Mitguards' CD shows they're nobody's fool

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jul 30, 2004 by J. ADRIAN STANLEY THE GAZETTE

Title: "Nobody's Fool," by The Mitguards.

Style: Americana folk

Personnel: Chris Mitguard (acoustic guitar, banjo, lead and harmony vocals), Deb Mitguard (mandolin, lead and harmony vocals), Dave Gallupe (electric bass, acoustic guitar, harmony vocals), Les Irvin (mandolin, rhythm guitar), Bob Tudor (accordion), Christian Teele (percussion, drums)

What the group is all about:

"We've been up and around the music scene for five or six years in Colorado Springs," Chris Mitguard says. The Mitguards enjoy playing at the Margarita, Jimbo's Bike and Coffee and at Pine Gables Bar and Grill in Green Mountain Falls, but Chris Mitguard says the group spends more time touring in other states and is planning a trip to Australia. "We're widening our horizon," he says.

Sources of inspiration: Songwriter Chris Mitguard says the album is a collection of stories -- his own and those of friends and acquaintances. Influences include Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. "My goal was to make an album you'd want to listen to if you were just traveling late at night across Nevada or something.

"(I tried) to find that place in the American psyche where all the stories are a part of it," he says.

Albums they wish they'd made: "Highway 61 Revisited," by Bob Dylan, and everything by Hank Williams and Richard Thompson.

Their most rock 'n' roll moment: "We were playing one of our first gigs up in Denver and (Deb Mitguard) had been playing the mandolin for about a year. Deb just cranked up her mandolin and started wailing out these rock 'n' roll licks," Chris Mitguard said. "That's when I knew Deb could rock out if she needed to."

What "making it" would look like: "For us making it is being able to make a living doing what we do," Chris said.

CD vitals: 12 songs, 50 minutes, produced by The Mitguards and John Macy

Test drive: www.cdbaby.com/mitguards2 and www.themitguards.com

Available at: Borders at Southgate, Independent Re-cords, www.cdbaby.com/mitguards2 and www.themitguards.com

Review: The Mitguards are influenced by legends like Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Mississippi John Hurt, Joni Mitchell and Memphis Minnie.

Like the many facets of a superbly cut diamond, they allow their favorite musicians to shine through, blending into brilliant melodies without polluting their individual creativity.

Although a few songs (most notably "Trumpets, Fiddles and Spanish Guitars") stand out, the album should be played from beginning to end. The songs flow into each other without butting heads, and listening to Chris Mitguard's storytelling is like watching 12 acts of the strangest play you've ever seen.

Playing himself as rugged characters, Chris Mitguard seems to drift from being void of emotion, to secretly disheartened, to downright passionate. Deb Mitguard sticks mostly to sweet vocal harmonies, so it is surprising when she sings lead with a deep, confident voice.

If you don't enjoy the stories, the warm bluegrass-country- Americana sound of picked guitars and mandolins still might win you over.

Catch 'em live: The Mitguards will play at the Bluegrass at Hillside festival at Hillside Gardens, 1006 S. Institute St., at noon Sunday. Call 520-9463 for tickets ($20).