![\"roadtobrownwood\"](\"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/roadtobrownwood.jpg\")
<\/a>Grifters and Shills is actually John and Rebecca Stoll, a married couple bound together in music. Their stage presence exudes companionship. Rebecca\u2019s musical background is traditional country and bluegrass, while John came up in the hard rock and heavy metal world. They employ a number of instruments in their shows including kazoos and 3 string cigar box banjos. They have a nice repertoire of original music, but for \u201cRoad to Brownwood\u201d the couple chose to showcase seventeen traditional tracks giving them their own unique spin.<\/p>\nThe first track is \u201cSt James Infirmary\u201d done in a most spooky vane with eerie slide intro and John providing a shadowy background vocal and ghostly guitar leads. \u201cWildwood Flower\u201d comes out much more traditional in style with harmonica and washboard flourishes. The Stolls chose to do a stripped down and basic version of \u201cRock Salt and Nails\u201d to honor folk traditionalist, Utah Phillips.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bluegrass banjo standard with a little G&S twist that the band presents on \u201cLittle Maggie\u201d. The pair does a very lively upbeat version of the gospel, \u201cDown by the Riverside\u201d complete with a great slide lead. One of my personal favorite traditional blues tunes, \u201cAin\u2019t No More Cane\u201d, is delivered with a very simple washboard, harmonica and guitar, much like I would imagine it was performed in the work camps along the Brazos.<\/p>\n
John dominates the \u201c12 bar blues\u201d number, \u201cJames Alley Blues\u201d with a straight forward harmonica and slide guitar, while taking the vocals on. Rebecca and John sing the country gospel \u201cHard Times Come Again No More\u2019 in a most traditional style accented by some tasteful modern electric guitar effects. Sticking with gospel, G&S offers an a cappella \u201cDown in the River to Pray\u201d, with just a touch of background slide guitar.<\/p>\n
![\"griftersandshills\"](\"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/griftersandshills.jpg\")
<\/a>John mixes traditional bluegrass banjo with slide guitar and a touch of kazoo on \u201cAin\u2019t Got No Home\u201d for an amazing blend of styles on an old country gospel number. The kazoo comes to the front of this version of the bluesy \u201cLiza Jane\u201d. John and Rebecca devised the chords for the lyrics of \u201cColumbus Stockade Blues\u201d, presenting a very poignant country blues tune. G&S recorded a bare bones ukulele version of \u201cYou Are my Sunshine\u201d during a rainstorm, giving it a particular pensive and pleading tone in contrast to the usual upbeat presentation.<\/p>\n