Audio By Carbonatix
Keep Westword Free
We’re aiming to raise $20,000 by April 26. Your support ensures Westword can continue watching out for you and our community. No paywall. Always accessible. Daily online and weekly in print.
Despite their name, the Stanleytones are more than just a Stanley Brothers tribute band. On a fine debut album, Half a Dozen Heartaches, the Denver-area bluegrass quintet — guitarist and singer Gary Dark, mandolinist Sam Cohen, banjoist Jim Bertolin, fiddler Mark Weeg and bassist Drew Garrett — pay homage to Ralph and Carter with a respectful cover version of “Ridin’ That Midnight Train,” but they also include two Bill Monroe numbers (“Rocky Road Blues,” “Blue Moon of Kentucky”) and a song associated with Jimmy Martin (“Sophronie”). Throw in some old-time string-band music (“Bound to Ride,” “Black Mountain Rag”) and some solid originals (“Half a Dozen Heartaches,” “Weld County Breakdown,” “Tears I Cried for You”), and the result is a highly satisfying collection of traditional, high-lonesome bluegrass. (The Stanleytones perform Saturday, February 22, at Conor O’Neil’s in Boulder; see www.stanleytones.com.)