Kata Rokkar » SHOW PICTURES/REVIEW: Brown Bird and Yonder Mountain String Band at The Fillmore

I’ll keep it short as Brown Bird’s set was exactly that. If you haven’t heard of the RI/Maine duo, it’s about time you put down that Mumford & Sons album and list to what gritty folk rock can really sound like. With David Lamb at acoustic guitar in hand and cellist Morganeve Swain, the band displays passionate and intelligent songs of adventure, tear jerking stories of loss, and psychedelic journeys through the human mind only a seasoned mountain man would understand. With the foot stomping grandeur of Bilgewater from last year’s Salt to Salt, the fierce and forceful Down to the River from 2009’s The Devil Dancing, to the pure melancholy of The Brokedown Palace of My Head from 2008’s Bottom of the Sea; Brown Bird displays all respectful aspects of traditional blues-based folk music that isn’t washed over by pop sensibilities and simplistic escapism. Brown Bird makes you work to understand why they sing what they sing. It’s a rewarding experience for anyone willing to take the time to recognize their talent.

MP3: Brown Bird – End of Days from Salt For Salt (2011)

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