Biography

Radio Contact:
Ellen Nagase
434-973-5151
radio@rebelrecords.com

Click here to go to Rebel Records' Main Page

Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein - 2:10 Train (REB-1803), 2008

Musicians
Jimmy Gaudreau: Mandolin, Harmony Vocals
Moondi Klein: Guitar, Lead Vocals

Production Credits
Produced by Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein
Recorded and mixed by Stuart Martin at Stonebridge Studios, Leesburg, VA
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO

Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein play not so much in the “old-time” brother duet style as they do in what might be called the “new-time” brother duet style. While they remain true to the classic guitar-mandolin, lead & tenor vocal configuration of, say, the Monroe Brothers and their repertoire consists of many traditional numbers you may have heard from Bill and Charlie, their style is wholly contemporary (and nothing like the Monroes!).

The Klein-Gaudreau connection goes back to the mid-nineties when Moondi, T. Michael Coleman and Mike Auldridge had just left the Seldom Scene; after some time off, they reunited with DC area mandolinist Gaudreau to form Chesapeake, an acoustic “super group” whose music ventured from bluegrass to country to rock and blew away the crowd at every venue they played. Chesapeake disbanded in the late nineties in part because Moondi was burned out on traveling and wanted to spend more time with his young and growing family. A couple years after the Chesapeake split, Jimmy and Moondi got together and decided to book a few casual shows around the DC area, just to have fun and play. At the same time, Jimmy was staying quite busy performing with a number of different groups including Robin & Linda Williams, Auldridge-Bennett-Gaudreau and, most recently, John Starling & Carolina Star. Moondi was working full-time, so there were no aspirations to make this a regular gig. It was just an excuse for a couple friends to get together and make music.

Fast forward to the spring of 2007. Moondi’s wife was asked to speak at a conference in England and they decided to make a family vacation out of it. They invited Jimmy and his wife and, when Moondi suggested that Jimmy get in touch with some promoters he knew over in the UK, they ended up booking a few shows, including a major festival in Scotland. On a whim, they decided they should make a recording to sell at the gigs and got in touch with Stuart Martin. The result is the recording now known as 2:10 Train. What was a casual, quickly assembled album turned out to be a thoroughly professional recording. The duo is exceptionally polished and at the top of their game, and the aforementioned Martin must be pointed out for the crystal clear sound he pulled from his basement studio.

The album features several numbers that Jimmy and Moondi recorded with Chesapeake, such as Harvey Reid’s “Dreamer or Believer,” Harley Allen’s “High Sierra” and Tom Paxton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind;” in addition, there are a few chestnuts (“Black Jack Davey” and “Shady Grove” for example) in which the duo have put their own contemporary spin. The two indeed put their own touch on the entire album and, with a pedigree that includes the likes of the Country Gentlemen, Seldom Scene, Tony Rice Unit, Spectrum (with Bela Fleck) and the Metropolitan Opera’s Children’s Chorus, that touch comes from a wide variety of influences. Thank goodness that these two decided to go out and play a few shows for fun!