Author Archives: Live and Breathing

Bombadil: 
I Will Wait

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase Bombadil at: Bombadil

With a sound all their own and a stage show to match, Bombadil is, if nothing else, one of the freshest bands to emerge in a long time. The band draws on a unique melange of influences to create sound that is unclassifiable. The group was born in Bolivia, and the folk music indigenous to the region incorporates international instruments and styles. That influence, paired with backgrounds in Piedmont blues, psychedelic rock and Stuart Robinson’s background as a classical pianist, stands as the driving force behind the band’s unique sound.

Recorded at the 2011 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival.
Checkout Bombadil’s Website.

New Familiars: 
Smile

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase the New Familiars at: The New Familiars

North Carolina’s The New Familiars have been touring & playing their own style of American Rock & Roll for years now. Drawing from the vast influences that they’ve collected throughout their careers, this quartet has shaped a sound that combines the nitty-gritty roots music of the Appalachia with guitar-drenched-drum-driven anthems of Rock & Roll.

Recorded at the 2011 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival.
Checkout the The New Familiars website.

Fruit Bats: 
Shivering Fawn

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase The Fruit Bats at: Fruit Bats

Over the course of more than a decade, Fruit Bats have looked for ways to file down the cynical edges of modern life. Using bright melodies, defiant major-key chord structures, and natural imagery mixed with the occasional blazing insight or tender observation, Fruit Bats have never shied away from darkness, but have also resolutely refused to shy away from light.

Recorded at the 2011 Pickathon Music Festival.
Checkout The Fruit Bat’s website.

Water Tower Bucket Boys: 
The Pilgrim Song

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase the WaterTower Bucket Boys at: Water Tower Bucket Boys

After 5 years on the road, 4 albums under their belt and multiple international tours, the Water Tower Bucket Boys have been brewing up a storm in the folk music world. Based in Portland, Oregon these young gents got their start busking on street corners playing traditional old time and bluegrass, eventually honing their sound as a solid dance band playing square dances and bluegrass festivals up and down the west coast. Loosely based in the traditions of bluegrass, punk rock, blues, cajun, folk and country their sonic creations transcend all musical boundaries.

The Wilders: 
The Current

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase the Wilders at: The Wilders

Both on stage and in the recording studio, the Wilders stay true to the old-time and bluegrass traditions, and infuse them with the unique, often hair-raising energy that has become their namesake. Initially, the band cut its teeth on the classics of Americana and bluegrass, performing spirited resurrections of tunes from honky-tonk heroes like Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell, Jimmie Rodgers, and Roy Acuff and the Skillet Lickers. Over time, The Wilders’ sound has expanded, embracing greater individual expression and originality, as the band members have grown and matured together.

Jim Hurst & Rob Ickes: 
Swamp Reed

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase Jim Hurst & Rob Ickes at: Rob Ickes

Jim Hurst is the veteran, award-winning guitarist from the Claire Lynch Band and Rob Ickes the award-winning dobro player and current member of the highly acclaimed group Blue Highway. Considered the top bluegrass performers on their respective instruments, they team up here for a unique performance.

Recorded at the 2011 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival.
Checkout Jim Hurst’s & Rob Ickes’ Websites.

Cardboard Songsters: 
Rain on Wednesday

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Live and Breathing

The Cardboard Songsters are a creative group of folks from Portland, Oregon who explore the mix of song and performance. Animated with giant cardboard props, they entertain all ages with songs both odd and old.

Jubal's Kin: 
So Long

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase Jubal's Kin at: Jubal's Kin

The distinctively spare sound is grounded in a love for what can only be called the pure and real, at once embracing both a strong roots tradition and fresh indie folk – “Appalachia-infused Cosmic Americana.” At live shows or in the studio, a seemingly new subgenre is created, their songs displaying raw emotion vulnerable and unassuming with handcrafted spins that creak and stomp like a wooden dance floor…

Duke Junior and the Smokey Boots: 
Reckless

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase Duke Junior and the Smokey Boots at: Duke Junior & The Smokey Boots

Expect nothing short of fantastic country-folk from this Athens, OH, quintet. With harmonies that seriously rival David Rawlings and Gillian Welch and a level of musicianship that just completely blows everyone else away, this crew ain’t gonna be our regional secret for very long.

Josh Oliver: 
Diamond Joe

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Live and Breathing
Purchase Josh Oliver at: Troubles - Josh Oliver

East TN native Josh Oliver has spent the past five years as a side man, touring all over the United States, singing harmony, playing lead guitar and piano with the likes of the everybodyfields, Sam Quinn + Japan 10, and Jill Andrews. And now, with his debut album, Troubles, he’s taking a stab at being out front.