JERRYCAN STONY MAN MOUNTAIN In this day and age where bluegrass music is popular the world around, it is not unusual to encounter bluegrass bands from all corners of the globe. Until recently most of these groups have been considered to be mere novelties and have never achieved any longstanding success comparable to their American counterparts. However, this may soon be changing with the arrival of Jerrycan, a five-member group from The Netherlands who could be poised for a shot at becoming a major force in modern bluegrass music. Jerrycan has mastered the essence of bluegrass music that extends far beyond simple mimicry. Their debut album “Stony Man Mountain,” is a showcase for some of the most superlative bluegrass on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. Stylistically, Jerrycan bears an obvious kinship with now-defunct Spectrum that is amply reflected in pieces like “Leaves That Are Green” and “I Guess It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.” According to Bill Clifton’s liner notes, the band derives their name from an inside joke about the availability of the group’s banjo player Jerry Gout. However, their musical prowess it nothing to be snickered at, and many up and coming bands could learn much from the level of discipline and dedication that Jerrycan imparts in their music. The material featured in “Stony Man Mountain” comes from a multitude of sources including Don Stover’s “Things In Life,” Bill Harrell’s “Misty Mountain” and Alan Mills’ “Love of the Mountain.” They even take the old instrumental, “Pike County Breakdown,” and convert from a major to a minor key with startling results. Of the five original pieces on the album, the title song “Good Morning Sunshine and “Sweet Serenader” stand out as exceptional numbers that certainly deserve more than a mere passing glance. Jerrycan is rock solid in both their instrumental and vocal abilities. Jerry Gout and Fiel van de Veen are especially impressive on banjo and fiddle respectively. Lead singer Theo Lissenberg proves to be a forceful vocalist who impart an uniqueness and makes them a force to be reckoned with. A top flight performance combined with a quality production make “Stony Man Mountain” a delightful experience guaranteed to perk more than just a few ears, and in the proceedings here are any sort on indication of what we can be expected from Jerrycan in the future, are we in for a treat. - Les McIntyre BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED September, 1983