BGS is proud to partner once again with our friends at Yamaha Guitars to bring you exclusive Yamaha Sessions shot earlier this year in Los Angeles, California. On a sunny afternoon, the fellas of Water Tower joined us and Yamaha at a cozy and cute backyard studio in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills in Burbank. Water Tower are an exciting and buzzed-about band in the bluegrass space, pulling as much inspiration from punk, rock and roll, pop, and hip-hop as the mountains of Appalachia and the rural bluegrass landscapes and sounds we all hold familiar. Their sets and shows are rollicking, energetic, unhinged – and equally charming – wowing audiences with their energy, repertoire, and hijinks.
For our Yamaha Session, band founder and frontman – and a keystone string band community builder in Southern California and around the country – Kenny Feinstein is joined by bandmates Tommy Drinkard and John Seltzer. Feinstein and Drinkard swap verses and licks as they flatpick each bold, forward-leaning solo on their Yamaha Guitars – and Seltzer holds it all together on the ukulele bass. Even in a performance video such as this the appeal of Water Tower and their no-holds-barred approach is obvious. Feinstein’s lyric deliveries are as hilarious as they are legit, his voice twining with Drinkard’s into that classic high lonesome sound. “Sittin’ on Top of the World” is an incredibly common and familiar number in the bluegrass canon, but here it’s rendered with plenty of standout Water Tower flair. You’ll recognize the timeless lyrics, often referenced and interpolated elsewhere in roots music, in blues, Americana, folk, old-time, and beyond. It’s a perfect song for singing along, even if it’s not so perfect for, say… if you don’t like peaches. (Don’t shake the tree!)
Yamaha Guitars played by Water Tower provide the perfect, lush sound bed for the winking silliness and earnest hot licks they are known for. These are instruments not just well-suited to bluegrass, but to all sorts of string band sounds, whether infused with punk, showmanship, humor, grit, burnin’ licks – or all of the above.
Stay tuned, as we’ll unveil more Yamaha Sessions in the near future featuring more from Water Tower and songs from Californian indie-folk singer-songwriter Cayden Wemple, as well. It’s all part of our celebration of the 60th anniversary of Yamaha Guitars. From the legendary FG Red Label guitars to modern innovations like their TransAcoustic series, Yamaha continues to set the gold standard for acoustic guitar craftsmanship worldwide. To celebrate 60 years of guitar excellence, visit Yamaha.com and stop by your local Yamaha dealer today.
This content is brought to you in partnership with Yamaha Guitars.
