Dive Bar Dinner by Berens & Greuel
The last time Wisconsin's most Wisconsin-centric comedian, Charlie Berens, and Adam Greuel of Stevens Point band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades teamed up for an album, it resonated beyond the Midwest. Thawed, the duo’s 2020 debut, made the Top 10 in Billboard’s bluegrass and comedy charts, topping the former.
The twosome’s latest break from their primary occupations, Dive Bar Dinner, continues in its predecessor’s laidback, low-key goofiness that sends up and celebrates so much about Badger State culture. Their whimsical observations often hew to topics distinctive of Berens’ stand-up bits, like Old Fashioned drinking, lengthy goodbyes and whether Wisconsin or Michigan most resembles a mitten. The humor imbued throughout the album isn’t so much the kind that seeks gut-busting guffaws, like so much of Berens’ stage and internet work does. Instead, the laughs Dinner generates are generally gentler in their recognition of certain truths and observations like, yes, it may be a good idea to have some antacid on hand if you’re going to take a ride on the State Fair rollercoaster.
Musically, these 11 tracks are as much, if not more, indebted to soulful, brassy Americana and folk than anything bluegrass. As on Thawed, the occasional presence of Teresa Marie Hardy of Madison’s People Brothers Band lends sass and magnetism that begs the question of why she’s not a solo attraction yet. Since it’s doubtful Berens & Greuel will be a touring entity any time soon, Dinner is one of the few places to hear their winsome ditties.
Stream or download Dive Bar Dinner at Amazon here.
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