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Reuben's Train are a duo performing mostly American songs, some traditional and some not so traditional, from the darker side of life. Mick Watson, (vocals, eyebrows), and Keith Osborne, (vocals, guitar, banjo & sideburns), have been performing together for seven years in London folk clubs, dressing always in black and leaving the audience wondering quite where they are coming from and quite how they should react.
Reuben’s Train reviews
"Reuben's Train" (Reub 01)
"Overland" (Reub O2)
We sing our songs and happily harmonise the choruses every
week, and the songs are about murder and mayhem, incest and injury, lost work
and lost love but mostly we simply sing the song as tunefully as we are able.
Reuben's Train put the sorrow and the drama back into the songs.
A Victorian audience would have understood, but watching
people who have never seen them perform today is a treat. Unable to understand
whether the song is supposed to be sad or funny they have little idea how to
react.
Mick Watson wrings every ounce of drama and pathos out of
the words while Keith Osborne, a serious guitar player provides beautifully
judged accompaniment. Quickly the audience are giggling at the bathos of these
songs. When you are comfortable with humour of it all, they sing "John Doe
No: 24" and then you can hear a pin drop in the room as the sadness of the
words cuts through and there is a lump stuck firmly in your throats.
It's always a virtuoso performance from Reuben's Train and
to get two CDs from them is a real treat, for the recording they have slightly
toned down some of the drama, as it is difficult to deal with unless you are
seeing them live.
"Reuben's Train" has much of their earlier
material on it, an eclectic mix of traditional American and songs from people
as diverse as Dwight Yoakum, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and Mary Chapin
Carpenter. The ability to transform songs from people you never listen to into
something you find yourself singing in the kitchen is rare and it is here.
"Cincinnati", "Sunday Morning" and of course "John Doe
No:24 are my favourite tracks.
"Overland" Has a few more traditional songs on it
but still reveals their pleasure in the bizarre and miserable end of the
spectrum of song. Songs from Willie Nelson, Nick Drake, and the Tiger Lilies.
"What is Home", "Mary" and "Little Birdie." are
high on my list. These two blokes are the very best we get to hear, buy a CD
today.
TF.
Folk London
Dress code black. The dynamic duo will
take us a dark journey, but not with out some laughs, maybe, through their
repertoire of Americana, depression, despair and bad hangovers with style and
Simpsonesque guitar accompaniment.
Islington Folk Club
“.... London's most dramatic duo. Sophisticated, funny
and weird ...
Islington Folk Club
"
Unusual English duo.......with excellent harmony, guitar and banjo, (plus
frock-coats and impressive eyebrows)..."
Time Out
“....a duo whose musicianship is
matched only by the intelligent drollery they bring, it’s a crime that we
haven’t heard more of the supremely wierdly talented Reuben’s Train”.
Both Sides of The Tweed Festival
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