Pete Krebs & Danny Barnes – Duet For Clarinet And Goat
An intriguing match of outsider traditionalists, Duet For Clarinet And Goat pairs Golden Delicious/Hazel main man Pete Krebs with Danny Barnes, whose punk/grass/roots excursions with the Bad Livers truly pushed the envelope as to what could conceivably come under the trad umbrella.
A relaxed, minimalist affair featuring Barnes and Krebs trading songs, Duet is permeated by a late-night campfire glow, as muted country blues, oddball remakes, and traditional pieces weave in and out of consciousness. The whole thing comes on like a dream. “Softly And Tenderly”, a gorgeous organ-led hymn at the heart of the album, sums up the spiritual underpinnings, while Krebs’ Appalachian mountain-man vocal on the old Livers fave “Shot At A Bird, Hit Me A Stump” simultaneously underscores the occasional absurdity in the duo’s music and recalls the musical ancestry of this kind of rough-hewn, roots-driven approach (Koerner, Ray & Glover; the Dillards; Kweskin Jug Band; etc.).
Though the duo throws a few curves in the form of the occasional drum machine and treated vocals (not to mention a weird, distorted take on the old Hazel 45 “Jilted”), it’s Barnes’ gurgling banjo, a less-is-more sense of musical rediscovery, and suitably reverent, heartfelt vocals by both principals that make Duet For Clarinet And Goat an understated gem.