Andrew Roblin

Bluegrass; Singer-Songwriter
This selection is an online supplement to Northern Journey: A Guide to Canadian Folk Music, Reference Press, 1995 (ISBN 0-919981-45-3) Copyright © Gene Wilburn 1996
Manitoba-born Andrew Roblin, now residing in the United States, fronts the bluegrass band Andrew Roblin & the Pocono Mountain Men. Son of Canadian politician Duff Roblin, Andrew started his musical career playing guitar in Winnipeg as an eight-year-old. Later he turned to banjo. Raised on Métis fiddle tunes, cowboy music and bluegrass, Roblin headed south to Nashville to pursue bluegrass when he was still a teenager. There he got to the heart of Scruggs picking. Roblin credits tapes of live Foggy Mountain Boys shows as being a major influence on his concert performance style.

Roblin's CD, Perilous Pursuit, might be dubbed "northern bluegrass." In addition to repertoire classics such as "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down" (Flatt & Scruggs) and "Peach Picking Time" (Jimmie Rogers), Roblin and crew mix in some great original pieces, like Roblin's utterly captivating banjo/instrumental opener "Plum Coulee," Andy Dejarlis' "Ti-Jean Bouribale," and Roblin's "Manitoba."

There's a friendly, almost gentle, pace to the material. It's not rushed or deliberately "hot." The musicianship is impeccable, from Roblin's banjo and hammered dulcimer right through the other instruments in the band. The vocal tracks are not quite up to the same quality as the instrumental tracks, but they're pleasant. The Pocono Mountain Men are Scott Eager, mandolin, vocals; Rich Starkey, guitar; Joe Spinelli, string bass; and Jim Daniels. Perilous Pursuit is a very good contemporary bluegrass album.

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New or Reissued Album(s):
Perilous Pursuit

Perilous Pursuit ***(*)

1995 Upstart (CD 1003) 50:26 min.
[Record Label Address]: Andrew Roblin, 213 N. Third St., Emmaus, PA 18049-2713, Phone: 610-965-2498, Fax: 610-965-2498, email: ARoblin@aol.com Website: http://songs.com/aroblin
Return to Albums

  1. Plum Coulee
  2. Pocono Jubilee
  3. Freight Train Boogie
  4. Lucky Trapper's Reel
  5. Temperance Bear
  6. Doing My Time
  7. Festival Du Voyageur
  8. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
  9. Valerie's Waltz
  10. Peach Picking Time
  11. Thank You
  12. Red River Jig
  13. Broncho Buster
  14. Who's Yer Daddy
  15. Walls Of Time
  16. Manitoba
  17. Ti-Jean Bouribale