| What would you say about a band that recently released their fourth full-length
album, with no discernible end to music-making in sight? For the Packway Handle
Band, let's just go with an all-encompassing "those guys just play some damn
good bluegrass." This five-piece Athens band's 2010 album What Are We Going to
Do Now? is unbelievably catchy, to say the least.
The Packway Handle boys have been slinging tunes together since 2001 and are
still going strong. Tom Baker on banjo is a twang above the rest. If he didn't
need them to play his instrument so masterfully, that banjo would definitely be
of more use to Baker than his opposable thumbs. Josh Erwin on lead vocals is
extremely versatile and varies his approach to neatly fit into each song. His
voice also maintains a metaphorical skip-in-its-step that is especially evident
in the first track of the album, "Walking Disaster."
The title track "What Are We Gonna Do Now?" is the standout because its
amiable message serves as a reminder to listeners that all will be well if you
can remember to let loose every so often. This track is so playful that if you
see the band running around the city a-twangin', a-fiddlin' and belting it out
(which they have been known to do), chances are you won't resist jumping in on
the fun. What are We Gonna Do Now? keeps it simple, focusing on subjects that
pertain to life as it should be lived: purely in the pursuit of everyday
amusement. (self-released)
http://www.myspace.com/thepackwayhandleband | 
