Ladies and gentlemen, meet The Coal Porters, the world’s first “alt bluegrass” act.

The Coal Porters story begins when native Kentuckian writer/author/broadcaster Sid Griffin, moved to London and hooked up with Scottish stand up comedian Neil Robert Herd. The duo started out playing electric, but as a result of a crazy dare, The Coal Porters decided to play acoustic bluegrass versions of their material at a charity concert in London. This drove the crowd wild, demanding multiple encores, and the Coal Porters had found their true calling.  Not long after Griffin and Herd had found banjoist John Breese, ace fiddler Carly Frey and bass player by night, attorney by day Andrew Stafford. Now the Coal Porters were ready to take on the world.  

In April 2009 The Coal Porters laid down the tracks to their album Durango, recorded in two weeks in the Colorado mountains at the Kozy Tone Studio of legendary producer Ed Stasium. Durango is set to take the world by storm. 

“Let’s Say Goodbye (Like We Said Hello)” kicks things off in classic Sid Griffin “Looking For Lewis & Clark” style.  Next the Coal Porters kick in to a typical anthemic Griffin shout-out “No More Chains,” a celebration of freedom and of life.

Fiddler Frey, a longtime fan of Peter Rowan, asked Sid Griffin if they could record Rowan’s song “Moonlight Midnight.” They did, with Griffin going one better: he called Peter Rowan up and Peter graciously agreed to duet on the track with Miss Frey. 

Next on the album, “I’m Not Going Away“ is Griffin’s heartfelt tribute to his new girlfriend. Guitarist Neil Robert Herd is Scottish so his songs naturally deal with drinking. “One Is Way Too Many” is an up-tempo romp celebrating the joys of drinking that last pint of ale while his tune, “The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Oil,” is an acoustic bluegrass nod to Bob Wills and is about…ahhh…drinking.

Griffin and Carly Frey duet on “Pretty Polly,” a folk classic which was originally a British song called “Gosport Town.” The Coal Porters also recorded Neil Young’s “Like A Hurricane” in a brisk country arrangement after learning the song for a friend’s birthday party!

Griffin’s anti-war “Permanent Twilight” is inspired by a tabloid headline about a blinded serviceman in Basra who had been left in a “permanent twilight”. The song has proven to literally be a show-stopper. The loudest, most raucous audience, driven to giddiness by The Coal Porters fast numbers, turns as quiet as a library in order to hear the lyrics of the poor soldier’s fate. It was chosen by the staff of Folk Alliance for their compilation festival War & Politics, Vol. 1 

“Roadkill Breakdown” is an instrumental and features Tim O’Brien on mandolin. “Lookin’ For A Soft Place To Fall” is a nod to the warm glory of the Lovin’ Spoonful. 

“Closing Time Genius” has, without question, the best opening four lines of any song in popular music. It never fails to draw a laugh! Written by our Scotsman Neil Robert Herd, it tells of, ahem, drinking. “Sail Away, Ladies!” is a traditional number featuring the silver throated tones of Miss Frey as she fiddles up a storm!

There you have it folks. Three-quarters of an hour of musical merriment recorded by five London musicians from four different parts of the planet who come together as incredibly powerful fusion of talent, the world’s first “alt-bluegrass” act, London’s very own, The Coal Porters.