Ramseur Records

Bombadil is a band and a word that I was unfamiliar with. I did a quick check on Wikipedia and apparently there’s a fellow named Tom Bombadil that is described in J.R.R  Tolkien’s 1934 poem, “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil,” as a “merry fellow” living in a dingle close to the Withywindle river, where he wanders, exploring nature at his leisure. Oddly enough, that spirit of back-country exploration is a fair description of the band and their recent release, Tarpits and Canyonlands.

Bombadil was formed by Duke University alumni in North Carolina by way of Bolivia, giving them an international flavor on folk and Americana music. Tarpits and Canyonlands will be released by Ramseur Records, which was the first sign that I’d most likely love the album. The second sign was the second song called “Sad Birthday.” It’s an upbeat piano driven, hand-clap accented number that is brimming with musicianship and raucus energy.

“Honeymoon” is the next song and another standout. Much like “Sad Birthday,” they take a serious theme and marry it (pun intended) with playful arrangements as they question “what lies beyond that honeymoon?” Their sound is a blend of Cat Stevens and The Avett Brothers that will have you tapping your steering wheel, bouncing in your chair, skipping in your step, or otherwise drawing a bit of drudgery out of your day.

Tarpits and Canyonlands will be released on July 7th.

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Bombadil – Honeymoon

Bombadil – Reasons

Video: Bombadil – Three Saddest Words, from their previous album, A Buzz, A Buzz.

Ramseur Records has announced upcoming releases for Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers and Paleface, both scheduled for 4/28 release dates. That Samantha Crain has quite a voice.

More about Samantha Crain and The Midnight Shivers’ album, Songs in the Night:

With their debut full-length, Songs in the Night, Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers deliver a shudderingly beautiful unique batch of songs in a style that’s been described as “meshing freak folk with a deep-seated, dust-bowl soul.” The 22-year-old Shawnee, OK  native’s haunting voice, well-chosen words and emotional depth ring true in a way that sets her apart from most artists of her generation. Picking up where her critically acclaimed 2008 Ramseur Records EP, The Confiscation, leaves off, we find Crain presenting each song with an unfeigned fervor as her voice rises and falls over the panorama painted by the Midnight Shivers and their roots-infused, fertile arrangements.

More about Paleface’s album, The Show Is On The Road:

More than a decade since his last major label release and collapse from alcohol abuse, PALEFACE, a founding member of NYC’s Anti-folk movement, is back with The Show Is On The Road (Ramseur Records).  The album is an intimate, 11-song diary that transcends genres with its ingenuous lyrics and deceptively unassuming style -  just Paleface on acoustic guitar and harmonica and his girlfriend Monica “Mo” Samalot on drums and backing vocals, along with the occasional piano overdub. Paleface is the sort of artist who brings you into his world. His voice is sweetly ravaged and effortlessly expressive, as intimate as a friend whispering in your ear. The album is a farewell love letter to his longtime home, New York City, and an embrace of his new life in the South. Visit on MySpace.

Here are the title tracks for each upcoming release:

Samantha Crain and The Midnight Shivers – Songs In The Night

Paleface – The Show Is On The Road

The Everybodyfields are a relatively new band to me. Woody first turned me on to them a few months ago, pointing out that we made a drastic error by not including their remarkable album, Nothing Is Okay, on our best albums of 2007 list. Since I’ve started listening to this band from Johnson City, TN, my faith has been restored in the country music genre. Jill Andrews (Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Lead Vox) and Sam Quinn (Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Lead Vox) write striking lyrics while Josh Oliver (lead guitar, keys), Tom Pryor (pedal steel), and Jamie Cook (drums) add lush textures to each song.

Shirk sent me a rough mix of “The Only King” and not leaking it early was excruciating. I’m fairly certain that Jill Andrews was sent from heaven. That song has the capacity to bring you damn near to tears for no apparent reason. I’ve been sick with anticipation to hear the rest and there’s not a weak track in the bunch.

Besides Jill’s vocals, highlights for me are Tom’s pedal steel throughout the session and the delicate nature of Sam Quinn’s voice on “I Can’t Sleep.” The Everybodyfields session introduced me to several tracks that aren’t on their latest album, so I was forced to pick up Plague of Dreams and Half-Way There. Digging into their song catalog has been a contemplative pleasure.

It was truly an honor to have this band stop in the studio. The Everybodyfields are true professionals with loads of talent. We didn’t get much info on the set list, so if anyone knows where “Gun,” “Mardi Gras,” and “City Noise” came from, I’d be interested in finding out.

Exclusive: The Everybodyfields – Gun (new track, unreleased)

Exclusive: The Everybodyfields – Mardi Gras (new track, unreleased)

Exclusive: The Everybodyfields – City Noise (new track, unreleased) Track removed at band management’s request.

Exclusive: The Everybodyfields – The Only King

Exclusive: The Everybodyfields – I Can’t Sleep

Sessions in the hopper: AA Bondy and Ben Sollee.

While I’m on the subject of live sessions, also check out Joe Pug’s live session on I PIck My Nose.

You may have noticed that the image above is a bit better than pictures of past live sessions. There’s a good reason for that. We forgot to take one. See that one on the right over there? We didn’t take that one either. I considered pulling out the old Crayola’s to create an artistic portrait of Samantha, a la Daytrotter, but thought better of insulting the band by representing them as stick figures.

Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers home brew their Americana sound in Shawnee, Oklahoma, which seems fitting. The town’s growth in the early 1900’s was fueled by booming agriculture and railroad industries. Why is this important, you might ask? I’m now quite sure. I don’t know if Shawnee folk raise their young ‘uns with stories of ancestors working the railroads and cotton mills, but Samantha Crain’s sound does seem to give a nod to those olden days. She’s just a shade over drinking age, but delivers sophisticated lyrics enveloped in soaring vocals that should make the Choctaw Nation proud. I love the word Choctaw.

I’ve seen her compared to Joanna Newsome, which I’m not on board with. I like Samantha far better. She has the folk sensibilities of Alela Diane, the quirkiness of Feist, and the straightforward delivery of Neko Case. I’ll let y’all decide for yourself. She was kind enough to grace us with five live tracks in Shirk’s studio and you can hear more on her EP entitled The Confiscation, which was released July 22nd on Ramseur Records (also home to two of my favorites, The Avett Brothers and The Everybodyfields).

And I just realized I never even mentioned the Midnight Shivers which, in addition to having a great name, provide the musical foundation for all things Samantha. Great work fellas – I particularly enjoy “Traipsing Through The Aisles” and “The River.” This is one young band and vocalist that we should all keep an eye on in years to come.

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Exclusive: Samantha Crain – Traipsing Through Aisles

Exclusive: Samantha Crain – Get The Fever Out

Exclusive: Samantha Crain – Rising Sun

Exclusive: Samantha Crain – The River

Exclusive: Samantha Crain – From Where Come You Division?

Who’s coming up on future sessions? You’ll see Leatherbag, Danny Malone, Your 33 Black Angels, Backyard Tire Fire, and Jukebox The Ghost. That’s a tasty lineup.