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Old School Love

4/3/2015

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It's no secret that The Lone Bellow have a lot of love for 80's and 90's hip hop, rap, and r&b.  If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing them break into an old hit song from one or all of these genres, then just keep going to shows. It's bound to happen.

Earlier in the week, inspired in large part by the band's most recent tour, Bobbie and I were reminiscing over some of our favorite songs from our youth. That somehow led us to one of our long forgotten favorites, "Wild Wild West" by Kool Moe Dee. Now, we are not certain the band could pull off this level of greatness, but it is kind of fun to imagine it happening.

We would love for you to share some of your old school favorites with us, either just for fun, or because you think The Lone Bellow could actually pull it off. So head on over to youtube, then come back to our forum to share what you've found. And if you need a little inspiration...


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Heaven Don't Call Me Home: An Interview with The Lone Bellow in PopMatters

2/2/2015

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"For example, “Fake Roses” takes the form of a letter from Williams’s mother-in-law to her sister. Williams explains, “They have pretty similar lives. And the letter basically says, ‘Your heart is breaking, I hear what it’s saying. You don’t have to tell me anything.’ And I was like, ‘Well where can we go with that?’ "
This interview with The Lone Bellow, by Annie Galvin, was published today on PopMatters. It delves more into the creation of Then Came The Morning, including working with Aaron Dessner, recording at Dreamland, and the inspiration for some of the songs. It includes some details we haven't heard before, such as the impetus for "Fake Roses:"

One night at South by Southwest, the Lone Bellow played to a packed backyard crowd at the Newport Folk Festival showcase, a crowd that obliviously sipped cans of Lone Star in Blackheart’s beer garden while the relatively unknown Lone Bellow set up and tuned. When the band’s first three-part harmony soared over its sturdy wall of acoustic sound, heads instantly rotated toward the rundown lean-to that had been converted into a stage.

The band captivated the crowd for the duration of its set, even cultivating a group sing-along to the anthem “Carried Away”. The experience of being in that crowd felt akin to attending an evangelist revival meeting: everyone was a convert by the end.

Galvin also writes about the time the band performed at South by Southwest in 2013.


We can certainly relate the that experience.
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The Reviews Are In

1/29/2015

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We hope you've got some time to read because the reviews for Then Came the Morning just keep coming! Today The Lone Bellow shared this Wall Street Journal article by Jim Fusilli, in which he calls Then Came the Morning "the year's first great album." We loved reading this review and have been scouring the internet for more. If you're not quite as crazy as us and don't feel the need to read every single thing written about The Lone Bellow, then we're happy to provide you with the highlights. We'd also love to hear your own album review. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, on our Facebook page, or on the forum!

Jason Greenspan of Baeble Music, writes: 
"Then Came the Morning provides respite for weary ears in a musical climate that can seem overwhelmingly negative. The second album from The Lone Bellow sweeps you up in a tumult of powerful positivity, roots rock, and southern charm."  Read the entire review here.

Beth Kellmurray at Diffuser FM writes:  
"While every song shows the trio's ability to build momentum, they also show a versatility on 'Then Came the Morning'-- from the delicate, Pipkin-led ballad, 'Call to War,' to the rollicking call-and-response heard on ‘Heaven Don’t Call Me Home.’ The bluesy ‘Cold As It Is,’ however, is perhaps most exemplary of what the Lone Bellow really are: A trio of country powerhouses who can seamlessly blend their vocals into one unstoppable entity." Read the entire review here.


The folks at Culture Collide have this to say: 
"If you were hooked on lead singer Zach Williams' strong and authentic voice before, there's even more this time around. There's also a little more variation, for example, with "Call To War" featuring a female vocalist rather than a male. The album as a whole also blossoms more and explores more facets within the band's overarching sound."  The full review is here.

Finally, Paul Hollingsworth at Earbuddy writes this:
"The lavish harmonies of the trio still soar at all the right places (“Marietta”), break at exactly the right times (“If You Don’t Love Me”), and remain front-and-center on every song. Even when the band abandons its country sound entirely for a more jagged gospel-rock stomper as on “Heaven Don’t Call Me Home”, their voices still seem perfectly suited for the task." Read the review here.


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It's Been Five Days...

1/23/2015

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...since Then Came The Morning began streaming on NPR's First Listen, and we've been listening to it a LOT! We've heard a few of the songs performed by The Lone Bellow in the past, and already love them. But it's been particularly enjoyable getting to know the new, unfamiliar songs. The songs are so rich, and the music is full of emotion, they are infectious.  Songs that I first felt lukewarm about are suddenly sticking with me, and I'm listening to them over and over, really coming to love them. Random verses are running through my head all day long. And I'm frequently catching my husband, who, after hearing the first few song releases, worried he wouldn't like the new album as much as the first, walking around singing songs out loud (most often "Diners"). And I know I will love the songs even more after I hear The Lone Bellow perform them live in February!

What about you? What songs from the new album are sticking in your head these days?
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NPR Music First Listen - Then Came The Morning!

1/18/2015

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We can listen to Then Came the Morning in its entirety, a week before it's release, thanks to NPR Music's First Listen!

Stephen Thompson writes, "The Lone Bellow's songs lean toward the gigantic — at heart, Williams is a belter of the vein-bulging variety — but they're also impeccably played and nicely balanced by softer, subtler touches. Kanene Doheney Pipkin's contributions are crucial, whether she's bringing lilting touches to the sound on mandolin or singing lead in the sweetly languid 'Call To War.'"

What do you think?

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Upcoming TV Appearances by The Lone Bellow

1/13/2015

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The Lone Bellow have a couple of TV appearances coming up in the next month. First, they will be on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday, January 26, at 11:35pm ET. Then on Saturday, February 14, they will appear on CBS This Morning Saturday. The show airs at 7am ET.

We'll remind you, and will post videos as available!
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Brian's Solo Albums (before The Lone Bellow)

1/12/2015

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We fell in love with Brian's beautiful voice after hearing him perform "Watch Over Us." After seeing The Lone Bellow perform several times over the summer, we noticed that was one of the songs that would regularly get stuck in our heads. We had heard Brian had put out some solo albums before The Lone Bellow came together, so one day we took to Google and found them on Bandcamp. Since then, they have been a nice addition to our music rotation.

His most recent album, KRIS, came out in July of 2012, was inspired by Kris Kristofferson. Prior to that, he released Not Today in October 2011, and Situation Unknown in August 2009.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite Brian Elmquist song?
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Pre-Order Then Came the Morning with "Ditmas Demos" BONUS Disc

1/7/2015

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The Lone Bellow announced today they are releasing a special version of Then Came the Morning, available exclusively from Barnes & Noble. It includes "Ditmas Demos," a bonus disc that includes additional tracks of "Cold As It Is," "Diners," and "Marietta," recorded live in Brooklyn. Pre-order it now!
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The Lone Bellow Gets a Shout Out from NPR Music

1/3/2015

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NPR music write Stephen Thompson mentioned Then Came the Morning as a "likely highlight" in the new year.

And The Lone Bellow's sleek and soaring Then Came The Morning (out Jan. 27), which makes excellent use of the Van Morrison playbook
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Pre-Order Then Came The Morning!

11/24/2014

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Pre-order Then Came the Morning today! It will be released January 27, 2015!

iTunes
CD
Vinyl

And don't forget to head out to your favorite local record store this Friday, November 28, to pick up the limited edition vinyl 7" EP, "When You Go," and to celebrate Record Store Day. It's the only kind of Black Friday shopping we support! Find a location here.

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    Who We Are

    We are Abra and Bobbie, two friends living in Boston who go to a lot of concerts together. We saw The Lone Bellow, having never heard of them, and could not believe our good fortune in discovering such talent. We now try to go by the "Four-Hour-Rule", meaning if we can get to a show within four hours, we will be there, hopefully right up front.

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