If It's Too Loud...

Photo via Facebook We're both huge fans of Spirit Family Reunion here at If It's Too Loud..., and it's been a while since we've heard from them. Every time they release new music we're thrilled, but also a little worried it might not hold up. Luckily, their new single may just be their best yet. "Time to Go Back Home" is a song they learned off a radio broadcast of an old 45 from the Sunset Travelers. It keeps the classic old timey folk quality we love about Spirit Family Reunion, but it also sounds much more modern than they normally sound. It's basically unheard of for a song to be this classic and vintage folk sounding while still sounding like current, mainstream folk, but Spirit Family Reunion aced that. Welcome back, Spirit Family Reunion. We can hardly wait to hear more! You can listen to "Time to Go Back Home." For more on Spirit Family Reunion, check out the band's website .

Spirit Family Reunion has a lot going for them anyway, but has been a favorite of this blog arguably ever since we saw them open for David Wax Museum way back in 2011. This latest album was a long-awaited follow-up to another album we loved of theirs, and not only did it meet those expectations, but exceeded them. Spirit Family Reunion has become a band that is not only a celebration of old-style folk and bluegrass, but embraces the sound and expands on it. The lineup is larger, the instrumentation more complex, but they still have a washboard and they still play infectious songs that will not leave your head or your psyche without significant effort. From the opening track of Ride Free , "One Way Ticket," you get a great idea as to not only what they're trying to accomplish, but how far they've come. Easily one of the best of the year, and one that rarely left my rotation. Songs of note: "One Way Ticket," "Whoopie Ti Yi Yo," "Gradual...

After not getting out to any live shows for a number of years, hitting two just this past summer is an impressive feat in and of itself. Seeing a favorite in an old restored theater? Even better. First, I had never set eyes on the Columbus Theatre before, and seeing that Spirit Family Reunion was playing at the same venue Jenny Lewis and Rhett Miller are booked at confused me. Turns out that the Columbus has a unique and awesome setup where the balcony level has been converted to a second, more intimate stage. Perfect size for a band like Spirit Family Reunion, and perfect for the type of atmosphere I was hoping for from the show. Opening act was Sabine McCalla. Accompanied by her dog (who was a big hit on its own), McCalla gave us a set sprinkled with old music and new songs from her Folk EP alike. To say that she was great would be an understatement - McCalla had a presence on stage that was impossible to ignore, with one of the most gorgeous voices I've hears in some ...

Things appear to be picking up for the fall... Artist : Spirit Family Reunion Album : Ride Free Quick Description : First album in far too long from a favorite here. Why You Should Listen : Spirit Family Reunion is criminally underrated. Overall Thoughts : At this point, can we just call Spirit Family Reunion the best kept secret in roots/folk? From the moment Ken and I saw them open for David Wax Museum back at the church in Boston, they have consistently put out some of the best music in their genre, and after a long break and some lineup shuffling? As far as I’m concerned, they haven’t missed a step. There’s not a missed moment on this record, and it feels as pure and authentic as ever. Recommendation : Do not miss this album – it’s not only the best thing out this week, but perhaps one of the best records of this year. Artist : Lilith Album : Safer Off Quick Description : Long-awaited debut from some indie alt rockers. Why You Should Listen : This is a solid album...

"Ease My Mind," the latest song released off Spirit Family Reunion's upcoming album, might be their most accessible yet. Spirit Family Reunion play this really organic, fairly rough form of roots/Americana music. It may be rough at times, but their enthusiasm and charm (particularly when you see them live) more that makes up for it. In fact, that becomes part of the experience. "Ease My Mind" is smooth and actually feels like a produced single. It still has all the enthusiasm and charm we love with Spirit Family Reunion, just more practiced and polished. You can listen to "Ease My Mind" below. Ride Free , the upcoming album from Spirit Family Reunion, will be out August 9. You can pre-order a copy over at Bandcamp . For more on Spirit Family Reunion check out their website .  Ride Free by Spirit Family Reunion

I've been a fan of Spirit Family Reunion since I saw them open for David Wax Museum in December 2011, and I've been a HUGE  fan since their set at Newport Folk Festival in 2012. That performance was legendary and got them the type of ovation that I haven't seen since. They've been relatively quiet for the past four years, but luckily they just announced a new album, and we can check out the first single now! "One Way Ticket" is exactly what we want with Spirit Family Reunion. It's non-hokey old time folk, packed full of group vocals and harmonizing. What I've always loved about Spirit Family Reunion is how simple their songs are, and how they use that simplicity to draw people in. From the press photo they're currently using, it looks like there have been some line up changes, but you won't know it from their sound. "One Way Ticket" doesn't reinvent Spirit Family Reunion, nor do we want it to. You can watch the lyric video f...

We're always happy to bring you any new music from Spirit Family Reunion, and we're especially happy when it's a particularly great song, and a cover! "It Isn't Nice" was originally written by Malvina Reynolds ("Little Boxes") in 1963 and arranged by Barbara Dane & The Chambers Brothers in 1966. In 2018 it's been updated by Spirit Family Reunion. It's a song extolling the virtues of protest, saying that while most forms of protest may not be considered "nice," sometimes you need to not be nice. The updated portion is very obvious with lyrics that include " They separate children at the Mexican border / And shoot our good neighbors for driving while black." I don't think there is any current band that is more perfectly suited to updating a classic folk protest song like this than Spirit Family Reunion are. The band says about the song: Dear Friends, Much of the misery, suffering and exploitation that is so pa...

Just last week I was discussing how long we've gone without anything new from Spirit Family Reunion. Back in November 2016 we had a charity single, but it's been almost three years since the release of the fantastic Hands Together . Well, I think they might have heard me since yesterday marked the release of Solo Recordings. Back in the fall, Spirit Family Reunion singer Nick Panken embarked on a solo tour with Ian Felice of The Felice Brothers. On the heels of that, he's released a six song EP of solo recordings. While Solo Recordings  is much more somber and less of a joyous celebration than your typical output from Spirit Family Reunion, it is still a collection of beautiful and thoughtful acoustic songs that will be loved by any fan of Spirit Family Reunion.  You can listen to my personal favorite song on Solo Recordings , "In the Manner That it Came," below. Solo Recordings is available now via Bandcamp . Spirit Family Reunion have one show coming up at T...

Depending on your media outlets of choice, you may or may not be aware of the situation in North Dakota right now. There protesters are attempting to protect Native American lands (and the drinking water used by Native Americans in the area) from having an oil pipeline built by the Dakota Access oil company. Regardless on what side you land on, there have been some pretty disturbing and violent images coming from the standoff, with a militarized police force using rubber bullets, pepper spray, attack dogs, and fire hoses to attempt to disperse the crowd. Spirit Family Reunion are on the side of the protesters. They've written and recorded a song to show solidarity with the protesters, with all proceeds going to support them. "Goin' Out to Cannon Ball" is written completely about the standoff, and is really a good old fashioned protest folk song. A lot of songs try to be a little too artsy with their lyrics about social issues, but "Goin' Out to Cannon Bal...

This might be one of my favorite selections we've featured on Friday Freebie so far. Spirit Family Reunion are one of those bands you need to experience live. As great as their albums are, it's just impossible to capture their live show's joy and exuberance. Live they just have so much energy, and not like how some other current folk acts show energy by jumping around on stage unnecessarily. Their playing has the energy just from the pure love of playing. While Harvest Festival Live, recorded at the Harvest Festival in Brooklyn last September, can't quite duplicate the experience of seeing Spirit Family Reunion live, it's the closest thing we might ever get. The band plays the favorites like "Wake Up Rounder!" and "I Want to Be Relieved." It's a great retrospective of their earlier material and perfect for old fans and for anyone discovering the band. They even added a few songs by their friends (Big Kitty, The Horse-Eyed Men, and Innov G...

My #3 of the year is Hands Together by Spirit Family Reunion. Going into this album, my thought was that "this album has no right to be as good as it is." Seeing them open for David Wax Museum back in 2011, the band had a very raw but boisterous quality to them that I warmed to almost immediately, but I couldn't help but think that this was a band that might stick to the sort of lo-fi indie quality that was working so well for them. Instead, they improved markedly as performers, as musicians, and as songwriters, and came up with an album that retains the fun of their initial recordings while absolutely moving forward as an act. Songs like "Put Your Hands Together When You Spin the Wheel" make it impossible for you not to get a bit of a groove on, and "Skillet Good and Greasy" succeeds in making an old standard their own. It's largely what you want from an Americana act these days, when the genre is reaching a popularity of sorts that deman...

I figured I'd end this little month long project with a blog favorite. Spirit Family Reunion is one of our favorites here, and we hope it's one of yours, too.

As we get closer to the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, and as more artists are being announced, it's becoming more and more clear that this year is going to be a truly special one. We have some returning regulars like The Decemberists, Brandi Carlile, First Aid Kit, Shakey Graves, and Spirit Family Reunion, but the real excitement are some of the artists playing the Fort for the first time. Courtney Barnett was a fantastic early addition, and I've been wishing hard for J Mascis for years. I'm not so secretly hoping he doesn't go for an all acoustic set and he brings a few of his affects pedals with him. Just something about him playing one of his Dinosaur Jr songs acoustic and then hitting a pedal to bring this wall of noise seemingly out of nowhere is just thrilling to me. Last week they announced Tommy Stinson to the line up. I don't know if that makes it more or less likely that The Replacements will end up being announced, but a guy can hope. It's also the t...

Much better than last week, for sure, but the gap between the good and not so good is very vast this week. Ava Luna - Infinite House : I shouldn't really trash this week's release slate and then come around with Ava Luna first, as the album is actually pretty decent if not a little/lot difficult. It reminds me as a good extension of their previous stuff, but it's still not entirely for me, if you get my gist. Worth a listen this week, though, you'll know very quickly if it's your cup of tea. Kym Warner - Everything That Brought Me Here : One of the best releases of the week is the debut album by Greencards member Kym Warner, basically an instrumental bluegrass affair that is simply beautiful from start to finish. Balances the stark and the full sounds completely, and is just a really pretty record that is surprising to me in how high-quality it ended up being, especially as I tend to trend a little negative on instrumental stuff overall. It's not a class...

Photo by Ken Sears Spirit Family Reunion is one of our favorite bands of the past few years, and they have a new album coming out on April 14. "Wake Up, Rounder!" is the first single, and it's exactly what you expect and want from them. They were the surprise hit of the 2012 Newport Folk Festival and played to a massive overflow crowd in 2013 at the Fort Stage. They have this fabulous downhome Appalachian style of folk, played with such an infectious love and joy that it's impossible to not get sucked in, unless you're missing a soul. In one of the more interesting pairings, Just Coffee Co-Op (the same company that makes the WTF Blend advertised on Marc Maron's podcast) has made a Wake Up Rounder coffe e to coincide with the release of Hands Together. Hands Together  and Wake Up Rounder coffee will be released on April 14. To pre-order the album, go here. For more information on Spirit Family Reunion including tour dates (we simply can't recommend ...

Even though there hasn't been a single artist announced, early bird tickets go on sale today at 10:00 am for the 2014 Newport Folk Festival. They did this last year, and tickets sold out before an artist was even announced. I'm guessing these will be gone by 10:30 am, tops, so if you know you want to go (and you do, trust me) you better buy these now. Early bird tickets are 10% cheaper than regular tickets, which are already a bargain for what you get. I've been personally going for 7 years now, and this is always the highlight of my summer. The Newport Folk Festival runs July 25-27 in Newport, RI. You can buy tickets starting at 10 am Wednesday the 15th here . For more info head on over to www.newportfolk.org . To get a taste of the Fest, check out a video featuring Hurray for the Riff Raff with Spirit Family Reunion from last year's fest below.

Here in the Northeast, festival season is officially over. The Newport Folk Festival is always a consistent highlight, and I hate having to wait an entire year between festivals. I know some of you aren't local to New England, or weren't able to get tickets since this year sold out months in advance. Luckily for you, there is finally an alternative. Next weekend (October 5 and 6) marks the inaugural Way Over Yonder Festival. This will take place at the world famous Santa Monica Pier. Way Over Yonder is definitely starting out smaller than Newport, but the line up is fantastic, at the very least. I mean, seriously? Saturday, October 5                                           Sunday,  October 6 Neko Case           ...

Last weekend the schedule for the 2013 Newport Folk Festival was finally  released. As always there are major decisions to be made (Feist vs The Mountain Goats? Jason Isbell vs Father John Misty?), and we're here to help guide you. Of course, no matter how well I plan my schedule in advance, I always end up missing half of one band's set and another's entirely. This is merely a suggestion as to how to spend your day. Friday Fort Stage, 2:30-3:15 Kingsley Flood Fort Stage, 3:35-4:40 JD McPherson Harbor Stage, 4:45-5:40 The Mountain Goats Quad Stage, 6:10-7:05 John McCauley Fort Stage, 6:30-7:45 Old Crow Medicine Show Saturday Quad Stage, 11:45-12:45 Hurray for the Riff Raff Harbor Stage, 1:35-2:30 Houndmouth Quad Stage, 2:30-3:30 Shovels & Rope Harbor Stage, 4:15-5:15 Jason Isbell Harbor Stage, 5:40-6:40 Justin Townes Earle Fort Stage, 6:15-7:30 The Avett Brothers Sunday ...

Old Crow Medicine Show Friday As you’re most likely aware, Saturday and Sunday for the Newport Folk Festival have been completely sold out for months now, long before the line up was revealed. Friday tickets are still available, and I’m surprised since Friday might be the most stacked day of the entire festival with Feist, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Mountain Goats, John McCauley, Amanda Palmer, JD McPherson, Kingsley Flood, and more. Saturday and Sunday are amazing in their own right, with The Avett Brothers, Jim James, Colin Meloy, Justin Townes Earle, Jason Isbell, Shovels and Rope, Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls, The Lone Bellow, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and more on Saturday, while Sunday features Beck, The Lumineers, Andrew Bird, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Dawn McCarthy, The Felice Brothers, Beth Orton, Black Prairie, Spirit Family Reunion (last year’s break out band), and more, including the just added Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. The only disappointment I’ve had with t...