Indie-rock/Alt.country/Americana; like Son Volt sharing a cell with XTC

9 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, ROCK: Americana



Details:
Basic description:
Indie-rock/alt-country from the mountains of Western North Carolina. The Worthless Son-in-Laws blend truck-driving rockers with pastoral daydream soundtracks and meditative, melody-laden pop songs.

"The Worthless Son-in-Laws fuse their laid-back roots sound with the jangle-pop sounds of NC band the dB's and Chris Stamey, while also recalling Son Volt and possibly a hint of the Decemberists." - Shout Magazine

Bio:
The Worthless Son-in-Laws are a Boone, North Carolina-based band formed in the wee hours of 2004. You could call their music New South Underground, or say their long and diverse musical histories inform a mixture of acoustic indie rock, electric southern rock, American roots music, and 80's punk and 90's pop rhythms. But that might make you think they were Kansas reunited. Really, itâs more like XTC stuck in a cell with Uncle Tupelo. Or an early REM branch grafted onto a Skynyrd stump. Or Joni Mitchell ghostwriting the autobiography of Little Feat.

Jimmy Davidson (acoustic guitar/vocals) and Rob Brown (electric guitar/vocals) write songs and sing them. Jimmy flips through books by Michael Pollan and Richard Dawkins--not to mention Strunk & White--for lyrics, while Robâs muse is his latent desire to be a truck driver (he is, in truth, a university professor). Rich Crepeau (bass guitar, PhD) plays bass and writes a sinister country-punk numer his own self now and then. Aaron Cummings (drums) plays drums and the Star Wars version of Trivial Pursuit. His dogâs name really is Wompa. As long as weâre talking drums and dropping names, Jimmy used to play drums and guitar with songwriter Vic Chesnutt. Toy drums, that is. The Worthless Son-in-Laws like Gram Parsons a lot. They canât agree on much else. Except that pretty much anytime is a good time to have dessert. But, duh.

The Worthless Son-in-Laws recently played at Merlefest 2007. Merlefest director Claire Armbruster wrote on the Merlefest discussion boards: âI think that the hot new bands for 2007 [include]...the Worthless Son-in-Laws....Theyâve all really knocked my socks off.â There was no mention of the suitcase full of unmarked bills. The Son-in-Laws also play around the Carolinas and sometimes in Tennessee. They have a CD called âSort of Back to Having a Life.â Itâs even shrinkwrapped. Miracles do happen.