Live Music Now Scotland: Emerging Artists Series: The Fountaineers

Usher Hall - 29/01/24

The Fountaineers are a trio of musicians who formed during the 2020 lockdown, playing near the Kelvingrove Fountain – they owe their name to a local fan.  They are Jeri Foreman, fiddle, Michael Wright, guitar and lead vocals, and Callum Morton, mandolin.

An appreciative audience of all ages completely fills the choir stalls at the Usher Hall for a concert of a dozen vocal and instrumental numbers mainly from the bluegrass tradition. Improvisation is a key part of their performance, and there are many fascinating sections of dual and triple interplay where they work on this together. ‘Dawg Grass’ by David Grisman (also known as Dawg) starts as a duet for mandolin and fiddle.  Callum and Jeri face each other and obviously delight in exchanging musical phrases, often with a sense of friendly competition, before Michael joins them on guitar for the final flourishes. 

Jeri, who hails from Australia, is classically trained and has travelled to explore different fiddle-playing traditions.  Her solos throughout the programme are a delight, and her mastery of the Scottish/Appalachian repertoire is obvious in ‘St Ann’s Reel’, a popular tune on both sides of the Atlantic.  Edinburgh-born Callum was prompted by his passion for bluegrass to spend a semester at East Tennessee State University during his period at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and he demonstrates the versatility of his instrument in solos and in some beautiful interplay between mandolin and guitar in ‘In Dreams I go Back.’   Michael blends Scottish, and old-time with bluegrass in his guitar-playing and also his vocals, picked up, and adapted from favourite artists. The folksy ‘Never More will Roam’ by Joe E Walsh is very typical of his style. 

There were unfortunately some sound issues during the concert.  Michael was sometimes inaudible during his spoken introductions, and we were also told that Jeri had lost her voice, which affects the vocal balance in some songs, despite her valiant efforts to sing. A microphone might have helped. I also wonder, not for the first time, why the Monday morning audience is confined to the choir stalls.  Today three rows of seats (around fifty) are laid out on the stage, but aren’t used, and these plus the front rows of the gallery could have accommodated the audience in a more intimate setting with everyone able to hear. 

Despite these drawbacks, there is no doubt that the Fountaineers are a gifted team of musicians, who’ve done considerable research into bluegrass music, and have mixed it into their own distinctive style. The largest audience of this Emerging Artists season, whether fans of the genres or those hearing something completely new,  thoroughly enjoyed their concert.