By Will McGuirk

One can add layers, studio, electronics, beats but the melodies of the Black Grass still lie underneath what one may term Canadiana or Americana depending on what side of the line one stands, and when one rests, relaxes, the grass grows louder and so with the Skydiggers, one of the polished alt-country bands of the Queen Street crew, but 40 years on their roots are showing on a new record ‘West Montrose’ ( the name chosen by Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize’s first outing as a duo) celebrating those four decades and all done in the rolling hills of Northumberland (immediately The Sadies’ ‘Northumberland West’ comes to ear) with Jimmy Bowskill at his Ganaraska Studio north of Port Hope and close to Greg Keelor’s studio in Kendal ah ha! so yah Black Grass rerun on ‘Alice Graham’ first found on 1995’s ‘Road Radio’. The album is one of covers and re-imaginings of some of their own and its a bit of an education for me to know that Maize shares Irish ancestry and a connection with those rolling hills of Northumberland where the Black Grass grows via family ancestor Alice Graham of Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Looking forward to this one I think yes.