The Coal Porters - No. 6 (Expanded Edition) (2022)

The Coal Porters new album, No. 6, is produced by John Wood, the legendary British folk-rock mastermind who recorded the classic albums of Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, Beth Orton and Squeeze. No. 6 is a bit of a departure for the Coal Porters as it pushes their musical boundaries further than ever before.

This new album features Kerenza quadruple tracking herself into a string quartet, Andrew on a ukulele, Sid on trusty autoharp and mandolin, both Neil and Paul on dobro, a Byrdsy acoustic 12-string guitar, and very emotional, long, sweet trumpet solo by Cuba’s noted “son y mambo” music virtuoso Eikel Venegas. There has never been music like this before. And already, the album’s opening track, Sid’s “The Day The Last Ramone Died,” is being hailed as a classic (and a much viewed video on YouTube).

Recorded in two creative bursts in late 2014 and in 2015 this is the Coal Porters album which took three years to incubate. Four new Sid songs, three new Neil Bob Herd originals, and Kerenza Peacock contributed her first recorded lead vocal on a very personal song with Play A Tune while also gracing the record with a totally catchy instrumental, Chopping The Garlic. The album goes out on a high note with the band’s warm-hearted cover of the Only Ones’ classic hit Another Girl, Another Planet.

Paul Fitzgerald: banjo, dobro, vocals
Sid Griffin: mandolin, autoharp, clawhammer banjo, harmonica, vocals
Neil Bob Herd: guitar, bajo sexto, dobro on Unhappy Anywhere, vocals
Kerenza Peacock: fiddle ukulele, vocals
Andrew Stafford: doghouse bass, backing vocals

Special guest: Eikel Venegas, trumpet on The Blind Bartender
Tali Trow, backing vocals, bass on Train No. 10-0-5, guitar on The Blind Bartender