Lonesome River Band leans into electric twang on their latest single, “Blues,” released via Mountain Home Music Company. The track combines traditional bluegrass instrumentation with the sharp, percussive tone of a Telecaster guitar, a hallmark of chicken pickin’ long embraced by bandleader and banjoist Sammy Shelor.
Since the early 1990s, Shelor has occasionally swapped his banjo for a red Telecaster during live performances of the group’s staple “Hobo Blues.” That electric flavor now returns more prominently in “Blues,” featuring guitarist Rod Riley and serving as a preview of the group’s forthcoming Telegrass project.
Written by Adam Wright, the song uses lighthearted wit to flip the typical breakup narrative. Mandolinist Adam Miller delivers a dry, understated lead vocal, capturing the ironic humor in lines like:
I’ve had the blues since you said goodbye
I’ve been watching these big blue waves rollin’ in under a big blue sky
With a girl in a chair with the prettiest pair of baby blue eyes…
Musically, “Blues” builds around a fiddle-led intro, layers in the Telecaster beneath each verse, and crescendos with a round-robin breakdown where electric guitar, fiddle, and banjo trade licks. The track closes with an extended outro, reinforcing its playful spirit and genre-blending intent.
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