 5th via Signature Sounds and it completely ignores the digital polish that kills so much modern music. This Colorado quartet decided to record the whole thing live to tape in single shot performances because they understand that mistakes make you human. Cello player Joy Adams and mandolinist Bonnie Sims wanted to capture the raw energy of their stage show and the result is a record that breathes with a kind of intensity you rarely hear anymore.
The album starts with a medley of “It’s Gonna Fall” and “Old Daingerfield” that confronts environmental collapse without blinking an eye. They follow up heavy themes with instrumentals like “Circus Jerk” where everyone gets space to rip and show off their deep musical pedigree. These women have the degrees and the touring history to back up the bravado, but they aren’t interested in just being technical. They are interested in the collective anger and the eventual catharsis that comes from playing songs like the anti-capitalist anthem “Millionaire” or the vehement “Red Fox Run.”
You see a lot of macho posturing in this genre, but the name Big Richard is a direct reclamation of that old school attitude. The title track “Pet” sounds like a slightly unhinged circus soundtrack while exploring childhood trauma and the feeling of being stuck in the turning world. Even with all the fury, they still find room for the yearning sweetness of “Alaska” and a hushed cover of “Make the World Go Away” to close the set. This is music that unsettles and comforts at the same time because it was made by people who are actually willing to let their creative juices flow.