Seldom Scene

It’s a real dilemma when a band name goes on but the players don’t, like seeing the Beach Boys with nary a Wilson. With only one original member (banjo player Ben Eldridge) in place, Seldom Scene are not the same band they were in their heyday with the unmistakable vocals of John Starling and the mind-bending dobro playing of Mike Auldridge. Yet this Seldom Scene have locked onto the carefree spirit of the original, with an irreverent assault on unexpected cover tunes matched with the lethal pairing of slick harmonies and top-notch playing. From their spry take on John Fogerty’s "A Hundred and Ten In The Shade” to their melancholic run with Scott Boyer’s "Please Be With Me,” Messrs. Eldridge, Connell, Reid, Simpkins and Connell do their namesake proud, even paying direct tribute with a reworked "Don’t Bother With White Satin” from 1973’s Act 3. "This Morning at Nine” kicks with fiery pickin’ passion, while the country-esque "Too Bad You’re No Good” has some fun at the band’s expense, an important component of the legacy which, they way things are sounding, may be experiencing a second coming.