& present

End Of The Road presents ... an evening of contemporary folk and roots feat. Moriarty, Magnolia Electric Co., The Tallest Man on Earth and Charlie Parr.

In autumn 2009 the AB will be organising a tribute to the American ethno-musicologist Alan Lomax (1915-2002). It is thanks to his pioneering work that anyone can now acquaint themselves with the earliest folksong recordings. Together with his father, he was responsible for the discovery of blues legend Leadbelly and folk icon Woody Guthrie. Lomax was later the most important staff member of the Archive of Folk Song or to the Library of Congress in Washington.

As part of this tribute, the AB will be organising an evening with performers who have incorporated folk and roots music into their contemporary sound in an exciting way. A festival that, for several years now, would appear to have the best nose for the genre is the British END OF THE ROAD festival in Dorset in the South-West of England. A festival that feels strongly about small-scale and where performers know how to preserve their uniqueness under the best possible circumstances. On their stage this year: the likes of Alela Diane, Steve Earle and Fleet Foxes. The programmers of the festival, together with AB, have compiled a satellite-bill for Brussels, an international co-production, as it were.
More info: END OF THE ROAD

Moriarty is no longer an unknown in France, or by extension Brussels. They sold-out the Botanique 2x in the past and, thanks to the festivals, they're gradually finding their way into Flanders. This French-American collective draws inspiration from a rich tradition of folk, country, Americana and jazz, but knows how to mix those influences into an extremely original 'country noir'. Singer Rosemary's distinctive, dreamy, vocal sound is timelessly classy and beautifully suits the melancholy lyrics of their debut album ‘Gee Whiz But This Is A Lonesome Town’. Oh, yeah, and Arthur and Thomas from Moriarty have travelled in genuine Lomax style themselves, through Africa and America, and will most likely have a few stories to tell about that.

Magnolia Electric Co., together with frontman Jason Molina (see also: Songs: Ohia), drops into the AB in Brussels for a third time. Their most recent feat was a 4-track single titled ‘It’s Made Me Cry’, released for Record Store Day and still recorded with their now unfortunately deceased bassist Evan Farrell. So in the past Molina also operated under the name Songs: Ohia, or even solo (see: a sold-out ABClub in February 2007). Those who have already seen Magnolia Electric Co. at work live, know what sort of ingenious musical things the band is capable of. Molina’s deep lyrics never bore for a moment either. Flawlessly supported by his band, that maintain the balance between the sound of Neil Young and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.
"He reminds me of a young Dave Van Ronk" (Greg Brown)

Charlie Parr’s mix of country blues and folk leaves a deep impression. His raw voice, socially sound lyrics and intense guitar rhythms make him an important protagonist within contemporary American folk music. He set his first steps toward folk via Alan Lomax. He came into contact with those field-recordings via his father. While others his age where then getting into classic rock, Parr immersed himself in the music of kindred spirits like Furry Lewis, Rev. Gary Davis and Mance Lipscomb. Parr presents his new album ‘Roustabout’ in the AB and is also the most traditional name on the bill.

The last name to be added to this bill is that of American songstress Laura Gibson. Her new CD ‘Beasts of Seasons’ (to be released here at the end of the summer) was very much enjoyed in the offices of the AB and contented cooing could also be heard in the headquarters of the British End Of The Road festival (with whom this evening is being organised). Her guitar style has its roots in folk and tends slightly toward minimalism and, why not, avant-garde. While, at the same time, her voice reveals a love for jazz. In this way she one minute gives a contemporary face to folk from the Appalachians, the next she's dusting off sober country blues. She's worked in the studio with Tucker Martine (see: Sufjan Stevens, Bright Eyes) and could count on the musical assistance of the likes of Rachel Blumberg (M. Ward, Bright Eyes), Nate Query (The Decemberists), Adam Selzer (M. Ward) and Laura Veirs.

The Tallest Man on Earth is the rather strange alias of Swede Kristian Matsson. His fine folk is often compared with that of Bob Dylan. Not completely without reason either: his oeuvre also contains that typical narrative element. His latest offspring ‘Shallow Grave’ (2008) harvested worldwide success. We reckon that the combination of his weathered voice along with that clever guitar work is one of the things that will provide him with a bright future.

The Blues Routes Trip by Arthur & Thomas of MORIARTY

When we spoke to Moriarty in March 2009 in the French Legation Museum in Austin, they were immediately prepared to perform as part of our tribute to Alan Lomax. The musical connection is also also obvious. After going into the subject further, it became apparent that 2 Moriarty members, Thomas and Arthur, had travelled a few authentic blues routes. On 15 September, especially for AB, they will be giving a 30 minute account of those journeys using images and sound.

Tallest Man on Earth - The Gardener - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Laura Gibson at OMSI from The Penny Jam on Vimeo.