Live from the Highway

On Live from the Highway, Cast Iron Filter demonstrate a knack for well played, if not entirely original, bluegrass-styled jam band music. Of course, choosing to play firmly within a genre isn't necessarily a mission statement for originality, so the point is kind of moot. The mix of bluegrass and rock rhythms in a live setting put them in a good-time social space that leaves them little room for quiet sensitivity or artistic innovation. The music, for the most part, is led by mandolinist Mike Orlando, whose Celtic runs often define the band's improvisation, alternating lead with bassist Mason Bissett, who takes speedy Victor Wooten-like solos (of questionable taste) in nearly every song.