Music
Funny folk
Calling Tangleweed a bluegrass band is accurate, but it’s unfair, too. Yep, they’ve got the fiddle, the mandolin and the rest of the acoustic accoutrements that compose an outfit that warrants a stereotype, but Tangleweed somehow pokes fun at folk music while honoring its storied legacy. Their arrival in Honolulu for gigs at rRed Elephant and Ward Rafters over the weekend will let those in attendance in on the joke.
These guys don’t even have a drummer. It’s five of them, assembled in Chicago, arranging a masterful pastiche of original compositions and traditional tunes from a prodigious archive of musical Americana and Celtic mischief. There is something more than vaguely punk rock about Tangleweed’s music, but the accuracy of their harmonies and the tactical proficiency of their musicianship indicate a predilection for form over function.
As evidenced by song titles like ‘Hard Times’ and ‘Make Me a Pallet on the Floor, ‘ Tangleweed’s music isn’t far from the ancient sources of its inspiration, but it is also ticklishly close to the kind of irreverence that makes for brilliant pop songs and beer commercials.
rRed Elephant CafÈ, 1144 Bethel St., Fri. 2/23, 7:30pm, admission by donation, [rredelephant.com]; Ward’s Rafters, address 3810 Maunaloa Ave., Sun. 2/25, 3-6pm, admission by donation, 735-8012
