by Jhonny #6

Gary Higgins "Red Hash" 1973





















Personnel: Gary Higgins (vocals); Jake Bell (vocals, guitar); Paul Tierney (vocals, mandolin, flute); Maureen Wells (vocals, cello); Terry Fenton (piano, organ); Dave Beaujon (bass guitar).

Recorded in 1973, just before its creator, the singer-songwriter Gary Higgins, was incarcerated on a serious drugs charge, and little heard until its release in the late 1990s, the casual psych-folk masterpiece RED HASH is a time capsule from a different era. The empathy between the musicians, who had previously performed together for a number of years around north-west Connecticut, is obvious from the opening bars of "Thicker Than a Smokey," whose acoustic, almost Indian feel recalls Crosby, Stills & Nash, and songs such as "I Pick Notes From the Sky" anticipate a future generation of neo-folk musicians, such as Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom.