Lonesome Ace Stringband, John Showman & Chris Coole - Big Wing (2025)

Bluegrass, old-time music coming out of the shadows. The Lonesome Ace Stringband are John Showman and Chris Coole, and “Big Wing” is a fabulous journey into the world of bluegrass. This new collection includes six original tunes and four covers. They all slot together to give a well-balanced suite, including stunning instrumentals as well as songs. This is their seventh album as the Lonesome Ace Stringband and the first since their “Try To Make It Fly” set released in 2023.

Both members carry out vocal duties with Showman taking up the fiddle, strings and Coole playing banjo, guitar, and percussion. They are joined by other musicians, mainly on bass, and spread the load around a very talented bunch, including Andrew Collins, who plays mandolin and co-wrote track three, ‘May Day’ with Showman, as well as taking up production duties on the tune.

After an ambient start, ‘Crowe River’ drifts into life with Showman’s fiddle out front in the mix, briskly taking us upstream. It’s an excellent introduction and sets the mood for what is overall a joyous collection, but with some darker reflective interludes along the way. The Robbie Robertson-penned ‘Stage Fright’ is one such moment. There isn’t a clear indication as to whether Robertson wrote this about himself or if it was referring to Bob Dylan. This version is undoubtedly different from The Band’s original, slowing things down slightly and, in some way, capturing the performer’s concerns about singing in front of others better than the original.

Hank Williams wrote ‘Log Train’, and this rendition is faithful to his original. Williams’ demo of this song was possibly the last thing he ever recorded. Written about his father, who was an engineer at a logging plant in Alabama, this is William’s idyllic view of the home life he never had. The pizzicato fiddle works perfectly, taking the song along and showcasing more of the skills Showman possesses.

‘The Moon is Down’ is another inspirational instrumental track that begins with Coole’s slowly building banjo playing, until the fiddle breaks in almost at the halfway point. The title comes from the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. The premise was of a country under occupation by another. Initially, they accept their fate before fighting back. The tune captures that essence with the dark, brooding start, followed by the hopeful fiddle.

The title track is all about family and how, even as you enjoy watching your children grow and seeing them experience their world in different ways, you are only ever a caretaker. It is only a short time until they take off on their own and become fully formed people. Showman wrote this about his own two sons. With his eldest now entering high school, time is moving on, and it won’t be long until school days are over and the next chapter begins.

Lonesome Ace Stringband have some fun with the final instrumental piece ‘Carpet Beetle’. It’s a carefree, happy-sounding melody with Showman’s fiddle front and centre for the most part. As the destructive beetle chomps its way through the floor covering, the bass slides down through the middle section; it’s a joy to behold. Not knowing when to stop, there is a calamitous end as the fiddle gets faster and laughter ensues.

The Darrin Hacquard-penned ‘Hurricane Season’ completes the show with an attempt at a “Spector-Grass Wall of Banjo”. It totally works, and for a song with extremely dark lyrics, it even feels uplifting. Not quite weighing it at the full eight minutes, like the original version, which is the only criticism. It completes one of the most entertaining bluegrass albums of the year so far.