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“CD Review of Get on the Train”
February 26th, 2008-Music Liberation Project
Somewhere in the world, on some cobblestone strasse, a wedding is taking place, wine is being liberally served, perhaps some baklava or matzah balls are sitting lonely on a ravaged buffet table and the entire party is dancing to a band they wish was The Vagabond Opera. They are perhaps the most fun band I’ve heard since the Squirrel Nut Zippers. While The Zippers main focus was updating 1920’s swing, The Opera spends its time reviving old world folk songs.
Akin to those they named themselves after, the vagabonds, it’s clear they find the most joy in the music they make. There is, even in the most haunting and moody songs, a sense of mirth and elation, as though there is nothing better in the world than playing…Stern’s ode to Portland, Freemont Street Stomp, to the body jerking, 7/8 time, Reine De Le Rocca, to the spooky and dizzying, Scary Tale Theater, these are the biggest treats on Get On The Train. Eric has a great sense of humor that comes through not only in his lyrics but also in his compositions.
