Album Review: The Tenderbellies, ‘When the Thunder Rolls’

The Tenderbellies, When the Thunder Rolls Credit: Courtesy

(Self-released, CD, digital, vinyl)

“When the world bears down on you / I can feel it too,” guitarist and vocalist Chris Page sings on “Walk It Off,” the opening track of the Tenderbellies’ new album, When the Thunder Rolls. “Hug your brother / walk it off / you’re already doing the best you can,” he continues, introducing a theme of empathy that runs through the Burlington bluegrass outfit’s latest record.

Bluegrass has long emanated a sense of togetherness, likely a product of the genre’s communal roots. Decades after Bill Monroe invented the term, bluegrass still embodies many of its core tenets as it continues to evolve. In a bustling Green Mountains bluegrass scene that ranges from the traditional VT Bluegrass Pioneers to the upstart Forest Station, the Tenderbellies stand out for their genre fusion, soaring harmonies and sheer virtuosity of their picking. Just give the instrumental tune “Run for Your Life” a listen to hear the band show off its chops.

Since forming as teenagers at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg more than a decade ago, the six-time Seven Daysie-winning sextet has built a reputation as a killer live act. It wasn’t until 2022 that the Tenderbellies finally released a studio album, the excellent One by One.

Fortunately, they’re not making fans wait another decade for more. When the Thunder Rolls not only cements their bona fides as one the state’s cornerstone bluegrass acts, it bears the hallmarks of a band that has never stopped growing.

Guitarists Page and David Titus share a near-telepathic interplay, weaving their licks into a vibrant tapestry of strings with the twin mandolin attack of Matt Francis and Greg Pauza. Bassist Luke Hausermann and harmonica player Collin Cope round out the outfit, with Page, Titus and Cope handling vocal duties.

Those vocal harmonies are the secret sauce throughout the 12 tracks of When the Thunder Rolls. “A New Wind” and the bluesy “Bluebird Song” showcase the vocal prowess, with Page’s cleaner delivery juxtaposing Cope’s earthier growl and gritty harmonica. The effect is similar to early Grateful Dead songs with Jerry Garcia and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan sharing lead vocals — it’s the sugar in the coffee.

When the Thunder Rolls would just be string-music pyrotechnics without the deep core of humanism at its center. Whether touching on loneliness and depression on “Sink or Swim” or channeling a crumbling barfly on “Barkeep,” the Tenderbellies’ music is grounded in everyday living, the experience of people carrying on through tribulations and heartbreak.

The band never lets things get static, moving at a fair clip and channeling Latin rhythms on “All in Lines” and closing with a proper troubadour ballad on “Heading Home.” The Tenderbellies have a lot of tools at their disposal, and they use them all.

When the Thunder Rolls is available on major streaming services and on CD and vinyl at tenderbellies.com. The Tenderbellies play Four Quarters Brewing in Winooski on Wednesday, May 14.