End of the World Survival Gear & Emergency Preparedness Kit - Essential Supplies for Natural Disasters, Camping, and Outdoor Adventures

Product Description

Product Description 'The End of the World,' which debuted in the Top Ten on the International Folk Charts, is a special project for Harpeth Rising as it presents songs written by David Greenberg, father of Jordana Greenberg, the band's violinist. Harpeth Rising has been performing songs by David Greenberg for several years to much acclaim, and fans have requested this project for some time. The album utilizes the lush strings and virtuosic instrumentals of Harpeth Rising's previous albums, while adding a modified drum set to the many hand drums of the percussion's arsenal with David Greenberg's beautiful guitar playing and gritty vocals. Tracks from the album have received several accolades including Best Song of 2012 by the No Surf Music Review and named a Finalist for the International Acoustic Music Awards. Review After the first track, I was impressed. After the second track I was sure there was something special here. By the end of the first listen through the whole album, I was absolutely blown away. Quite simply, The End of the World is one of the best albums you or I will ever hear. When analyzing music, there are two main spheres into which one can divide any piece: music and lyrics. Many groups have strength in one area or the other, but rarely both equally. More rare still is an album where both are at the absolute pinnacle of achievement. Most rare of all is a blending of the two so complete and insightful that they seem to fuse into one. Yet that s the case with this album. The music and lyrics complement each other so perfectly that it s hard to imagine them existing separate from one another. As suggested by the double billing, the workload on this album is roughly split between David Greenberg described in the album notes as a crazed doomer, a radical farmer, and an occasional optimist who provides guitar, vocals and all the lyrics and Harpeth Rising a classically trained string quartet that eschews Beethoven in favor of their own brand of not-quite-bluegrass, not-quite-folk, not-quite-like-anything-you ve-ever-heard roots music, who were responsible for the arrangements. They are related by blood David is the father of violinist Jordana Greenberg but the decision to meld the two forces into one was pure genius. David Greenberg is one of the greatest lyricists alive on the planet today. His writing is alternately reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, James McMurtry, Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Yeah, this guy is that good. Just as impressive is the accompaniment by Harpeth Rising. It s unlike anything else out there. There are touches of bluegrass in the fiddle and banjo, but the cello adds whole new layers and a slightly mournful quality unexpected in the genre. There are also touches of folk in both the instrumentation and lyrics, but the musical talent and precision of the players is so great that they far surpass anything in the folk tradition. Ok, maybe music school is worth something. The End of the World could easily be considered a concept album tied together by the truck-driving character most prevalent in Truck Stop Mama and his observations as he moves through a solitary life with plenty of time to analyze the world around him. It is not necessary to know whether this was intentional in order to appreciate the inherent quality of both the individual tracks and this album as a whole, and so I simply didn t ask. What s clear is that David Greenberg himself has a particularly sharp eye for observation and an impressive ability to express himself poetically. Amazingly enough, these talents are matched by the musical ability of Harpeth Rising. Combined, they have produced what is easily one of the most impressive albums of this or any year, and one that deserves to be remembered for years to come. There s no doubt that it merits only the second-ever perfect Hang Ten rating for an LP from the No Surf Review. If you re looking for a powerful, poetic and musically striking album (and really, who s not?), then look no further than David Greenberg and Harpeth Rising s The End of the World. --The No Surf Review by Jason D. HamadYou can call Harpeth Rising s music Americana but they are so very much more than that. You see, in their remarkable music you can clearly hear Spanish, Gypsy and Celtic influences intermixed with bluegrass, folk, classical and more. You simply have to love how the multitude of sounds, stringed instruments and eclectic percussion entangle so gorgeously. As if all this wasn t enough, the members of Harpeth Rising are creative and innovative songwriters that are sincere storytellers at heart. Harpeth Rising is an inventive and impassioned unique and fresh sound in the worlds of Americana and stringed music today. On Harpeth Rising and David Greenberg s new CD The End of the World , you can t help but be stunned by the sheer synergy of stringed instruments. You get flawless guitar, stunning violin, impassioned banjo and compelling cello plus an incredibly eclectic variety of percussion instruments that fuse together and accent each other impeccably. All this combined with compelling heartfelt vocals that deliver moving and honest tales makes Harpeth Rising truly stand out from the rest. And with the addition of David Greenberg on this album, they have added a whole new layer of depth, complexity and beauty to their original sound. Out of all the superb original music on Harpeth Rising s new CD The End of the World , one of my definite favorites has to be the Americana-bluegrass track Goin Goin Gone . I love how this song delivers genuine bluegrass breakdown straight out of the gate. Rebecca will simply blow you away with her zealous and precise banjo skills that at times seem virtually impossible. You have to love how Jordana converts that violin into a fierce fiddle and delivers intense searing runs that stun. Plus Maria delivers stunning cello throughout, but her clever and remarkable cello picking solo stopped me cold. All this blended with strong dueling lead vocals forms one original beautiful bluegrass creation. Another true testament to the compelling and impassioned storytelling and musicianship of Harpeth Rising and David Greenberg has to be the brilliant Americana-folk tune Evil Eye . Jordana delivers sultry smooth vocals full of conviction that call out shrouded evils of all kinds. I love her haunting and intense violin that infuses a cool Gypsy vibe into this song. Rebecca s expert banjo, Maria s deep resonant cello, David s seasoned guitar and Chris light precise percussion fuse together flawlessly to form this song s gorgeous Americana rhythm. What these musicians can do with stringed instruments is simply stunning and ingenious. And they do it all while delivering one powerful and potent message. Without a doubt my absolute out and out favorite track from Harpeth Rising and David Greenberg s new CD The End of the World is its remarkable title track, The End of the World . From the very first note, Jordana stuns with her searing and soaring violin that unites seamlessly with Maria s haunting and moving cello. They seem to pulsate beautifully throughout this song, but I truly love when they echo each other as if they are playing in the round. David delivers striking seasoned and soulful vocals that add a bit of a cool Celtic feel for this track. Plus he provides a gorgeous, powerful and nimble guitar to this track. And Chris perfectly light and passionate percussion rounds out this exquisite track flawlessly. I cannot express how much I love the seamless synergy of stringed instruments in Harpeth Rising. And while this entire album is Americana at its core, each song delivers its own refreshing and unique sound. Harpeth Rising summed up their music perfectly when they labeled it Neograssiclassicana. --Everything Music Magazine, review by Lauren Steen