Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms – “Innocent Road” (premiere)

Caleb Klauder has been a singular force in the alt-country/string band scene in Portland, Oregon for many years with his influential band Foghorn Stringband as well as his storied solo career. Now, he is teaming with musical partner Reeb Willms, who he met back in 2009 at the National Old-Time Fiddle Contest, for a new album of 14 original songs, Innocent Road releasing September 30th, rooted deep in the world’s of bluegrass and country. The title tune “Innocent Road” is a super catchy, mandolin lead number with some jaunty riffs and gorgeous harmonies. Klauder and Willms meld together as a duo with the same naturalness as Chris and Morgane Stapleton.

Klauder says, “This song mystifies me because I don’t quite know where it came from. I was playing a gig in town, and a fellow who I considered to be a role model for the kind of music we were playing, was filling in on banjo. I started playing this little mandolin riff and I knew it had to be from some old song that I just couldn’t put a name to. I asked this friend, “Hey what tune is this?”, and he answered, “I don’t know, but it sounds like an old gospel song”. I went home after the show that night and started playing the riff some more. Innocent Road, which I consider to be a gospel song, seemed to write itself in a matter of minutes. I’m not too religious, although I do feel that something larger is at work around us. The lyrics of Innocent Road are a combination of my vague knowledge of the Bible and some of my own sentiments about life. It’s about a human being trying to navigate the world in a way that is kind, generous, and loving, and from the perspective that I am not the king of it all and that I can always learn and grow, innocently, like a child.”