Author: Michael Witthaus

Modern Fools take a country turn

By Michael Witthaus

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The idea for Clearly Country, the new EP from Modern Fools, came from a sign spotted by songwriter Josh Blair at a yard sale in Peterborough. He couldn’t shake it from his mind, so he returned to make an offer. “I didn’t know why I bought it,” he said by phone recently. “Then it just kind of dawned on me that it was going to be the cover of a honky-tonk album.”

The result is a gem, born as much from Blair’s love of purists like Hank Williams and Buck Owens as from his affinity for cosmic cowboys such as Gram Parsons and the Byrds album on which he served as a guiding light, Sweetheart of the Radio, an effort many point to as key in launching country rock as a genre.

Standout tracks on Clearly Country include “Ballroom Bender Blues,” a song about a guy whose drunkenness doubles for dancing; it rollicks like The Band with a pickup pedal steel player. “On My Mind” has guest vocals from Rachel Sumner and could be a cut from John Prine’s In Spite of Ourselves, while the high lonesome ballad “Eastern Standard” evokes the Everly Brothers, another big influence. Its supple harmonies are complemented by Braught’s spare, elegant soloing.

The Keene/Peterborough band — Blair, drummer Justin Gregory, Jon Braught on guitar, keyboard player Nick Hayes and Ian Galipeau on bass — will celebrate the seven-song collection at a release show in Concord on Jan. 18. The BNH Stage date includes support from indie rockers Slim Volume and singer/songwriter Rachel Berlin.

The group began over a decade ago with a different lineup and sound.

“We played a lot of local shows and kind of fizzled out around 2016,” Blair said. During the pandemic he and Gregory began working on ideas, later recruiting Braught, and Galipeau a while after that. The band released the introspective LP Seer in 2020 and Strange Offering in 2023.

Neither of those efforts bears much resemblance to Clearly Country.

“It’s a bit of a tangent … a departure from our normal sound,” Blair said of the new EP. “This is a concept album of sorts.” He’d kicked around ideas for a twang-forward effort soon after releasing their last album, including teaming with their friend Sumner.

“I wanted that old country duet sort of thing, like Johnny Cash and June Carter sort of thing; we all unanimously thought about Rachel,” Blair said. “She really liked the song and absolutely delivered … she sent us a quick demo back, and she just nailed it.”

Blair has significant roots in the Concord music scene dating back to playing psychedelic blues at Penuche’s with Ghost Dinner Band, and later in the supergroup Band Band. He immediately thought of the BNH Stage for the concert, reaching out to John McArthur at New Hampshire Music Collective, which books a lot of original bands there.

With NHMC on board, they began looking for bands to share the stage.

“Slim Volume was the first pick for everybody in the band; we just love their sound, it’s very complementary,” Blair said. “Then we thought of Rachel Berlin, she’s from the Concord area and just a great singer/songwriter with a great voice. It’s a really solid lineup and a really solid venue.”

The show is a solid reflection of the Capitol City’s continuous support for local artists. Even though Blair isn’t a resident, he feels an affinity from his years playing in the city, with so many different musical projects.

“Concord always felt like home in the music scene,” he said, “and it’s always kind of felt like a home away from home for me.”

Modern Fools with Slim Volume and Rachel Berlin
When: Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m.
Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $18.75 at ccanh.com

Featured Image: Courtesy photo.

Women of Soul celebrates depth of talent

By Michael Witthaus

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An upcoming showcase will bring together three female performers of varying backgrounds for an evening of community and camaraderie. Each artist will perform for 45 minutes, but the goal of the evening goes beyond music. The event is the first of an envisioned series aiming to celebrate the quality of women’s talent in the region.

Organizers Audrey Drake and Pam McCann hope that Women of Soul will foster a wide range of connections between the musicians and their audience. Drake called the Jan. 11 concert at Pembroke City Limits a “soft launch” in a recent phone interview, adding that the envisioned the series will incorporate storytelling, insights and more along with songs.

“It will include what we’re writing, what we’re working on, possibly collaborations and passion projects,” Drake said. “We want to give a broader perspective of what each person is offering, and what we bring to our music.” Sophie Markey will kick things off, followed by Katie Dobbins. Then Drake, with McCann playing drums, will close the evening.

Drake and McCann conceived the series almost a year ago and revisited the idea many times over the past months.

“I’d say to Pam, ‘When and how is it going to happen? Do we have to have a big plan?’ Then a couple weeks ago I was like, we’re just doing it.” PCL owner Rob Azevedo was on board, having seen Drake and Dobbins perform together there in December. “He’s amazing, he does so much good work in the community, and for all musicians, so let’s jump in.”

Azevedo opened the listening room and tavern, which offers food from Sleazy Vegan, last summer. The Women of Soul event is consistent with his vision for the venue, he said by text recently. “We have such a swath of super talented female performers in our camp,” he wrote. “That is one of the things I am so proud of since we started.”

McCann is both a singing drummer and a visual artist. She’s worked professionally since age 16, including touring with Jonathan Edwards and opening for The Band, and released a solo album, Kinder Enemies. In an email she described her involvement in Women of Soul and praised her musical partner.

“This project is near and dear to me especially as it is in alliance with the multi-talented Audrey Drake,” she wrote. “The idea behind this gathering of curated female artists is to embrace women who are not only musicians but multi-disciplined artists, healers and messengers. A melting pot of soulful offerings.”

An information table at the PCL show will offer artist merchandise and information on wellness services for women, and each performer will be able to engage with audience members individually, Drake said. “There’s music, but what else can we talk about and connect with people on, to really showcase the creative force of women in all aspects of what we do in our lives?”

Drake is involved with a few other efforts, including a Sacred Song event on Jan. 18 at the Gathering Place in Keene. “It’s a combination of singing and what’s being called sound bath,” she said of the singalong gathering. “In some traditions it’s called kirtan; how I do it is a little different. There are more songs that people might be more familiar with.”\

Beyond that, Drake is working on a follow-up to her 2020 album, The Next Best Thing. Her musical influences include Patty Griffin and Lori McKenna, and similar singer-songwriters. “Because their music is so beautiful and it’s so simple and it’s so authentic,” she said. “It’s written from their hearts, and it’s received in people’s hearts.”

Admission to the first Women of Soul event is free. Drake and McCann hope to do five more in 2025, and build their spark into a fire of unity and common purpose.

“You can tell this is kind of playing out in my head at the moment,” she said. “It’s definitely in its infancy, but I’m looking forward to this year.”

Women of Soul – Audrey Drake, Katie Dobbins and Sophie Markey
When: Saturday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m.
Where: Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Pembroke
More: facebook.com/audreyjdrake

Featured Image: Audrey Drake. Courtesy photo.