The Whiskey Gentry
Midpoint Music Festival, Cincinnati, OH
9/28/2013
More info visit http://www.mpmf.com
Road tested and audience approved, The Whiskey Gentry is releasing their second album, the 11-track Holly Grove on September 10th. Fresh from performing the national anthem for hometown heroes the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field last week, the band continues to reel in listeners from all walks of life from music novices to mainstream audiences, while their musical mastery garners the professional praise and respect of those with the most sophisticated of musical palates. A recent finalist in the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition held at MerleFest and the Braves’ official “2012 Band of the Year,” their eclectic mix of country, bluegrass, folk, rock, and punk fuels music with poppy and poignant lyrics, fiery and heartfelt vocals, and traditional and avant-garde sound, rounded out by honesty, edginess, and entertainment all around.
“2013 is going to be our year,” Staley foretold Jezebel Magazine. “We’re ready to get our new songs out there, and to reach a bigger audience.’”
Co-produced by John Keane (R.E.M., Uncle Tupelo), who joined forces with the septet on their critically acclaimed debut album Please Make Welcome, and mastered by Glenn Schick (Indigo Girls, Drive-By Truckers), Holly Grove came to life with a little help from friends. They raised more than 100% of their goal to fund studio sessions by rallying their fans via a highly successful Kickstarter campaign. Butch Walker, renowned producer and songwriter, former lead singer of Marvelous 3, and long-time friend, mentor, and catalyst behind lead singer Lauren Staley’s career, contributes in a duet on the song “One Night in New York.” Local artists pitched in as well, resulting in a true ensemble effort with cameos throughout the album by Les Hall, the Dappled Grays, and Radiolucent.
Comprised of Lauren Staley (vocals), Jason Morrow (guitar), Chesley Lowe (banjo), Sammy Griffin (bass), Price Cannon (drums), Michael Smith (mandolin), and Rurik Nunan (fiddle), The Whiskey Gentry continues to blaze new trails in Americana music and beyond.
“We have a lot of fun and [there’s] nothing we’d rather do,” Morrow told Montgomery News. “This is all of our shared passion. We feel like a family. It’s what people can expect to get.”
For more information, please visit: www.thewhiskeygentry.com
“The Whiskey Gentry pluck ‘n’ twang with the best of them, Lauren Staley’s stirring yet commanding vocals powering the songs to delirious heights, the musicians demonstrating exceptional instrumentalism.” – Stomp and Stammer
“A sound my 75-year-old Jimmie Rodgers-obsessed old man would love right alongside the kid in the Social D tee with the full sleeve tattoos.” – Peter Farris, writer
