New-Timey Grass Rock

20 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, COUNTRY: Bluegrass



Details:
âThe bandâs sound contains all the dank, shadowy Appalachian humidity a goth-folk historian could want for, but itâs modernized enough to where it feels more accessible than archaic.â- Leslie Wylie, MetroPulse, Knoxville, TN

âFour out of five starsâ¦Iâve not seen an album of this type that does so well at telling a storyâ¦âThe Flattville Murder Albumâ is storytelling at its best combined with fantastically put together and played music.â- Indie Matters, Charlotte, NC

"...refreshingly country with a capital 'C', with no 'alt', 'electro', 'new', and definitely no 'nu' infiltrating its undiluted backwoods sound."
"The kind of muffled, painful moans you'd expect to overhear while hiking the Appalachian Trail...the unpolished heartfelt moans that were so good that they've resisted change for over a hundred years...they keep the mountain traditions alive and keep it local, reminding us of our roots."
-Molly Kincaid, Metropulse (Knoxville, TN)

"...baroque Southern Gothic originals, performed with a deadpan, winking solemnity."
-Matthew Everett, Knoxville Voice (Knoxville, TN)

"...Exquisite mournful vocals...they're making quite a name for themselves in the local scene."
-Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times (Maryville, TN)

"...Making music that is a part of the fabric of life in this area...they truly are beginning to stand out among the others. Their approach is honest, their music is good, and their future is bright. We are proud to play their tunes."
-Benny Smith, 90.3 "The Rock" WUTK-FM General Manager (Knoxville, TN)

"'The Flattville Murder Album', a triumphant first effort from Medford's Black Record Collection, is re-defining the standards of Americana, Bluegrass, and Country music with a concept album chocked full of post-bellum tragedy."
- Roman Reese, singer/songwriter, journalist

"Medford's Black Record Collection is the collaboration of Michael Davis and Matt Foster, who are storytellers in the same tradition as Nick Drake and Louis L'Amour (if he were a musician. Their folk sounds are breathing new life into traditional music with harmonies of Blue Highway and the raw dirty edge of Johnny Cash."- Helen Yonts


Local Album Review
Medfordâs Black Record Collection
The Flatville Murder Album (Self-released)
Medfordâs Black Record Collection forged its backwoods holler out on an overgrown tract of Roane Mountain, miles away from civilization under the tutelage of a freakish mountain man and his three-legged dog, where all good country twang is born. At least thatâs how the story goes. In truth, however, this group is made up of some of the hardest-working whippersnappers in town. Theyâve discovered that old-timey sound, something thatâs akin to a mellow J.D. Crowe & the New South, with croonings that seem artfully understated when compared to Webb Pierce. The style more closely resembles the recent pitch-perfect finger-pickings of Iron and Wine, but itâs tempered with vocals that might be the result of a chromosomal swap between the orchestrated harshness of Hank Thompson and the tough-guy velveteen vox of George Morgan.

On The Flatville Murder Album, the song âJail Cellâ poses the question, âHow long? /How long? /You loathsome son of a bitch, /before your debt catches up to you,â made all the more authentic with a healthy layering of slide guitar. âAbnerâs Ride,â in contrast, has a flair for extreme lamentation, the kind of muffled, painful moans youâd expect to overhear while hiking the Appalachian Trail. This is real country, the unpolished, heartfelt moans that were so good that theyâve resisted change for over a hundred years. And weâre all the better for it. Weâre better because of Medfordâs Black Record Collection, too, because it keeps the mountain traditions alive, and keeps it local, reminding us of our roots. âMay we all/ be forgiven/ in time /we pray,â they sing on âSinnerâs Plea.â âOh God, of the waters/ Oh God, of the sky/ may our stains be washed away.â Thatâs a prayer that works, no matter what genre youâre singing in.
âMolly Kincaid, Kevin Crowe, Metropulse (Knoxville, TN)