Are Possible

Six years after the release of Plainly Mistaken, banjo maestro Nathan Bowles has once again partnered with double-bassist Casey Toll (Jake Xerxes Fussell, Mt. Moriah) and drummer Rex McMurry (CAVE) to produce an extraordinary ‘spark-throwing’ acoustic adventure ‘in an easy-rolling manner.’ Are Possible showcases Bowles’ distinctive approach to banjo performance, melding modern minimalist drone with American primitive finger-picking and the howling thrum of Appalachian clawhammer undergirded by the artist’s professed predilection for percussion. The result is a thoroughly modern music that eludes precise categorisation. Are Possible comprises six precisely crafted, stripped-down compositions for the trio, plus occasional guest accompaniment. Like two best friends, opening tracks ‘Dappled’ and ‘The Ternions’ swing with nearly identical smouldering intensity and lugubrious syncopation. ‘Our Air’ follows, beginning with a bewitching blue groove by Toll, followed by Bowles and McMurry who are soon joined by Virginia native Skylar Gudasz on flute, lending the song a nostalgic retro-jazz feel. Are Possible represents a refreshingly imaginative possibility.