SON ARK @ Echo

8:30pm / $10adv; $12dos / 18+

Old Man Markley || Listen||Watch||MP3
So, you’ve heard of Bluegrass, but what’s “Newgrass”? Well, it’s the affectionately coined style of music the kids in OLD MAN MARKLEY have been pioneering since 2007. Made up of nine musicians with punk rock in their hearts and traditional acoustic instruments in their hands, OLD MAN MARKLEY have adeptly bound the two genres, giving way to something fresh and exciting. If you’re having trouble with the concept think of it like this: What would happen if Mike Ness woke up drunk in bed with the guys from Old Crow Medicine Show and decided to just make a record rather than do the walk of shame? Or, for a more tangible description, look at what bands like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys have done with Irish Folk music and you’ll get an idea of what OLD MAN MARKLEY are doing with America’s proudest Folk tradition, Bluegrass. Music that was initially conceived through casual front porch sing-alongs has steadily matured into a 12 song album recorded by Joby J. Ford of The Bronx. The album is called Guts n’ Teeth and the second we heard it we were hooked. Every spirited track on Guts n’ Teeth features captivating three part harmonies playing off of nimble instrumentation. Folks, we’re talking about banjos, fiddles, mandolins, harmonicas, washboards, and, hell, they’ve even got a homemade washtub bass in the mix, all of which the kids in OLD MAN MARKLEY can play faster than green grass through a goose. From start to finish Guts n’ Teeth showcases their irresistible twist on the genre, infusing a youthful party-first sensibility that has their crowds doing do si dos in the circle pit. From the get go the group has gained a reputation for putting on raucous, high energy sets and in their young career they’ve already played alongside Flogging Molly, Bad Religion, The Reverend Horton Heat, The Devil Makes Three, Against Me!, and Supersuckers. OLD MAN MARKLEY are poised to reinvent tradition and Guts n’ Teeth is the blueprint.

Ellwood || Listen||Watch
In this day and age everyone has a band, and it’s easy to get lost in the haircuts and the ‘this–core’ and the ‘post-that’ and the long band names that invoke bloody doom, so when a bunch of accomplished musicians get together and use their abilities to craft sun soaked Southern California reggae and laid back ska, it’s like, ‘finally, a band that I can just drink beer and dance to.’ That band is Ellwood and they’re the product of lazy days spent in California’s Santa Ynez Valley just jamming in the garage, the guest house, the barn and a bar.

Son Ark || Listen||Watch
son ark arrived in Los Angeles by way of Roanoke Virginia (which lays exactly between The Grand Ole Opry and Apollo Theatre) when they heard a rumor that Sam Philips was rebuilding Muscle Shoals on the west coast. Since then, son ark has been filling establishments across Los Angeles with their unmistakably unique brand of Americana roots rock and with lyrics that tell tales of bygone eras and heartbreaking love lost, son ark longingly reminds us of days gone by. The songs are not antiques, though. Influenced by the likes of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Patsy Cline, Andrew Bird, and Led Zeppelin, son ark tells their tales in a decidedly contemporary way.

In summer 2007, singer Robin Harris, guitarist Sherman Pascoe, and bassist Chris Sousa met by luck or by fate and began playing played at speakeasies, cafe bars, and street corners alike for the next year. Meanwhile, in Boston, banjo player Matt Sousa began hearing of his cousin Chris? escapades and decided to move West and join band. Pat Butterworth entered the ranks in 2008, completing the band. From that moment on, son ark has made stages throughout Los Angeles their stomping grounds.

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