- The Coal
Porters have been the main focus of Sid
Griffin's music since the break-up of The Long
Ryders (see Band History). In the past they have
played their own brand of rootsy, country-rock.
More recently they have been on the road with,
and recorded a live tribute show to Gram Parsons.
More recently the band have often been billed as
Sid Griffin and the Bluegrass Boys, dispensing
with electric guitars for mandolin, banjo, dobro
and stand-up bass. These shows began in the form
of a sort of tribute show, covering tunes made
famous by Chris Hillman, Gene Clark and Gram
Parsons, alongside the odd Dylan cover. With Sid
getting fed up of playing the
"pub-rock" scene, the band have
increased the influence of bluegrass in their
live show and their next album is expected to be
a mix of covers and originals in that style.
These shows have also brought fiddle player Ivor
Ottley into the line-up on a semi-permanent
basis. With the recent work under the Western
Electric banner, you may be fooled into thinking
that The Coal Porters are a thing of the past.
However, their Chris Hillman Tribute Concerts CD
shows they have more than one string to their bow
and their venture into the world of bluegrass is
arguably bringing them more critical acclaim than
their previous work. Dismiss them at your peril!
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- Personnel
- Sid Griffin (Guitars, mandolin,
harmonica, autoharp and vocals)
- Music journalist, Gram Parsons officianardo,
singer-songwriter, guitarist - Sid Griffin has
many hats. He will perhaps always be remembered
as "the one with the sideburns" from
The Long Ryders, a band from Los Angeles who were
at the vanguard of the Paisley Underground
explosion which threatened but ultimately failed
to take over rock music in the early eighties.
When The Long Ryders collapsed in a heap in late
1987, Sid took time off to think about his future
before forming The Coal Porters with his old
'Ryders pal, Greg Sowders. When marriage brought
him to England he brought the band name with him
and though his name has been the only constant in
the line-up he continues to play his brand of
rootsy, country-rock. He is also a journalist and
regularly writes for both Q and MOJO magazines
and in the mid-eighties published a highly
acclaimed biography of Gram Parsons. In fact it's
probably fair to say that as a musician Sid is a
well respected journalist and as a journalist, he
plays some great rock music!
- Pat McGarvey (Bass, banjo and vocals)
- The longest serving member of The Coal Porters
(with the exception of Sid), yet strangely the
youngest, Pat McGarvey comes from a musical
family and has played with his father on stage on
numerous occasions. He is also the main man
behind The Incredibly Strange Film Band, a band
renowned for sporting golfing sweaters and wigs
on stage as they play highly entertaining sets of
film and TV soundtracks as well as they're own
compositions. He has played in various jazz and
blues bands over the years and has another side
project band along with Dave Morgan called Cool
Hand.
- Neil Robert Herd (Guitar, pedal steel and
vocals)
- Replaced Rob Childs in the Autumn of 1999. Scot
Neil Robert has great experience in playing live
music and also ventured into the world of radio
acting as a DJ on various radio stations at
various points in his career. Live shows have
also shown that he can sing as well, though we
are still waiting for his first writing credit on
a Coal Porters record.
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