Johnny Bell – “Caldera Repose”

On his latest, New Mexico-based banjoist and composer Johnny Bell continues to expand the bounds of the banjo, extracting it from its purely folk and bluegrass roots for something a bit more furrowed. The record blends traditional playing and picking with low register open tunings, and repetitive ostinatos with layers of droning synth, fiddle, bowed cymbals, and distorted guitar. “Caldera Repose” turns cinematic, especially paired with the mountain pilgrimage video from Luke Bern Carr. The song builds tension, propelling the listener forward on the strength of Bell’s strings, but leaving some danger lurking behind him in those drones. Whether the danger is internal or external seems to be the question as Bell searches the Santa Fe countryside. The upcoming Mountain States isn’t a romp through the banjo, but instead an examination of the instrument’s weight, fusing meditation with menace. “Caldero Repose,” works as a window to the record in miniature, an intricate facade, a scarred underbelly, and a song that’s slips away from easy interpretation. Bell’s new record, Mountain States, is out this week, May 8th, from Centripetal Force.

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