John Craigie, Folkadots, Cherokee Fade Friday, September 7th $5
John Craigie
Before open mics, before showcase slots, and before the hype, there was the traveling folk singer. Woody Guthrie, Ramblin Jack, Leadbelly, and others traveled the country armed with nothing but a guitar and a head full of songs. And while the tradition has long been shadowed by the ever growing music industry, the folk singer is still out there. John Craigie is one. Doing his best to keep the tradition alive, he travels from town to town, telling stories and singing songs. Some nights to a crowded house, some nights for two people. His songs and stories cover the spectrum of human emotion. Some funny, some sad, some bitter and some sweet. With his roots style, Craigie has been gaining a cult following throughout the country. Despite the lack of any of the tools of the modern aggressively popular musician, his music continues to spread.
Cherokee Fade
Erin Rose is a banshee who writes rhymes on cocktail napkins while laying down whiskey for a living. She met Kevin Elliott who long before her had decided to dedicate his life’s blood to music. Years went by. Cherokee Fade is their love child and can be credited with re-uniting the love that had been lost over time, or misplaced, and given away. Their music is simple and truthful, lyrically driven, and gives a nod back to the days when songs really had something to say to you. Waking Up Is Hard To Do, their debut album set for release this winter, was written and recorded in the summer of 2011. “The album was created in a strange space, a lot of secrets had accumulated over the years, and there was a lot to dig through, it led to a lot of truth and I think people have been where we have been,” said Erin Rose about the whole process. Growing up on a steady diet of Patsy Cline, Fleetwood Mac, and Paul Simon she attributes much of her style and the groundwork of this project to their inspiration. “We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel here,” said Kevin about the simplicity of Cherokee Fade, he continued, “I may be the body, I would have always made music, but she’s the heartbeat.” Together they have managed to create a sound that is distinctly their own and yet remarkably timeless. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to pull up chair, pour yourself a drink, and have a real good listen.
Folkadots
What golden fields are to the countryside, so the Folka Dots are to music. The woven roots of two bluesy fellas and three folksy gals bear the sweet fruit of an old-timey era. It’s a soulful sound for all ears. Bass, guitars, fiddle and tambourine sustain lyrical harmonies the way winding winds carry over pastoral hills. The Folka Dots roam freely along the rambling roads of years past.
The Folka Dots tripped over each other October 2010, and found themselves in the studio not a month later, recording all original songs. The album, Down Below, released in May 2011. A new album of charming, original material is expected Fall of 2012.
As Live Unsigned said, “[They are] unashamedly (indeed avowedly) backward looking folk and Americana. Well played, and charming.” City Weekly, who nominated the new band as 2012 Band of Year, notes “The band creates-harmony-laden, old-timey songs, it’s simple, it’s clean, it’s pure.”