Sunday, April 11, 2010

Local Band Spotlight: Bone Orchard Revival

Finally! A band that more than lives up to its incredibly evocative name!

I had the privilege of seeing Bone Orchard Revival play their first Denver show last Friday night at Larimer Lounge. Describing themselves as “music for the wearied soul,” BOR plays Americana-style roots music that feels distinctly modern and fresh despite the lived-in quality of their sound. Maybe it’s the searing vocals or the unpredictable instrumentation (they even brought out an accordion at one point), but either way, these are my kind of blues!

A “wearied soul” no more, I was uplifted and even restored by their short but powerful concert experience. From the raging fire that fueled the up-tempo numbers to the exquisite slow burn of the aching ballads, every song moved body with its music and mind with its lyrics. In fact, I’ve been listening to their album, “Hush Money Hymnals,” almost non-stop since the show, and I keep waiting for my stereo to implode from awesome-overload. Though there have been changes in the band’s line-up between the album’s release in 2008 and this particular show, they still achieve in both incarnations the same level of rustic passion that keeps me riveted listen after listen.

Bone Orchard Revival’s next scheduled concert is Wednesday, April 28 at The Meadowlark. If that show is anything like this one was, you won’t want to miss it!

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