You don’t have to own a pair of cowboy boots or speak in a Southern drawl to get into the country grooves coming to Southpaw on August 8, fueled by a few Brooklyn-based bands that do honky tonk best.
While country music can be found in Brooklyn on a growing basis it seems, Union Hall brings together some of the borough's leading players. Headlining the country bonanza are the Doc Marshalls, one of New York City’s go-to groups for roots music, laced with Cajun affects and Zydeco shuffles.
Riding high on their critically acclaimed release “Honest for Once,” out late last year, the band has been tearing it up around town for about seven years since forming in Brooklyn. Led by Texas-raised Acdian Nick Beaudoing, whose bilingual upbringing results in a mix of both English and French-language songs, who can find him on vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard and Cajun accordion. He's joined by Mat Kane on fiddle, mandolin and washboard; Matt Walsh on lead and acoustic guitars; Terence Murren on bass; and Doug Clark on drums to round out the Doc Marshalls.
With influences including Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and Gram Parsons, the band's mix of traditional Cajun music and honky tonk should get even the most stoic Brooklynite dancing to the country vibes. When they take to the stage at Park Slope's Southpaw, it’s a chance to hear the sound straight. Fans of the band can expect to hear new tunes off the band's latest album, “Honest for Once,” as well as a healthy dose of both Cajun and traditional honky tonk, in their energetic live shows.
“The novelty never wears off of either,” says Beaudoing of their competing Cajun/country sound. “It can be a lot to take in, two to three hours of bluegrass, unless you're a big fan. When you switch between the genres, people appreciate it.”
Before the Doc Marshalls take the stage, there’s Alex Battles, a fixture on New York City's country music scene since coming to New York from Ohio more than a decade ago, and his band, the Whiskey Rebellion, a country group from around these parts.
In addition to his namesake band, Battles is also known as the founder of The Brooklyn Country Music Festival, an annual event each fall that will feature a dozen bands over the course of the weekend this year, as well as the CasHank Hootenanny Jamboree, a monthly sing- and play- along to the music of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. The hootenanny (you don't get to use that one too often) takes place the last Thursday of every month at Park Slope's Buttermilk Bar (Fifth Avenue and 16th Street). Battles counts Cash and Williams, as well as John Prine, Tom Waits and Tom T. Hall as some of his main influences. Expect music that is raucous and foot-stomping fun.
Kicking off the bands that night is Boss Tweed, a trio from Brooklyn made up of Carolyn Sills on bass and lead vocals, Gerard Egan on guitar and vocals and Eric Reed on drums. Their original compositions romp through genres, including rockabilly, jazz and roots music, as well as stylings, from ballads to romps, that will leave you wanting more. Good thing they’re first on the bill.
Throughout the night, Honky Tonk Radio Girl, who spins the classics during her weekly radio show on WNYU, will man the DJ booth playing – what else – country music.
The Doc Marshalls, Alex Battles & The Whiskey Rebellion, Boss Tweed and DJ Honky Tonk Radio Girl play Southpaw (125 Fifth Avenue) on August 8 starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8. Western flannel is optional. For more information, call 718-230-0236 or go to www.spsounds.com.
