The Travelers 3 - Travelers 3 (CD)

All Music Guide

Formed at the University of Oregon in the wake of the Kingston Trio's massive early'60s success by banjo player Charlie Oxama and guitarist Pete Apo, both from Hawaii, and mainland bassist Dick Shirley, the Travelers 3 recorded three albums for Elektra Records, of which this is the first. Sticking pretty close to the Kingston Trio template, the Travelers tackled the usual traditional folk material, although Oxama's hypercharged banjo playing gave them a relatively more aggressive feel, and tracks here like the opener, "Roll Along," and the zippy "Bowling Green" have a charming, headlong kinetic edge lacking in most of the socalled "suit and tie" harmony trios prevalent during the folk revival. No bonus material was added to this reissue, however, so it all comes in at around 30 minutes in length, making it a pretty brief collection by CDera standards. The Travelers 3 left Elektra for Capitol, where they added a drummer and tried their hand at folkrock. Eventually Oxama and Apo returned... to Hawaii and formed Na Kama Hele (Hawaiian for "the travelers"), releasing a couple of albums themed around traditional Hawaiian music. - Steve Leggett, All Music Guide Read more Less