YARN:
Even the most dire circumstance can offer opportunity for new beginnings. Just ask singer/songwriter Blake Christiana or any of the other members of the once Brooklyn based Americana band called Yarn. At least that’s the conclusion they came to after a period of real life challenges that left the band splintered and unsure of their forward trajectory. Internal tensions were simmering. A new album was scrapped. A major move from Brooklyn to North Carolina added to the uncertainty. For a band that seemed forever on the verge of a big breakthrough, the future suddenly seemed cloudy.
“We were dealing with real life issues,” Christiana explains. “Broken relationships, a sense of having to regroup and put some things — and people — behind us. That’s what I was writing about lyrically in the new songs and it became kind of a catharsis. Nothing was contrived. We didn’t have to relate to it in the third person. We were living these circumstances, and that gave us the impetus and inspiration to share our sentiments. Ultimately those setbacks and difficulties led to new opportunities and allowed a little light to shine through.”
Christiana’s referring to the band’s album, the boldly optimistic This Is the Year. A seamless blend of vibrant, inspired, back porch melodies and narrative, descriptive lyrics that detail the challenges faced when one’s life is jolted off its bearings, the record documents in detail the band’s determination to move forward while balancing precariously on a line that forms a border between love and hate. It’s an album about re-evaluating relationships, making tough choices and sometimes skirting the rules, a tack that was inspired by musicians they admire — Waylon and Willie, Merle Haggard and other Texas troubadours with a distinctly renegade reputation.
For Christiana, bassist Rick Bugel, singer guitarist Rod Hohl and drummer Bobby Bonhomme, it meant taking a fresh look at where they were versus what they wanted to accomplish. Bonhomme had recently returned to the fold after an extended absence, while another longtime member was purged. “The tension suddenly dissolved,” Christiana says, giving an audible sigh of relief. “Suddenly we were free to express ourselves without having to look back over our shoulders. This album is our emancipation.”
“I think this album is a stepping stone for us, one we desperately needed,” Bonhomme adds. “It marks a much needed change in direction. The title is appropriate. This is the year, because now we can look forward. This is who we are. For the first time in a very long time we’re not afraid of taking chances. The bond between each of the band members has never been better, and it’s that camaraderie that helped us move forward and created the kind of passion that is evident in this album.”
“This is our best album yet,” Bugel adds. “This is also the happiest the band’s ever been. The chemistry we shared in the studio and on the stage is nothing short of amazing.”
That’s certainly no small accomplishment, especially for a band that spent two years honing their chops during a Monday night residency at the famed Kenny’s Castaway in New York’s Greenwich Village. In effect, it allowed them to rehearse onstage, mostly in front of audiences that often ranged in size from five to fifty people on any given night. Five studio albums followed — Yarn (2007), Empty Pockets (2008), Come On In (2010), Almost Home (2012) and Shine the Light On (2013). The band then took to the road, playing upwards of 170 shows a year and sharing stages with such superstars as Dwight Yoakam, Charlie Daniels, Marty Stuart, Allison Krauss, Leon Russell, Jim Lauderdale and The Lumineers. They performed at any number of prestigious venues — Mountain Stage, Daytrotter, the Orange Peel in Asheville, the Fox Theater in Boulder, the 9:30 Club in D.C, South by Southwest, the Strawberry Festival, Rhythm and Roots, Meadowgrass and more, eventually accumulating a total of 1,000 shows, half a million miles and performances in 32 states. They’ve driven nonstop, made countless radio station appearances, driven broken-down RVs and watched as their van caught fire. They’ve paid their dues and then some, looking forward even as they were forced to glance behind.
Indeed, the accolades piled up quickly along the way. They received a Grammy nomination, garnered nods from the Americana Music Association, placed top five on both Radio and Records and the AMA album charts, garnered airplay on Sirius FM, I Tunes, Pandora, CNN, CMT and Roughstock.com, and also accorded the “Download of the Day” from Rolling Stone. Shine the Light On found shared song writing credits with John Oates (the Oates of Hall & Oates fame), and when audiences expressed their admiration, it brought the band a populist following of diehard devotees, popularly known as “the Yarmy.”
As odd as that might seem, it’s proof positive that Yarn have made their mark, and in their dealing with emotions, scars and circumstances, they find themselves in a position to share those experiences with others who have sifted through similar sentiments.
In an era of click-bait and sound bites, Yarn provides a real experience. They’re not just a live band, they’re a band for people who want to live.
THE TRONGONE BAND:
Hailing from Richmond, VA, The Trongone Band is touring in support of their 2017 debut album, “Keys to the House”, released on Harmonized Records. With a sound that Paste Magazine likens to the “freak-outs of My Morning Jacket with the Muscle Shoals-inspired Leslie speakers and The Band’s narrative storytelling”, The Trongone Band is turning heads and making an impact on the Southern Rock ‘n’ Soul and Americana scenes.
Formed by brothers Andrew and Johnny Trongone with father John Sr on bass, The Trongone Band (tron-GO-knee) has grown from a family affair to a full on touring machine with the addition of keyboardist Ben “Wolfe” White and bassist Chip Hale. In the words of Live for Live Music, “the quartet has come together to create an old-school and all-in-the-family sound reminiscent of The Allman Brothers while still keeping it fresh with their cutting edge original compositions that also infuse funk and blues into the mix.”
Keeping with the homegrown vibe, the band nestled into the woods outside of RVA, tapping into Montrose Recording’s Flickinger console, one of only seven remaining in the world. Known as the console that revolutionized the recording industry in the 60s & 70s, the Flickinger provided the warm sounds that turned into “Keys to the House” and brought to life what MusicFestNews described as “imagery of boxcar drifters, rolling hills and dirt roads that are easy to close your eyes and get lost in”.
Summer and Fall of 2017 saw The Trongone Band taking “Keys to the House” on the road while touring in support of stalwarts including Umphrey’s McGee, Reckless Kelly, American Aquarium and Cris Jacobs. Having graced the stages of Virginia’s Roosterwalk and FloydFest, Tennessee’s Riverbend Music Festival, The Allman Brothers’ Peach Festival in Pennsylvania, Atlanta’s Sweetwater 420 Fest and Macon’s “Big House Presents Summer Jam”, the band is primed for a busy 2018 festival season and their first full European Tour. This four-piece ensemble may not all be related, but with a chemistry so emphatically discernible, it’s fair to call them brothers.
“The group blends the contemporary jam freak-outs of My Morning Jacket (the comparison is made even more appropriate by guitarist Andrew Trongone’s mane like Jim James’s) with the Muscle Shoals-inspired Leslie speakers and The Band’s narrative storytelling.” -Paste Magazine
“Keys to the House is rife with Americana themes about lost love, small towns, big dreams and wanderlust. The Trongone Band conjures up imagery of boxcar drifters, rolling hills and dirt roads that are easy to close your eyes and get lost in.” -MusicFestNews
“There’s nothing I can say more than when you hear this album, you’re going to enjoy it. It will warm you and lift you up. Which is critical at a time when most music is instantly disposable and forgettable. And as a debut, The Trongone Band has delivered a strong first statement. Here’s hoping there’s more in the stable down the road.” -Popdose
“Take some good ol’ fashioned rock and roll and mix it with a little country/Americana and you have RVA’s The Trongone Band. The group, which began as a family affair years ago, has been entertaining crowds ever since with their feel-good, no frills, energetic shows and next month, the band will drop their debut album.” -RVA Magazine
“The Trongone Band is a perfect mix of soulful down-South rock ‘n’ roll and classic Americana-style jamming.” -Live for Live Music