Benson describes Trouble as “effortless artistry . . . woebegone, lovelorn and wrought with pain, but not without installments of lightheartedness and beauty, downtrodden and then uplifted.” He adds, “The Howlin’ Brothers are somehow able to conjure images of a bygone era and make it believable. Trouble is all over the map and I don’t just mean figuratively. The listener gets a glimpse into the troubadour lifestyle, traveling (among other places) to Louisiana for a Cajun romp on the bayou and across the Arizona desert to California on a search for a misses. It’s a journey very much worth the while. Hoooowwwwllll!”
Benson continues: “The Howlin’ Brothers live the life they sing about in their songs. They are authentic and the real deal through and through. On top of that, they are the hardest working musicians I've come across. They play their instruments every waking moment and are truly possessed by music.”
Amidst all the touring and other activities the guys did to support HOWL, Brother Jared Green got married and became a dad, making the time away from home even harder for him. But every night on stage he brings the joy of playing and dancing to the music alive. His Taylor guitar is almost as worn as Willie Nelson’s famous guitar “Trigger,” with its extra sound hole created by too much pickin’. In addition to playing guitar, harmonica, dancing’ up a storm and singing, Brother Jared is an accomplished piano player (check out his playing on “Tennessee Blues” from The Sun Studio Session EP). He sings lead vocals on the songs he wrote: “Monroe,” “Pack Up Joe” and “Hard Times”.
According to Green, “The songs on Trouble are very different from one another. It’s a collection of beautiful music influenced from personal experience. We tend to write songs separately and collaborate after a melody or lyrics are fully thought. Trouble is a gumbo of stories that we hope the whole world will hear. It was a blast working with Brendan Benson again, getting as far out sonically as we could dream of, all in the midst of having a brand new baby and coming right off the road from a busy year. A time of my life I will never forget.”
He adds: "HOWL received great reviews from all over the world. I am still impressed by the overwhelmingly positive response it has received. We toured our asses off in 2013 gaining much insight into ourselves and the world we live in. It is beautiful to see people from all walks of life getting down to our music and it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that we are growing our fan base.
Trouble’s songs touch on lots of experiences from each side of the same coin in the band’s life. Though these guys have more depth and dimension than just two sides as people, players, and songwriters. Their individual strengths combine in the bands’ whole in ways that really do solidify their bond as musical brothers. They all met in college up in Ithaca, N.Y. and migrated to Nashville, Tenn. Afterwards, where they immersed themselves further in the Southern music they love and began to further hone their craft. Prior to HOWL (2013), they self released four albums - Tragic Mountain Songs (2007), Long Hard Year (2009), Baker St. Blues (2011), and a very limited edition compilation of live performances, Old Time All the Time (2012). These previous releases had been sold exclusively at shows, however they may become available on the band’s website sometime in 2014. An old-time pickin' party and the wash tub bass led to them meeting Brendan Benson, who later tapped them to perform on a Cory Chisel record he was producing, soon after Brendan & the guys teamed up to create HOWL.
They ended their HOWL Tour in style last year opening for and then participating in the Brendan Benson & Friends benefit concert (for The David Lynch Foundation) at The Ryman Auditorium in late December. They will reprise the same role on the 2014 version of this show in London at Shepherd’s Bush this coming October 11th.
Brother Ben Plasse plays stand-up bass and sings lead vocals on the songs he wrote: “Boogie”, “Love”, "Troubled Waltz” and “Louisiana”.
“HOWL was very well received, and I think we owe a lot of that to great bands like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Old Crow Medicine Show among others, who paved the way for a new generation of string bands to have success. It’s a beautiful thing to see so many young bands making music on fiddles and banjos.”
Brother Ian Craft plays banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and sings lead vocals on the songs he wrote: “Pour It Down,” “Night and Day,” “Sing a Sad Song,” “World Spinning Round,” “I Was Wrong” and “Yes I Am!”
Craft says: "Trouble is an awesome recipe for tasty sounds your ears will be happy to take the journey with us from Jays songs of love and Cajun food to Ben’s travels to get a mojo hand and find the girl who has yet to present herself, to my tunes of love gone wrong and finally a little moment in an old church on top of a smoky ole Tennessee mountain top.”
In the fall of 2013, The Howlin’ Brothers recorded and digitally released The Sun Studio Session EP in the U.S. and Canada. Recorded as part of the PBS series The Sun Studio Sessions, this six-song collection features four new originals (one of which, “Troubled Waltz,” was re-recorded for Trouble), a re-record of “Tennessee Blues” (from HOWL), and a cover of the Carl Perkins' classic “Dixie Fried.” A limited edition vinyl pressing will also be released via independent music stores on May 27th in the U.S. and Canada as well, and the EP will also be released in Europe on July 7 in CD, digital, and vinyl. Their segment (#8) of the PBS show has already begun airing and will be broadcast on TV in as many as 100 markets throughout this year in the U.S. The guys treated the opportunity to record in that historic studio with respect and really captured the spirit & tradition of those famous early rock ’n’ roll recordings that helped change the music world, by breathing new life into the process — adding subtle modern touches via their own influences and vision.
This EP was a bridge between HOWL and Trouble and is worth seeking out for all who dig those old Sun recordings and fans of The Howlin’ Brothers alike. The legendary Sun Studio in Memphis is still a going concern. A tourist destination during the day, the “Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll” often hosts sessions after hours with some of today’s best up and coming acts.
The Howlin’ Brothers begin a Pledge Music campaign the week of March 3 to help raise funds for a new van (so they can keep touring), some videos and marketing help for
Trouble, and to better fund their overall business efforts.
http://www.PledgeMusic.com
TROUBLE TRACK LISTING:
1. Pour It Down
2. Boogie
3. Night and Day
4. Monroe
5. World Spinning Round
6. Troubled Waltz
7. Sing a Sad Song
8. Pack Up Joe
9. Love
10. Hard Times
11. I Was Wrong
12. Louisiana
13. Yes I Am!
THE HOWLIN' BROTHERS ARE
Ian Craft (Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, Kick-drum, Vocals)
Jared Green (Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Vocals)
Ben Plasse (Upright Bass, Vocals)
Special guest artists on Trouble include:
Ricky Skaggs - mandolin on "Hard Times" and "Sing a Sad Song"
Etta Britt (also Brother Jared’s mother-in-law) - Background vocals on "Love" and "Yes I Am"
Mike Freid - Pedal Steel on "World Spinning Round”
Gregg Stock - drums on “Sing A Sad Song"
Brendan Benson - Washtub Bass on “Boogie” and background vocals on “Yes I Am!"
TOUR DATES
Mon., March 3 NEW YORK, NY Rockwood Music Hall 2
Wed., March 5 WILMINGTON, DE Wolrd Cafe at Queen World Cafe Live
Thurs., March 6 WASHINGTON DC Gypsy Sally’s; co-bill w/The Honeycutter
WAMU 88.5 FM interview and performance taping, 4 p.m.
Fri., March 7 FREDERICK, MD Weinberg Center for the Arts co-bil w/The Honeycutters and Steel Wheels
Sat., March 8 JOHNSON CITY, TN The Down Home
March 11-15
AUSTIN, TX
SXSW:
Tues., March 11, 5 p.m. - KDRP on-air performance, location TBA
Wed., March 12, 1 p.m. - Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff, The Dogwood
Wed, March 12, 1 a.m. - Official SXSW, KCA Showcase at Shotguns
Thurs., March 13, 12 noon - 5th Annual Radio-thon (WLVR - 91.3 FM), SXSW session
Thurs., March 13, 2 p.m. - Lucy’s South by South Austin Chicken Revival
Thurs., March 13, 9:40 p.m. - Grammy Museum, Rolling Stones tribute, Red Eyed Fly
Thurs., March 13, 12 Midnight – Official SXSW, Readymade showcase, Maggie Mae’s Gibson Lounge
Fri., March 14, 3:30 p.m. – Grade Ole Austin at Maria’s Taco Xpress
Fri., March 14, 6 p.m. - The Midway Foodpark Sun., March 16
FT. COLLINS, CO Avogadro’s Number
KRBX 89.9 FM, Radio Boise presents … (t), on-air interview, performance
Tues., March 18
BOISE, ID Neurolux
Wed., March 19
BEND, OR Father Luke's Room at Old St. Francis School *
Thurs., March 20
PORTLAND, OR Kennedy School Gymnasium *
Fri., March 21
GEARHART, OR Sand Trap Pub at Gearhart Hotel *
Sat., March 22
McMINNVILLE, OR Mattie’s Room at Hotel Oregon *
Sun., March 23
PORTLAND, OR Lola’s Room at the Crystal Hotel *
Tues., March 25
CENTRALIA, WA The Olympic Club Theater *
Wed., March 26
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND (SEATTLE), WA Treehouse Cafe
Thurs., March 27
TROUTDALE, OR Edgefield Blackberry Hall *
Fri., March 28
FOREST GROVE, OR The Compass Room Theater at Grand Lodge*
Sat., March 29
BELLINGHAM, WA Green Frog Acoustic Tavern
Sun., March 30
VANCOUVER, BC Railway Club
Thurs., April 3 (t)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT or
LINCOLN, NE TBD
Fri., April 4
DENVER, CO Swallow Hill Music Cafe
Sat., April 5
KANSAS CITY, MO Knuckleheads
Thurs., April 10 (t)
ATLANTA, GA Smith’s Olde Bar
WDVX - FM, Blue Plate Special, noon.
www.wdvx.com
(t) Wildman Steve Radio taping, 2:30 p.m.
www.WildmanSteve.com
Fri., April 11
BROOKVILLE, FL Sertoma Ranch/SpringBreak Festival
Sat., April 12
ATHENS, GA The World Famous
Tues., April 15
NASHVILLE, TN WSM 650 AM Morning Show performance/interview (9:15 a.m.)
Thurs., April 17
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Blue Door
Sat., April 19
CONROE, TX (Houston metro) Doseyt Doe Music Cafe
Sun., April 20
AUSTIN, TX Saxon Pub
Fri., April 25
INDIO, CA
Stagecoach Festival, Empire Polo Field
Sat., May 3
CARBONDALE, IL Tres Hombres
Sun., May 4
NASHVILLE, TN 3rd & Lindsay, 8 p.m. Broadcast live on WRLT 100 FM, Radio Lighting
Fri., May 16
GETTYSBURG, PA Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival
Fri., May 23
ALBANY, NY The Linda
Fri., May 30
GOSHEN, IN Ignition Music
Sat., May 31
LOUISVILLE, KY Decca Restaurant
Fri., Aug. 22
LAWNDALE, NC Clear Mountain View Music Festival
Sat., June 14
PALISADE, CO Palisade Bluegrass & Roots Festival
Fri., Oct. 10
LONDON, UK Shepherd’s Bush Empire Brendan Benson & Friends, a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation.
A FEW PRESS RAVES:
"I’ve heard whispers about The Howlin’ Brothers for a while now but never had a chance to catch a show until Folk Alliance. They’re worth the wait. The youthful old-time Nashville trio killed all week offering their ‘Tennessee Blues’ or covering Townes Van Zandt’s ‘White Freightliner Blues’.”—CMT Edge
"HOWL captures the ragged energy of their live performance. It’s heart-pumping, bass-thumping party music of the highest order.” —Acoustic Guitar (cover story, Jan. 2014)
“Not only do they cover their 21st century hillbilly string band bases — reels, fiddle tunes, bluegrass-style romps, etc. — they’ve brought raw-nerved rock attack back around to its full-bodied blues roots.” —Nashville Scene
“The Howlin’ Brothers take bluegrass and old-timey music as a starting point that allows them to rip into traditionally inflected tunes with a verve and energy that wouldn’t feel out of place on a rock ’n’ roll record. This is acoustic music with one eye turned toward the past and the other squarely facing the future.” —PopMatters
"For those who want a taste of what real roots music is supposed to be." —Elmore
“HOWL proffers tunes true to the spirit of their inspirations without being slavish imitators. Driven but not rules by skilled musicianship, they keep the rootsy waters churning without concern for winning Instrumentalist of the Year awards. Worrying less about authenticity than about being real, The Howlin’ Brothers make music that ignores trends in favor of timelessness.” —The Big Takeover
“The Howlin’ Brothers are poised for bigger things, and attention must be paid.” —Deep Roots Magazine
“A compelling, muscled Americana outfit, given just the right showcase here by Benson. —AllMusic
"The Howlin' Brothers have an infectious joy to their playing that shoots them righrt into your brain." —The Alternate Root
"I sure enjoyed working on the new Howlin’ Brothers project. Their desire to mix old and new sounds together really caught my attention. It’s a good work.” —Ricky Skaggs
