Pokey Lafarge And The South City Three
April 20th, 2011
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“20′s and 30′s music… I gotta say I don’t know if it gets much better than that- in my own personal opinion. We’re doing our best to pass it on in our own way. Of course we write a lot of our own material. That’s our way of passing it on. I don’t pick cotton… I don’t push a mule… I don’t even ride a horse. I’d be afraid of breaking my hands if I fell off… Things are different these days but it doesn’t mean that the old music isn’t relevant because it’s American music…” ~ Pokey LaFarge, February 2011
Every now and then a roots music act bursts forth from the scene with enough viability and charisma to not only be considered a bona-fide star of the genre but to win over wider audiences as well. Just as the Old Crow Medicine Show and The Carolina Chocolate Drops have done over the past decade, it appears that another group is on the verge of becoming the next such troubadour of American roots music. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pokey LaFarge and The South City Three.
Based out of St. Louis, Pokey LaFarge and The South City Three have been hard at it for a couple of years now, channeling the spirit of blues and ragtime performers from a bygone era with their raucous and engaging stage show. Fresh off the heels of a successful European tour and the acclaimed release one of the most consistent roots music albums of recent memory; they are on a tear and show no signs of slowing down. Their 2010 album, Riverboat Soul, was just named the Americana Album Of The Year by the
Independent Music Awards, they have another European tour already on the books and their next full length album “Middle of Everywhere” is slated for a July 19th release on Free Dirt Records. For those that can’t wait until July, though, an appetizer of sorts is in the offerings…
After hearing one of their tunes broadcast on Nashville’s 650 WSM-AM, Jack White (of White Stripes fame) recently brought the band to his Nashville studio for a recording session. Though it could be argued that there wasn’t much need to tinker with their recipe, White encouraged the band to experiment with their sound a bit adding drums and (gasp) flugelhorn yet still allowing the authenticity of their music to bubble through. The session resulted in two tracks- “Pack It Up” and “Chittlin Cookin Time In Cheatham County,” released last month as a limited edition 7″ record on White’s Third Man Records.
Though only two songs, this release offers would-be fans a taste of the band’s strongest trait- and perhaps what distinguishes them the most from their contemporaries- their ability to comfortably saddle the line between vintage and original. “Pack It Up” is a LaFarge original that sounds like a resurrected ragtime tune, while “Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County,” is a cover of a Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith Trio recording from 1936 (interesting of note is the fact that “Chitlin Cookin’ Time” borrows the melody from “St James Infirmary”- a tune which, incidentally, was included on the White Stripes 1992 debut album.) To the untrained hear, though, both songs sound as if they could have originated from the same source. The arrangements of both are spot on and the production value is fantastic. Do yourself a favor and snatch up a copy while you can! It is currently available from both Third Man Records and Pokey LaFarge websites.
Upcoming Pokey LaFarge And The South City Three tour dates:
Thursday, April 21 – fooBAR.too in Nashville, TN
Friday, April 22 – Morelock’s Music in Knoxville, TN
Thursday, May 12 – Schubas Tavern in Chicago, IL
Saturday, May 14 – Hangar 9 in Carbondale, IL
One Response to “Pokey Lafarge And The South City Three”
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I couldn’t agree with you more! Well done. These guys are sensational-