The Seldom Scene "Scenechronized"

Song by song breakdown, with Dudley Connell

HOMETOWN BLUES: The album kicks off with this hard-swinging composition by Steve Earle, with Dudley Connell sinking his teeth into the bittersweet lyrics. With sparkling instrumental breaks from nearly the whole band, it's the perfect opener, showcasing every weapon in this band's impressive arsenal. "I was working with Hazel Dickens at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco one year,"

says Dudley Connell. "I was standing off to the side of the stage when Steve started playing it, and right away I loved it and knew I wanted to sing it."

He got a board tape from a friend at the festival and figured it out from there, not realizing Earle had released it on his "Train A Comin'" some years back.

"Besides it being just a great song, I like the whole sentiment of the lyrics," says Connell. "I live in Mongomery County [MD] and if I turn my back there's a new office building gone up or another friend who's moved out."

HEART AND SOUL: Tugging at your heartstrings, this song by David Norris is a showcase for the band's typically stunning three-part harmonies. But it's also a chance for Fred Travers to give a lesson in how to sing with emotion but without melodrama.

"David Norris is a neighbor of Fred's out in southern Maryland ,"

explains Connell. "We'd already recorded his song 'Dusty' on the 'Scene it All' record, and this was another one of his we've been kicking around awhile. I sang lead on 'Dusty,' but this tune is really suited to Fred's voice."

THIS MORNING AT NINE: Ben Eldridge kicks this one off with the classic banjo riff, one that echoes his intros on early Scene numbers like "Ride Me Down Easy" and "Pan American." Connell says it's an old favorite of his and Lou Reid's from the repertoire of the Country Gentlemen, the legendary group that featured future Seldom Scene founder John Duffey. "This one suits Lou's voice just right," says Connell. And when Travers kicks in with the high tenor harmony on the chorus you can almost sense Duffey grinning his approval.

A HUNDRED AND TEN IN THE SHADE: In typical Scene fashion, the group goes to a source outside the bluegrass world for this one, a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty. "It's from Fogerty's ' Bue Moon Swamp ' record, and I've always loved that haunted feel it's got to it," says Connell. It's a classic Fogerty snapshot of a workingman, doing backbreaking labor for a boss somewhere outside the frame. Gorgeous back-to-back solos by Eldridge junior and Eldridge senior give this one a soulful depth that few bluegrass bands can touch.

KATIE DEAR: Another tune from the songbook of the Country Gentlemen, this one a heartbreaking traditional ballad, done with gorgeous three-part harmony through the entire song. "We all knew this one from the Gentlemen, and we would pull it out from time to time just for the sheer pleasure of harmonizing together," says Connell. They convey that pleasure most convincingly, especially on the signature Scene ending.

SWEETEST LOVE: "This one's a Stanley Brothers tune from their Columbia Records days," says Connell. "It's one I've carried around with me since the early days of the Johnson Mountain Boys. It's just a perfectly written song that's timeless." Covering a classic of the bluegrass canon, the Scene shows its ability to breathe new life into something a listener might have heard a time or two.

DON'T BOTHER WITH WHITE SATIN: Fred Travers sings this poignant tribute to founding member John Duffey, written by Duffey (with Ann Hill), and first recorded by that great tenor on the Scene's 1973 release,"Act III." "I brought this song up with Duffey right after I joined the group [in 1995]," says Connell. "And he said that whenever he sang it, he only got a smattering of applause, so we never did it with Duffey. But now when we sing it live, it goes over really well.

Fred really nails it. I swear, it's like he's channeling Duffey."

MAMA TRIED: The Scene has frequently looked to the classic country songs of the '50s, '60s, and '70s for its material. This Merle Haggard diamond is given the Connell treatment here, with an almost jaunty arrangement underpinned by Fred Travers' striking dobro work. "Believe it or not, this one happened because we were actually looking at some Grateful Dead songs to play," says Connell. "They do this one, and we started playing it and had a lot of fun doing it."

YOU REMIND ME OF THE BLUES: The first of two Paul Craft compositions, this one is a finely honed kiss-off tune—"You're just yesterday's bad news"—that manages to bring a smile to your face. Craft is an honored Nashville songwriter ("Brother Jukebox," "Keep Me From Blowing Away") whose association with the Scene goes back to the band's beginnings, and whose compositions have graced several of their releases. "He's been a great friend of the Scene's over the years, and he sent us a couple to consider recording," says Connell. "We loved them both!"

PLEASE BE WITH ME: This is Connell at his most intimate. "A sound engineer friend of mine suggested this one," says Connell,  and I'm an Allman Brothers fan, so I went through my Allman's collection, and finally found it on the Duane Allman anthology, and loved it." This Scott Boyer tune was also recorded by Eric Clapton on his '461 Ocean Boulevard' release, but you'll probably agree that Connell nails it.

"It just fit this band," says Connell. "It's really one of my favorites on this record."

SAD OLD TRAIN: "I've seen better days like that sad old train on an old abandoned track," Lou Reid sings on "Sad Old Train," a Donna Hughes song with obvious echoes to the band's past. "It's definitely a tip of the hat to 'Old Train,'" says Connell. (That song was the title track to the Scene's 1974's release.) "It's still one of the favorites in the live show." But the Scene sounds as strong as ever on this lively number, even with it's nostalgic theme. Listen for the flatpicking solo by Ben Eldridge's son Chris, and for Travers' dobro licks, echoing those of Mike Auldridge's on the title track to the group's 1975 release "Old Train."

TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME: The Seldom Scene was one of the first bluegrass groups to regularly incorporate the songs of Bob Dylan into its set lists. With this one, they've made their own yet another song by the kid from Hibbing, Minnesota, with Connell's slightly world-weary voice bringing wisdom and warmth to Dylan's great lyric. "It's one I've carried around for a long time, wanting to find the right time to do it," says Connell, who has clearly found the right time. "Dylan was suge a huge deal in my musical education," he says, laughing because how many people have said that very thing? "He was the guy who changed everything."

TOO BAD YOU'RE NO GOOD: This swinging blues number is the second Paul Craft song in this collection, sung with authority by Connell. The sheer pleasure the band takes in playing this one is evident in the interplay between's Reid's mandolin, Travers' dobro, and the younger Eldridge's guitar. "At the rate we're going, we could release a whole album of the Scene doing Paul Craft tunes pretty soon!" says Connell.