RRE earlier this summer- photo by Suzy Perler A handful of “hobos” wandered off the beaches and boardwalk of Asbury Park into New Jersey’s legendary Stone Pony for a two-set performance by Jersey’s own progressive bluegrass boys Railroad Earth. With temperatures climbing into the triple digits for the day and a “moist” opening set from Assembly of Dust, the scene was already blistering in the heat when Todd Sheaffer picked up his guitar led the band into a mellow take on “The Good Life” to kick off the first set.

The combo of “Saddle of the Sun” and “Happy Song” increased the show’s tempo with John Skehan on mandolin taking his first of many standout solos, working his pick through simultaneously smooth and twang-filled melodies that had the crowed stomping their feet and kicking up dust.

From the onset, there is really no doubt that Railroad Earth is a well-oiled machine – a band that you know is listening to one another on stage – but if there is one “sight to be heard,” that honor must go to fiddler Tim Carbone. “Crossing the Gap,” a bluegrass tune penned by a Jersey band about their home state, gave Carbone his first chance to really display his fiddle chops, working the bow through sharp progressions and hitting peak note after peak note. To close out the set, Carbone picked up a guitar and banjoist Andrew Goessling set aside his primary instrument in favor of two saxophones that added a New Orleans “second line” flavor to “Hard Livin.’”

As the fans filed in following a much needed cooling off period, Railroad Earth began round two with the epic instrumental journey of “420.” The follow up of “Ragtime Annie Lee” segued into a fire breathing “Cuckoo” – led by the rock solid rhythm section of Carey Harmon (drums) and Andrew Altman (bass) – that continued to pick up speed through to its conclusion.

Railroad Earth walks the spectrum of musical genres with the right foot in Americana bluegrass and the left foot wherever it may roam. Few selections could demonstrate this fact better than the cover selection of “Any Road,” the opening track off George Harrison’s 2002 posthumous release Brainwashed. The folksy traveling tune was a perfect fit for the band to pay homage to a legend and still engage in some improvisational roaming.

After the steady rise of intensity through the opening section of “Head” broke, Carbon and Skehan dueled through the improvisatory segments, challenging one another to find the type of note that travels through listener’s straight to the bottom of their neck (they hit a few). For their last trick, the bad nailed a set-closing “Morning Flies” – not quite the house rocking closer you might hope for, but that just left high expectations for the encore.

And the audience was certainly not disappointed. Railroad Earth returned to the stage for its, dedicating the vagabond’s anthem “I am a Mess” to soundman Mike and his fiancé in honor of their upcoming wedding. A little sense of humor and well-wishes to conclude a stellar evening.