Cranford Hollow Grows Up
Written by Barry Kaufman | Photos supplied
For those of us who were there when Cranford Hollow (then Cranford & Sons) hit the island, we can recall how John Cranford, Eric Reid, Phil Sirmans and Randy Rockalotta hit the stage like a sonic boom of chaotic Southern rock. Make no mistake, these four can still melt plenty of faces, but there’s far more to the sound these days.
“There’s a noticeable change as we get older. It’s not as rowdy,” said Cranford. “I don’t want to say subdued, but it’s definitely more relaxed.”
When he speaks of the early days of the band, he talks about the “thrash and bash” sound that dominated their early albums like their self-titled album’s “Je Suis En Refugee” and pretty much everything off their later-retitled debut “Crescent Beach Sessions.”
While later albums saw the band venture into a more country-inspired sound before getting downright experimental with “Color/Sound/Renew/Revive,” he still yearns for the purity of those early songs, calling it “Three chords and the truth.”
“By the fifth record we were trying out complex arrangements and different devices to get from A to B,” he said. “Now I think we’ve reverted to the simplicity of that early songwriting but with much better musicianship. It’s still banjo, fiddle, guitar and fast drums. It’s not as aggressive.”
Fans will be able to find out for themselves when the band drops “Songs from Big Thunder,” their first album not only after COVID forced a long sabbatical for the band, but since the intervening years saw the members acquire the trappings of maturity, like wives and mortgages.
“This is going to be the first record in a long time that is a good representation of us and where we are in our lives,” he said. “It’s this transitional phase between young rock and rollers and this ‘sore knees, gray hair’ era that’s reflected in the songs.”
Like earlier albums, which saw the band entering a hermitage in Colorado and St. Augustine to escape the island’s myriad distractions, “Sounds from Big Thunder” was recorded far from home, in a North Carolina mountain lodge. The seclusion of the lodge gave the band a chance to focus on their music, figuring out what a Cranford Hollow album sounds like now that the one-time Jameson-swilling party animals have become — dare we say it —respectable citizens.
“A lot of old guys go on golf retreats or fishing trips. We’re probably going to be doing this once a year forever,” laughed Cranford.
“Sounds from Big Thunder” was still nearing its release date as we went to press, and a Kickstarter was close to launch to help fans get early access. Visit cranfordhollowmusic.com for updates.
