17. The Benders
“Can’t Wait To See You Again”
from “Mountain Radio”
Bow Thayer–banjo, vocals • Jabe Beyer–guitar, vocals • Nolan McKelvey–bass, vocals • Sean Staples–mandolin • Tim Kelly–dobro
www.bendersband.com

The Benders date their formation as a band to a Vermont party back in 1999, when three of the members (Jabe Beyer on guitar, Nolan McKelvey on bass, and Bow Thayer on banjo) got together for a casual jam session. Musical chemistry was evident, and the trio soon morphed into a quintet. With the addition of Sean Staples on mandolin and Tim Kelley on dobro, the Benders have released three CDs on Pig Pile Records, their most recent being “Mountain Radio” (since that CD’s release in 2003, bassist McKelvey has left the band, replaced by Jay Aucella). Currently the band members are distributed around New England, from Boston up to Stowe, Vt., while remaining loosely centered around the Somerville/Cambridge, Mass., roots music scene.

The instrumental lineup reads like a standard bluegrass band, and song topics that include heartbreak, murder and strong drink tilt impressions in that direction. But their rock background is also a major influence on their sound and approach, yielding a mix of the rootsy, intimate qualities of an acoustic string band and the raucous rumble of punk/rock. Add some tasty harmonies and lyrics you’d want to go back and listen to more than once, and it’s clear why this band originally conceived as a side project has developed a life of its own.

The repertoire also steers away from bluegrass standards, drawing on the talents of three songwriters (Thayer, Beyer and McKelvey). Instrumentally, the dominant sounds are the dobro and the mandolin. Both Kelly and Staples are strong, inventive players, and the picking is folded into the arrangements in a way that’s more akin to rock or alt-country than to the standard bluegrass round of solos.

“Can’t Wait to See You Again” is a catchy, dobro-driven song that also boasts the aforementioned good harmonies. The Benders sound like they would be a hell of a good night out at a joint like the Stone Church. In fact, in some ways they tap into the ’70s hippie-grass vibe, but without the hippies—not that there’s anything wrong with that….