Ragged Union Continues a Hot Streak on Second Post-Pandemic Release

Geoff Union is talking bluegrass from his backyard in Louisville. Over the sound of chirping birds and the roar of an occasional plane from the nearby Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, the talented flatpicker, singer and songwriter shares some production tidbits about his band Ragged Union's fourth studio release, Pyramid Stairs.

"This is our second studio album following COVID," Union says. "Our last one we made in a synagogue in Boulder, and then we recorded this one in an old vacant church in New York. Our next album will probably be done in a Buddhist temple," he jokes.

It only takes a few listens to Ragged Union's latest release to hear the benefits of what a well-chosen recording space can do, especially when coupled with a talented sound engineer who knows his way around a mixing board. The Front Range-based pickers delved into their latest offering with the same skill and polish that defined their well-received 2022 release (Round Feet, Chrome Smile) and came up winning again.

"I'm really happy with the songs, the sound quality and the tones on this," Union enthuses. "It's a really rich mix, thanks to my bandmate Elio [Schiavo]. He does all our engineering, technical production and recording. It's impressive. You can hear his different sensibilities in the production. There's some great traditional-sounding material, and then there's some stuff that is less obviously bluegrass, too. If you put on headphones, you get the full experience. There are some sonic surprises in there."

The ten-track Pyramid Stairs offers a pleasing batch of material that showcases what Union and company can do as a talented formation. From the roots of tradition to more modern-leaning material, including a satisfying bluegrass-infused cover of The Marshall Tucker Band gem "This Ol' Cowboy," the group comprises Schiavo on mandolin, Schiavo's spouse Rebekah Durham on fiddle, Union on guitar and lead vocals, Sam Guthridge on banjo, Eric Thorin on bass and Amy Kang on cello. Together, the skilled acoustic ensemble delivers acoustic-based goods in rootsy buckets.

The album takes its name from the lyrics in its opening cut, "Spell of Rain." The song includes the line, "The priest and the thief share benediction, as they pass on the pyramid stairs." It's a Dylan-esque phrase, simultaneously poignant and lyrical, in a co-written tune that was penned with the help of long-distance songwriting partner Jim Harris, whom Union met while living in the Lone Star State years ago.

"I was in Austin for about twenty years," recalls Union. "I lived in a musician house down there in the early '90s and became lyric-writing partners with Jim. He's in his seventies now. He's kind of a Texas poet character who sends me cool songs from time to time. Every now and then I'll get something that I love and that fits. The song is a little bit about our current political reality and the general state of our whacked-out society, and how you can't really trust anything that anyone says. He wrote most of the tune, but I came up with that one verse. It's symbolic of how everything is corrupt. "

While Union grew up in Fayetteville, NC, he says his affinity for bluegrass didn't really begin until his college years in Connecticut, when a few friends at Wesleyan University introduced him to the genre. Since embarking on the bluegrass and old-time music path, his flat-picking skills and country-tinged vocals have evolved into a very fluid and natural blend.

"I started out in high school playing bass in a rock band covering material by Rush and the Police," Union recalls. "I didn't really pick up a [six-string] guitar until I was about seventeen.  I took some jazz lessons for a while when I was living in Texas, but I didn't see myself really applying much of that, so I moved on. I was in a rock band down there that eventually broke up and after that I started hanging out and jamming with some older guys, including Jim, who were into bluegrass and old-time stuff. It was great because it was technically challenging and interesting material that had deep roots, and to play it I didn't have to haul around a bunch of gear."

Union counts legendary artists such as Tony Rice and Doc Watson among his influences, saying they helped him "get a feel for what [the music] is supposed to sound like." He also says he spent a lot of time making the technical transition from playing rock, on slinkier electric guitar strings, to wider acoustic strings and the more physically demanding and precise requirements of bluegrass.

"It took me a while to build up my strength and accuracy and to play with a heavy pick. I spent a lot of time just practicing in my bedroom and picking open strings for consistency."

Union's practice paid off; and the proof is in the music of Ragged Union.

"I feel lucky to have such amazing players with me," he says. "Rebekah’s got the classical training that makes her a musical perfectionist. She came up with some really memorable fiddle parts for the album and she brings her intensity every time. Whether we're recording an album or performing live, every one in the group is super skilled and driven to to make the music the best it possibly can be."

Ragged Union plays Sunflower Farm, 11150 Prospect Road, Longmont, 4:30 pm. Wednesday, July 16. Tickets are $27.