Folk Soul Revival w/ Jerry Castle
A modern band rooted in old-school southern sounds, Folk Soul Revival whips up its own version of amplified Americana on the band's self-titled fourth record.
The name says it all. Folk Soul Revival, like the band that created it, is an album that celebrates the sounds, stories, and small-town values of an earlier era, modernizing their approach with sharp songwriting and electrifying instrumental work. There's country twang, bluegrass bounce, hillbilly hell-raising, chicken-pickin' guitar, and roadhouse roots-rock, all sandwiched into a tracklist that mixes heartbreak, honesty, and humor in equal doses. Recorded in Nashville and road-tested on stages across the country, this is Folk Soul Revival's finest work — an album that nods to the glory days of the past while still pushing the band forward.
Formed in southwestern Virginia in 2008, Folk Soul Revival has spent a decade growing a wide audience both at home (where they've become a regular presence at local institutions like the Carter Family Fold, FloydFest, and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion) and on the road (where they've shared shows with Dr. Ralph Stanley, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jason Isbell, Eric Church, and others). They're road warriors, logging roughly 100 performances a year. For Folk Soul Revival, though, those tours always lead back to Bristol: the group's birthplace, home, and muse. Many of the life lessons that lurk inside Folk Soul Revival's 12 tracks can be traced back to that place.
Jerry Castle
Jerry Castle had just wrapped up a long string of shows in support of Not So Soft Landing, his most acclaimed album to date, when he found himself waking up one morning to some particularly devastating news: Donald Trump had just been elected president. "It was such a heavy feeling — something I'd never felt from an election before," he remembers, thinking back that day in November 2016. "I wound up starting a new record the very next day, almost like therapy. I didn't know what else to do with myself." Working in his newly-rigged home studio, Castle spent seven months crafting Brand New Hello, a self-produced album that merges his sharp singer/songwriter roots with upbeat tempos, layered arrangements, pop melodies, and rock & roll muscle. It's a bright album for cloudy times, filled with a sense of buoyancy — an anthemic synthesizer here, a four-on-the-floor drumbeat there — that emphasizes hope and renewal over sorrow. The most modern-sounding project in his catalog, Brand New Hello fires twin barrels of political insight and poppy punch, influenced by everything from America's social climate to the Top 40 music his daughter would play in the car during the album's creation process.
The name says it all. Folk Soul Revival, like the band that created it, is an album that celebrates the sounds, stories, and small-town values of an earlier era, modernizing their approach with sharp songwriting and electrifying instrumental work. There's country twang, bluegrass bounce, hillbilly hell-raising, chicken-pickin' guitar, and roadhouse roots-rock, all sandwiched into a tracklist that mixes heartbreak, honesty, and humor in equal doses. Recorded in Nashville and road-tested on stages across the country, this is Folk Soul Revival's finest work — an album that nods to the glory days of the past while still pushing the band forward.
Formed in southwestern Virginia in 2008, Folk Soul Revival has spent a decade growing a wide audience both at home (where they've become a regular presence at local institutions like the Carter Family Fold, FloydFest, and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion) and on the road (where they've shared shows with Dr. Ralph Stanley, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jason Isbell, Eric Church, and others). They're road warriors, logging roughly 100 performances a year. For Folk Soul Revival, though, those tours always lead back to Bristol: the group's birthplace, home, and muse. Many of the life lessons that lurk inside Folk Soul Revival's 12 tracks can be traced back to that place.
Jerry Castle
Jerry Castle had just wrapped up a long string of shows in support of Not So Soft Landing, his most acclaimed album to date, when he found himself waking up one morning to some particularly devastating news: Donald Trump had just been elected president. "It was such a heavy feeling — something I'd never felt from an election before," he remembers, thinking back that day in November 2016. "I wound up starting a new record the very next day, almost like therapy. I didn't know what else to do with myself." Working in his newly-rigged home studio, Castle spent seven months crafting Brand New Hello, a self-produced album that merges his sharp singer/songwriter roots with upbeat tempos, layered arrangements, pop melodies, and rock & roll muscle. It's a bright album for cloudy times, filled with a sense of buoyancy — an anthemic synthesizer here, a four-on-the-floor drumbeat there — that emphasizes hope and renewal over sorrow. The most modern-sounding project in his catalog, Brand New Hello fires twin barrels of political insight and poppy punch, influenced by everything from America's social climate to the Top 40 music his daughter would play in the car during the album's creation process.
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