The Tarbox Ramblers feel most at home in the territory critic Greil Marcus call "the old weird America" circa the 1920's and 30's when all manner of oddball roots music was recorded. The Ramblers make little distinction as they romp through blues, hillbilly, and gospel with equal abandon, resurrecting strange and wonderful songs like "Stewball" and "The Cuckoo." The Ramblers don't play it straight, instead they amp up these songs with a good dose of electricity and occasional distortion as if they recorded these in Sun studios in the 50's. The band has revamped it's lineup since they debuted in 1994 but the lead guitarist/singer Michael Tarbox remains front and center.

 The group played primarily in their Boston hometown until they released their acclaimed 2000 self titled debut. "A Fix Back East" followed in 2004 which if anything was darker then their debut as well as featuring several Michael Tarbox originals. The band has since left Rounder and has just cut a batch of new material down in Memphis and are on the lookout for a new label. Even without a record deal and some lineup changes the band continues to tour and always delivers a devastating live show. Luckily Rochester has become a frequent stop for the band in large part to local record store owner/promoter Tom Kohn who runs the Bop Shop. In the past the band has performed at Milestones, a great music room that has recently changed hands so the Rambler's set up right outside the Bop Shop, basically a mall atrium, and once again delivered a blistering show.

 The Ramblers are a power three piece fronted by Michael Tarbox's gritty vocals and and bold slide guitar, stand up bassist Scott McEwen, who also plays percussion, and a fine drummer I unfortunately didn't get the name of. The Ramblers created a powerful, loud drone yet still remain faithful to those great dusty old songs, delivering livley versions of "Jack of Diamonds," "The Cuckoo," and "Stewball," "St. James Infirmary" and Dock Boggs' "Country Blues." Michael Tarbox has a clear affinity for old time gospel and ripped into gospel numbers like "Last Month of the Year", "Honey in the Rock" with plenty of fervor, bringing too mind those great guitar evangelists like Blind Willie Johnson and Rev. Edward Clayborn who stood on the street corners preaching the gospel and wielding a guitar. The band also broke out a few recently recorded numbers that sounded very promising even if Michael Tarbox couldn't remember the lyrics to one of them - hey we'll cut him some slack, they are new after all.

  A quick talk with Michael Tarbox will reveal someone who's deeply passionate about the old time roots music, a passion that's been on display in spades all three times I've witnessed the Tarbox Ramblers perform. In the wake of the Ramblers' success has come a slew of like minded bands such as North Mississippi Allstars, Black Keys and the White Stripes. The Ramblers more than hold their own with any of the bands and if they drop by your town don't hesitate to check them out - you won't be disappointed.

Essential Listening

Trabox Ramblers (Rounder): The band's great 2000 debut featuring great renditions of traditional tunes like "Jack of Diamonds", "Honey in the Rock", "Stewball", Jug Band Music" and others.

A Fix Back East (Rounder): Darker, and wilder, The Ramblers' second record finds them dredging more great gems like Dock Boggs' "Country Blues", traditional gospel like "Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord?)", "Last Month of the Year" as well as first rate originals like "Already gone" and "Ashes to Ashes.