Since Mumford & Sons’ debut album Sigh No More hit the US in 2010, their trendy, folk rock ego has taken over radio stations and award shows with blazingly catchy hits. Last year’s follow up Babel maintained their rapid momentum, and when their subsequent tour was announced last fall, tickets went quickly. For Mumford fans who couldn’t score an in to the sold out TD Garden show on February 5th, here’s a list of artists coming to Boston who just might tickle your folk fancy and then some. Because, admit it, sometimes you can’t really tell Mumford’s songs apart, anyway.
Shovels & Rope
February 1st at The Sinclair
Husband-and-wife pair Michael Trent and Carey Hearst are behind band Shovels & Rope, but don’t think their music necessarily reflects the sentimentality of such a bond. Hearst and Trent’s distinct vocals are anything but romanticized: both reach for climactic levels in bursts of varied range, and as a result, their harmonies overflow the brim of nice and neat. Rather, they are unabashedly beautiful. The sloppytonk duo’s song style reflects their Southern roots as fittingly as Trent’s raggedy tanks and the red handkerchief often tied around Hearst’s neck; for a proper sampling check out “Birmingham” off of 2012’s O’ Be Joyful. Bulging behind their harmonies is a cacophony of slap-steady, manhandled instrumentals, a spread that includes a variation of kick drum, harmonica, guitars, snare, tambourine, and keyboard. Their two-man format never fails to exceed expectations, and their raucous, backwoods-front-porch country aesthetic feels right at home, no matter where you’re from.
Frontier Ruckus
February 10th at Great Scott
Frontier Ruckus is a Michigan-based band often categorized as ‘folk rock,’ but that’s taking the easy way out: no pre-ordered niche completely captures the quartet’s unique stylization. Their base is grounded in folk tradition, with the help of melodic banjo lines and a musical saw, but from there the outfit shifts into something more difficult to pinpoint. Horns, church organs, ‘80s keyboards, stylophones and more miscellaneous noisemakers all pack together under a layer of electric guitar and nostalgia; impressively, the resultant sound is not only cohesive, but appealing. Frontman Matthew Milia’s straightforward vocals give the busy instrumentals an unexpected edge, and the combination of influences (bluegrass, country, jazz, and blues in addition to folk and rock) keep Frontier Ruckus engaging, and you guessing.
Punch Brothers
February 16th at House of Blues
Out of the disbandment of Nickel Creek in 2006 came Punch Brothers, led by master of the mandolin Chris Thile, and backed by the band featured on his earlier solo album. With roots deep seated in bluegrass, the quintet’s sensibilities venture from there into markedly sorrowful soft rock, a diversion from the usual spirited celebration that blares out from the union of banjo, fiddle, guitar, and upright bass. Their latest album, 2011’s Who’s Feeling Young Now? brandishes a bit more of a bite, with distinct rock and roll attributes undercut by Thile’s high and slow vocals. If you give Punch Brothers a long enough listen, they can be just about anything you want them to be: punk-tinged revelers, bouncing foot stompers, or full-fledged folk rockers. It’s as if they’ve drafted a loose formula, and with each new track, flex a different musical muscle.
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
February 22nd at TT the Bear’s Place
New England’s Aly Spaltro is the 23-year-old lady behind Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, and despite her tiny stature and youthful features, she is a folk force to be reckoned with (and in 2010, she won a Boston Music Award for Folk Artist of the Year). Often consisting of an acoustic guitar and her lone voice, one that’s matured well beyond its years, her songs have a deeply personal, intimate touch that crafts a connection between her gravelly lyrics and her listeners. Spaltro emanates an old soul in a young woman’s body, and her sound leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth, as well as a desire to find out more about this mysterious Lady Lamb. Last year’s head is swiimming (bedroom recordings), available for streaming on her Bandcamp page, combines sultry swoons with a dreamy layer, giving her usual one-guitar setup an eerily entrancing edge. Her debut studio album, Ripely Pine, out February 19th, is sure to be a heartwrenching product of heartfelt effort.
The Felice Brothers
opening for Mumford & Sons
If you did manage to grab your tickets to the Mumford & Sons show, make sure to get to the Garden in time for opening band The Felice Brothers. The Catskills boys’ wrangling rage and down-and-dirty influences are so potent, they can be translated through a set of speakers; their live show revives that audible experience into a raunchy, intoxicating reality. A violin and an accordion whistle folk lore through melodies that complement the steady bang of drums and keys, the group often culminating in a shouting, stomping, all-around rock out. Even when they’re on stage, they incite the feeling that they belong in a dive bar where everyone knows each other and yells out all the words to “Whiskey in my Whiskey.” So instead, they create that fraternized atmosphere from their position in front of an audience, and as a result, their show will make you want to throw your arm around a neighbor’s shoulder and order another Jack and Coke. Do so, and you’ll be perfectly revved up for Mumford & Sons.
Check out this playlist for a sampling of the artists above.
