Press

Drawing upon influences that range from the more modern workings of Bela Fleck to Traditional Irish folk ballads, Colin O'Brien and Guy Florentini mastermind Salt Creek. They have a playfully upbeat interpretation of old-time music that doesn't hide from modern-day rock-influences, yet remains remarkably original. “Rollin' Forward” is an innovative and catchy disc that lends itself to experimentation as percussionists John Sydewitz and Jessi LaMont lay the foundation for everything from traditional tunes “Walkin' Cane” and “Blackberry Blossom” to the eastern-sounding “Balkan Boogalloo”. Salt Creek's catchy banjo-bass hooks have been gaining some well-needed attention. The group has recently appeared with The BoDeans, and The Reptile Palace Orchestra, frequenting the venues of Southern Wisconsin and playing an interesting cross-section of acoustic and electric shows respectively. Most importantly, these cats are visibly having a blast when they play, and enjoy doing new and strange things with their instruments. The album was recorded between the band's home studio and Hamtone Audio, and skillfully shows an appreciation for everything from slide-banjo blues to Indian ragas. Brett Lemke

Jam American
On the surface Colin O'Brien and Guy Fiorentini came to the bluegrass-steeped music of their band, Salt Creek, from opposite angles. O'Brien was a classically trained guitarist who explored the paths taken by John Fahey on his 1997 solo CD, and Fiorentini began with hard-core-punk and went on to Love Bully, a popular Milwaukee rock act in the early '90s. What joins them together is a commitment to gut-felt music, and a convergent journey of discovery that led them to explore the tangled roots of the music they loved. O'Brien picked up a banjo because "it was refreshing" after years of guitar schooling. Likewise Forentini became fascinated with an old string bass, "all busted up in pieces that I put back together and learned to play." Salt Creek grew organically over the past two years as the duo continued their explorations. Salt Creek's debut CD, Rollin' Forward, includes batch of original and old-time tunes with contributions from such local players as drummer John Seydewitz and Peter Roller on dobro. Most of the music echoes American traditions, but Salt Creek isn't afraid to venture beyond the borders. Tamburitza player Mike Radicevich gives an Eastern Mediterranean spin to "Balkan Boogie."
Although it may not be entirely apparent on some of Rollin' Forward's tracks, Salt Creek engages in a great deal of live improvisation. As a result, their most receptive audience has not been folk purists but jam-band fans. "We have enough respect for the traditional material that we can play a song straight—we can play inside and it will sound good," Fiorentini says. "Some jam bands can't do that. It comes from years of listening with big ears." "We don't start with Jerry Garcia, even though I like Jerry," O'Brien adds. "We're farther down in the root system of the music. We don't start with the '60s. We start with music that's 300 years old."
Satt Creek performs Friday, May 23 at Linnemann's.

Fans of local band Salt Creek might be a little surprised by the group's roots. While the band, packed with seasoned veteran musicians, plays bluegrass-inspired music, banjo player Colin O'Brien was plucking strings on classical guitar before starting the band and Guy Fiorentini was playing guitar in punk and jazz bands before strumming bass. Guitarist Jim Eanelli brings a rock and roll pedigree to the mix, having played with the Violent Femmes, Rick Derringer and Sammy Llamas of the BoDeans. Add John Seydewitz on drums (an instrument not typical of a bluegrass band) and Lisa Church on fiddle and you have a varied group of musicians playing bluegrass.But whatever you do, don't call Salt Creek a bluegrass band."It's not exactly a bluegrass band," says O'Brien, "I think live we're getting more of a rock-and-roll attitude. We use drums for most of our gigs which is something your typical bluegrass band won't do. I basically consider us 'bluegrass rock.'"Throw in some Celtic and Middle-Eastern influences for good measure and you can see that Salt Creek comes from a lot of different angles, which keeps things fun and engaging for the band. But as fun and fast-paced as Salt Creek's shows are, it's hard to believe that O'Brien started the band because he was bored with the guitar."The band is all my fault. I did a solo acoustic thing for a few years," he explains, "I had a great time doing that. A couple of years after that I played all over the place doing solo gigs primarily. I had a good thing going and I found myself getting a little bored. Then the banjo came along and perked me up again.""Basically it started with me and Guy. He picked up an old American Standard upright bass for about $50 and I got the banjo. The first year it was pretty much just me and him and a revolving cast of other players."Two years later, Salt Creek can now begin to boast a little. In addition to playing some major festivals in Wisconsin this summer, including Summerfest and Farmapalooza, they also played alongside heroes Dan Tyminski (who worked on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack) and Alison Krauss. "That is pretty close to the top," O'Brien says.This year also marked the completion of "Rollin' Forward," a collection of original songs and covers that showcase the band's unique sound. Nine months in the making, O'Brien considers the album one of the band's greatest achievements, calling it a "blast to make."But "Rollin' Forward" cannot contain the frenetic energy that Salt Creek brings to the stage, displaying a lot of skill with their instruments by using improvisation.O'Brien says, "There is sort of a jazz approach to what we do. You're responding to the moment and if you have the tools, you're able to respond to the moment musically. After a good gig I could play forever."These good gigs are what keep Salt Creek going, and allow them to pick up new fans along the way. After a very hectic summer, the band will begin promoting "Rollin' Forward" around town this fall and converting new followers to the fold. O'Brien beams with pride with all his band has accomplished."There is a real niche for us," he says, "With the world getting noisier and louder and busier, I think people appreciate the honesty of what we're doing. We're just playing instruments to sound like instruments. It's music that comes from a much simpler time and place. I think what we got is really unique and a natural result of what we brought to the table."Salt Creek performs at Linnemann's in Riverwest on Fri., Sept. 26.