If Uncle Tupelo taught us anything, it was that two incredibly talented and hyper-creative personalities will find it difficult to co-exist within the same band structure. Apparently, the principals of the Band of Heathens didn’t bother to learn that particular lesson, as their Austin quintet is that rarest of all musical entities; a band with three distinct frontmen.
Since meeting at a mutual residency as solo acts on Austin’s fabled Sixth Street five years ago, Ed Jurdi, Colin Brooks and Gordy Quist, singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists to a man, have had no trouble conceding the spotlight to one another in the context of Band of Heathens’ classically inspired Americana hymns and anthems.
On their third full length, Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son, the Heathens continue to channel the spirits of some of American music’s most powerful personalities; the swampy Rock gumbo of Tony Joe White, the inclusively freewheeling embrace of The Band, the funky Blues swing of Leon Russell, the heartland Rock ethic of Tom Petty, the Folk/Blues/Jam jump-and-run of the Grateful Dead, and the bayou translation of CSNY’s harmonic brilliance. Along with the skilled touch of producer George Reiff (Chris Robinson, Courtyard Hounds, Ray Wylie Hubbard), the Band of Heathens have crafted Top Hat Crown into a marvelously timeless extension of some of the greatest music ever made, adding their own potent contemporary twists while working within a familiar framework that has remained vibrant and vital for the past four decades.
The Band of Heathens make their Northampton debut at the Iron Horse on Friday, August 5th at 7PM with Boston-based singer/songwriter Will Dailey, whose heartfelt lyrics and folk inspired sound has resonated deeply among fans.
Tickets are available at Northampton Box Office, 76 Main Street, 413-586-8686 and online at IHEG.com
No comments:
Post a Comment