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Event
River Whyless w/ Luray
SATURDAY, APRIL 4 Doors: 7pm | Show: 8PM
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Bright Box is General Admission. Seating is on a first come, first served basis. Arrive early to grab a seat and order something to eat. Doors open at 7pm. _____________________________________________________
RIVER WHYLESS Asheville, North Carolina's River Whyless is a band much like that titular body of water a mingling of currents, a flow of time and physical space, all brought together in a murmuring sense of purpose. It is the expression of a group of musicians, three of which are songwriters, who have played together in various forms since their college days in the North Carolina mountains. Their latest EP, their first release since their 2012 debut album, is the next evolution of the band's collective voice.
After the "long and arduous, DIY" process of recording their first album over a period of many months back in 2011, the band elected to decamp to Louisville, Kentucky's La La Land Studio to work with Kevin Ratterman (Andrew Bird, My Morning Jacket, Ben Sollee) on their new recordings. "We like to get out of town when we write and record. Putting our minds and bodies in a creative place tends to yield the most honest results. In an atmosphere like La La Land you can eat, sleep and breathe the music you're working on without the distractions of everyday life. I enjoy that," added O'Keefe. "We recorded mostly live with just a few overdubs. Kevin likes to move at a good clip in order to capture that magical, synchronistic moment. He also records to tape and uses all this great gear. Tracking this way was new and exciting to us and, I think it shows in the songs." Recording this way captured the chemistry and intuitive bonds of long-time collaborators hitting their stride. As a band who has toured heavily over the years, it reflects River Whyless as a cohesive unit, where each member anticipates the other's move, and effortlessly complements it. The new EP was recorded and mixed in just four days. "I'm more proud of these songs than any others we've recorded" glowed O'Keefe. And it's easy to see why.
The machinery-like percussion that leads track four, "Miles of Skyline," is interwoven with clock-like guitar patterns alongside Shearin's lead vocals. The weeping guitar of "Fine Companion" underpins the stridently hopeful lyrics. "Maple Sap" builds on its multiple metaphors of firewood and sap to ask universal questions we grapple with in stillness with ourselves. "Bath Salt" has a loping rhythm that showcases Anderson's voice finding a mark between Sandy Denny's ethereal plea and Crystal Gayle's country swoon. The English trad-folk sounds are the band's obvious touchstones, putting them in a category similar to contemporaries like Fleet Foxes and Stornoway.
LURAY Shannon Carey, the woman behind Luray, is a banjo player, singer, and songwriter, but the music she's created for her debut album, The Wilder, moves the banjo into uncharted territory. The long melodic banjo lines she creates to embroider her songs have the feel of a rock guitar, while the rhythmic layers she adds to the music by strumming and fingerpicking bring in elements of folk and country, creating a sound that's both traditional and futuristic. You could call it ambient folk or electrograss, but the sound doesn't fit easily into established categories. With the help of her brother Sean (S. Carey of Bon Iver), she's produced an album that confounds expectations with its ambient, cinematic sweep.
Luray is helmed by Washington, D.C.-based singer/songwriter Shannon Carey who creates banjo-inspired indie rock fused with classic country and folk. The debut, The Wilder was recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with her brother/producer Sean Carey (of S. Carey and Bon Iver). It became a family affair with the addition of brother Colin Carey (vibes, drums) and husband Gabriel Wisniewski (electric guitar).
The Wilder creates strange and lovely bedfellows of sound banjos, vibes, pedal steel, and ambient vocals make up this once bluegrass-picking songwriter's newly roused approach to making music. The end result is somewhere between the likes of Iron & Wine and Emmylou Harris. Inspired by her travels, Luray is named after the Virginia town at the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains. I am a wanderer and a traveler by nature. I resonate with certain places and become quicly attached. Luray was like that," Shannon explains. "It's tall grass, wildflowers, and rolling green hills hit me at a time when I was experiencing a lot of change and loss. I discovered these songs were within me, and was coaxing them into form. The lush life in the Shenandoah Valley in early spring helped convince me that the songs were worth writing."
With roots in a musical family, Shannon Carey began writing songs at an early age. Though originally from Wisconsin, she rediscovered her love of music and took up the banjo while living in Northern California in 2006. The banjo's rich history in bluegrass provided an immediate tradition from which to draw inspiration, and the community of musicians that came with it offered fertile ground for collaboration. First featured on backing vocals for S. Carey's debut album, All We Grow, Shannon soon returned to songwriting and performing full-time. Taking the banjo beyond bluegrass and into moodier and fresher territory is at the heart of her soon-to-be released debut album, The Wilder.
Luray live includes Shannon Carey on banjo and vocals, Sarah Gilberg on keyboard and backing vocals, Gabriel Wisniewski on electric guitar, C.J. Wolfe on drums, and Brian Cruse on bass.
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LocationBright Box Theater (View)
15 N Loudoun St, Suite 100
Winchester, VA 22601
United States
Categories
Dog Friendly: No |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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