blue21A

Copyright ©2010 by Creaky Chair Productions.

All songs written by Rhine Singleton. Some arrangements by Rhine Singleton and Gary McGraw.

Guitar and vocals: Rhine Singleton
Mandolin, fiddle, and vocals: Gary McGraw

Produced by Gary McGraw

Recorded and Mastered at National Media Services studio in Front Royal, VA.

Engineering, Digital Production, and Mastering by Will Shenk and Gary McGraw.

Cover art by National Media Services. Original artwork by Wassily Kandinksy.

Listen on Spotify or elsewhere!

  1. We Will Float Away **
  2. Bring It On
  3. Now It’s Alright *+
  4. These Ain’t my Pearls
  5. Seven Hours till Dawn
  6. Break It Apart ++
  7. Your Lies are Gone
  8. You Hold Mine
  9. Brown Like Your Cinnamon ++
  10. Ain’t no Finer Kind of Blue
  11. Plain as White *+
  12. Five Swimming Pools of Whiskey
  13. Your Color of Blue **

The songs on blue21A were written in Ocean Isle Beach, NC at “The Stick” and on a screen porch in Dublin, NH. Three pairs of songs (denoted **, *+, and ++) are paired variations with arrangements inspired by the work of Kandinsky. In particular the two Kandinsky works seen on the front and back of this CD (seen below) “Improvisation 21A” (1911) and “Simple Pleasures” (1914) which Gary observed together in NYC at the Guggenheim in 2010. The pairs of songs share the same chord patterns, central themes, and fiddle/mandolin hooks just as the two pictures do. In a very real sense, Kandinsky inspired and shaped much of the music you hear on this CD. For this, we are grateful.

reviews (from Amazon)

 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:5.0 out of 5 stars Floating to the music, May 19, 2010By Scribbler “animal lover” (San Francisco) – See all my reviewsThis review is from: blue21a (Audio CD)blue21A from Where’s Aubrey is a thoroughly enjoyable CD that takes the listener on a journey through green hills and blue skies where romance can go from shades of skin warming yellow to the grays of rain. Masterful fiddle playing and beautiful mandolin melodies create a haunting, lilting sound.

I couldn’t stop listening to “We Will Float Away,” “Brown Like Your Cinnamon” and “Now It’s Alright.” Reminiscent of Indy bluegrass with a strong sense of troubadour. Sweet emotions with whimsical complexity and richness that mirror the works of Kandinsky from which the title was drawn.

It will warm your heart and make you smile. Guaranteed.

 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:5.0 out of 5 stars Pure enjoyment, May 19, 2010By Dennis Fisher “security writer” (Boston) – See all my reviews
   This review is from: blue21a (Audio CD)There are a couple of things that are immediately clear upon listening to this album: One, this is an album in the truest sense of the word. It’s not simply a bunch of songs thrown together and released at the same time. It’s a cohesive collection of songs that hangs together in a way that few albums do these days.

Two, it couldn’t be more obvious how much these guys enjoy making music. Neither of them is a professional musician, but they play with a passion and love for the art form that is missing in so much of the alleged music that’s churned out right now. “Blue 21A” is music for music lovers made by music lovers. It’s that simple.

“We Will Float Away” and “Five Swimming Pools of Whiskey” are the two standout tracks for me, and I keep going back and listening to them over and over, finding fresh nuances and details each time. It’s terrific stuff.

 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:5.0 out of 5 stars an enjoyable listen, May 18, 2010By J. Starr (Harpers Ferry, WV) – See all my reviews
   This review is from: Blue21a (MP3 Download)Not sure how one interprets a painting into music, just as how one goes about interpreting music into a review. But I do know that I enjoy listening to this album end-to-end, particularly when I’m in the car driving through some scenic parts of Appalachia. Absolutely love the fiddle on these tracks. Favorite track so far seems to be “We Will Float Away”. I catch that in my head a lot during the day.

 0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:5.0 out of 5 stars Music for Just Plain Folks, May 17, 2010By Customer – See all my reviewsThis review is from: Blue21a (MP3 Download)Sometimes you just want to listen to really sweet sounds that take your mind off everything else. This is the music for that task. I wouldn’t say it’s folk music, but it’s certainly has a traditional feel, especially for folks like me.

 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, May 16, 2010By Sean Connelly “Unknown Arts” (Bible Belt) – See all my reviews
   This review is from: Blue21a (MP3 Download)I really like this CD. I got it 3 weeks ago and put it on whenever I’m grading or coding. I particularly like the fiddle. The composition of the instruments is rich… and several of the tracks are paired with similar rifts which I like.

My favorite tracks are “We Will Float Away”, “Bring It On” and “Now Its Alright” (first 3 tracks on the CD!). I also like “Brown Like Your Cinnamon” and “Your Color of Blue” a lot.

There are a few songs which are a bit “talkie” instead of singing (like “Break It Apart”)… which isn’t quite my thing. They tend to interupt the groove I get into when listening to music. Other than that, I think this is a great indy-band and look forward to more from them. I definitely want to catch them live if they ever come to the Midwest.