
The West Fork of the Obey River tumbles through the area at a fairly leisurely pace, and Joseph’s father, who was born in the adjacent and slightly easier to access community of Allred, always called Shiloh Road “the River Road” since the road and the river often unfurl through the valley side by side. The instrumental pieces for guitars and banjo on the album at hand mostly depict images and events, both real and imagined, that take place in Shiloh and the broader river valley it’s situated in. “I won’t go into the details of the inspiration for each tune here,” Allred comments, “but I will say that Shiloh is a place where the distinction between past and present isn’t always clearly defined. It’s a kind of “mandorla," a place where the spheres of past and present, dead and living, immanent and transcendent, overlap.
It’s also a place that has attracted some odd characters over the years, or just people who are weary and trying to find refuge.” “Though I grew up in a small town about 25 miles away from Shiloh and have lived in Boston since 2016, my dad’s side of the family has been in the area for over 200 years, and that valley feels a lot like the place I’ll be buried when I die.” With all that said, we present to you The Rambles and Rags of Shiloh.Housed in a gatefold sleeve courtesy of the glorious folk art of Jonny Brokenbrow.
TRACK LISTING
1) Sweetcorn Ramble
2) The Dervish
3) Linville Rag
4) Overture For Lodge No, 637
5) Dance Of The Fair Folk
6) Before The Lord
7) The Emerald City
8) West Fork Rag
9) March Of The True Bugs
10) Blues For Terry Turtle