Brown Bird - The Devil Dancing

The Eastern European flare on The Devil Dancing is what separates Brown Bird from many other folk acts. David Lamb(guitar,banjo,percussion) started the group as a three piece with now married couple Jerusha(cello,vocals) and Jeremy (accordion, banjo,toy piano, vocals) Robinson. In those early years the group had a darker sound that surfaces at times on The Devil Dancing. Other members added later are Mike Samos (dobro, lap steel, mountain dulcimer) and Morganeve Swain (viola, cello, ukulele, vocals) now make the group a five piece that at times sounds like a seven piece. The songwriting on this album has clever wordplay about men in search of redemption.

The easy and cool nature of Lamb's vocals punctuate the first song, "Danger and Dread". 'You say there's no use tryin' to protect you from the danger and dread, though this world is made of fearsome beasts that bark and bite, we were born to put these creatures through one hell of a fight may we feast upon the flesh of any fever that befalls you tonight." The accordion accents are played in an eastern European fashion here.

"Down To The River" is a non- conventional spiritual number outfitted with choral harmonies. In most songs about going to the river there is redemption at the river. Lamb's version states, ' I went down to the river with my suffering sins, Lord I tried but the water wouldn't let me come in. Too many lives have been broken, there's too much blood on my hands, there ain't no water in this world that can turn me into an innocent man.'

The title track sparkles. It's nice mix of stringed instruments that add to the songwriting. 'You chased every demon from my guilty heart you were draggin' your claws on the walls of my veins tearin' me apart. Now I come home as a stronger, ah, stronger honest heart.'

'The man I could have been' is a running theme on The Devil Dancing. David lamb spins tales of men that can see, but not quite reach their redemption. The five piece that is Brown Bird plays as a cohesive unit that are in no rush. The songs are allowed to breath and the music frames the strong songwriting nicely. The harmonies vary and add a depth to the songs on The Devil Dancing.

Check out their myspace, they are on tour with South China (the side project of fellow band- mates Jerusha and Jeremy Robinson). I hope they come to Chicago, so I can see both of these great bands and maybe work in an interview.

Thanks to Ron at Peapod recordings.

Brown Bird - The Devil Dancing

Peapod Recordings & The Water In Portland

There must be something in the water in Portland Maine or perhaps just at Peapod Recordings. How else could there be three incredible bands (South China, Brown Bird, and Dead End Armory) at one label in one town in the furthest reaches of the north eastern part of America. The starting point should be how far north Portland is from a majority of the rest of the country. I am very lucky to have traveled with my wife on vacation through Portland, Maine to our destination, Bar Harbor and I can tell you that it feels detached from the rest of the U.S. by it's location. We flew into Boston and drove up the scenic Route 1 through some of the most beautiful looking places. The people of this area superseded the beauty of the scenery. Incredibly nice and genuine the people were throughout our trip through Maine. We visited in late Spring. I have a friend who was stationed in the Coast Guard in Maine who tells me that there are harsh conditions in the winter. The people there don't reflect the hardship of that cruel winter. In the music of the aforementioned bands of Peapod Records there can be somber tones, and yet it doesn't feel like isolation or anger.

I was fortunate to stumble onto Brown Bird's The Devil Dancing on Lala and inquired at Peapod about doing a review. Ron Harrity kindly sent me that album along with South China's Washingtons and Dead End Armory's Hope You're Good. I thought of writing a big piece about the label and it's location and small blurbs and recommending all three albums. The more I listened the more I realized it would end up 4 posts, this one to set it up and full reviews of the three albums.


We went to Maine on a working vacation. My wife had a conference in Bar Harbor and we stayed there five days. During the day, I drove almost every bit of major road on Mt. Desert Island, as well as spending some time in Portland. Before this trip I had never thought about moving out of state. After the trip my wife and I were both thinking about Maine quite a bit. She even inquired about possible job openings with the Bar Harbor institute that held her conference. To this day it's my favorite place in the U.S. that I've visited. I will always think about Maine when I listen to South China or Brown Bird or Dead End Armory, and that's a great thing.

So I fully encourage you to check out the full Peapod Recodings roster of artists. I also recommend spending some time in Maine, and see if you feel the same way about that I do.