the Lone Bellow

in recent years, a sub-genre i can only define as "Brooklyn Folk-Gospel" has emerged and grown. whether it's the Avett Brothers, Lumineers, the Punch Brothers, Mumford & Sons (shudder), or Alabama Shakes (rock!), it's a music whose motivational appreciations i can only relate to non-Asian people being super into yoga and eastern spirituality. and they're not all from Brooklyn, but they sure got talent!

to my pale brothers; you guys have a great culture. how about just stick with the rock, after all you invented it*

i'm being (mostly) facetiousness. after all, i was the guy wearing the Toad the Wet Sprocket t-shirt in high-school. this good shit's been around for years, it's only recently caught on again while i was busy banging my head to the Postal Service and the like. and like TPS, BFG is catchy, usually quite good, and oft-recommended with a nice glass of bourbon.

which brings me to the Lone Bellow. a longtime music buddy of mine (and original musooklubber), John, with whom i wrote boarding school music reviews (he wore the Alanis Morissette tee), recently noticed the band (the Lone Bellow, not Alanis) would be playing at my local music hall, and encouraged me to attend.

never one to turn down a recommendation for a show that's but a 5-minute walk from my house, i bit, and bought tickets after only watching an NPR Tiny Desk concert. and while it's no 1989, it ain't half bad.

DL and give it a whirl.

i convinced some friends to join me tonight, and will be at the show in a few hours. i'll be sure to let you know that it's even better live (after all, that would be the BFG thing to do)

ok, so now i just read this background info on the band, and my earlier facetiousness makes me feel like a total a-hole: 

The Lone Bellow began as a songwriting project for Zach Williams, whose wife had suffered temporary paralysis following a horseback riding accident. During his wife's recovery, Williams coped with the experience by writing in a journal. At the urging of his friends, Williams learned how to play the guitar and turned his journal entries into songs. Following his wife's recovery, the couple moved to New York City in order to pursue their creative endeavors

like i've done anything as baller as that in my life. i'll be taking my lighter, or smartphone. or Snapchat. or whatever the kids do these days.

i've been listening to the band all day in preparation. it's someone reminiscent, but much more optimistic, than Glen Hansard's Once soundtrack (seriously, you haven't watched that movie yet, get on it already)

*oh wait, you didn't. but you're pretty damn good at it. so stick with that.