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CD's available @ CD Baby, iTunes and other online distributors.
Hobos are homeless wanders—too curious to become barnacles on anything that limits or controls their travels. They're also, in our collective imagination, sort of old-fashioned, dusty, and romantic. Maybe even a bit joyously melancholy.
Those are decent descriptions of Ian and Teague Alexy, brothers who have traveled the U.S.A. in both geography and song. Teague grew up in hip-hop groups before briefly being part of San Diego's singer/songwriter scene. Ian learned guitar through metal then The Grateful Dead before studying and playing jazz. They grew up in Philadelphia and South Jersey, lived separately in Boston, Vermont, and California, and reunited in Duluth, Minnesota. Their bodies are settled, but their souls--and their guitars, harmonicas, and uniquely resonant voices--roam free as they draw inspiration from experience.
Duluth’s music scene is defined by passionate struggle--so far away from Los Angeles, Nashville and even Minneapolis (150 miles to the south) that trendy expectations or conventional thought just don’t exist. Artists like Dave Van Ronk and The Specials influence the artists who subsist in local dives--there are no high-paying resort gigs to tempt them into John Mayer or Blink-182 territory. Duluth's bars are where the Alexy brothers stripped down their sound: their dirty blues stomps and heart-wrenching country ballads emerged when their own musical travels found a shared sense of beautiful grit in Duluth's well-traveled soul.
Three years ago Ian and Teague wrote a few songs perfect for playing on a northern-Minnesota front porch, recorded the tunes at home, and quietly released the collection as The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, their self-titled debut album. Then they did what Hobos do best: hit the road. A growing word-of-mouth following took them from Minnesota to Colorado, Montana, and all places in between. By 2007 the travel-hardened duo added a drummer and recorded a second album called Sing! The record's obvious influences include Dylan and Guthrie; attentive ears will pick up Mayfield and Monk. Its praise in the rock-leaning Minneapolis music press helped the Hobos extend their touring range as far as New York City. While out East, they booked studio time in Brooklyn and reunited with Ian’s old friend Marco Benevento, who's gaining just recognition as one of the great pianists--if not complete performers--of his generation. Ryan Adams' gifted pedal steel player John Grabhoff also played in the sessions, and Teague’s old friend (and Jim Jarmusch understudy) Joshua Priestley blended into the shadows while filming the whole experience. The result, a CD/DVD called Traveling Show, will be released in 2009. Meanwhile, The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank are promoting the new limited-edition EP One for the Time Capsule.
REVIEWS
Links To New Articles
Vail Daily - Charlie Owen (02/17/08)
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080217/AE/678374179
“The Hobo Nephews are not a cheap imitation of folk-rock legends nor are they the messiahs of a musical revolution. They are of the same breed of songwriters that put folk on the map and I’ll be damned if they haven’t written some of the most beautiful and captivating songs I’ve heard in a long time.”
- Charlie Owen, Vail Daily
“The band is simply talented beyond its years… a polished and layered sophomore effort…Judging by the talent on display here, there's no need for desperation - the future looks bright for Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank.”
- John Hansen, Brainerd Dispatch
“with heavy folk and Bob Dylan influences in the bands work, fans of tremendously played roots music are in for quite a treat.”
- Jeff Schwachter, Atlantic City Weekly
"backwoods melody driven by chain-gang-workin'-on-the-railroad rhythms....the brothers Alexy excel at channeling that old-timey mono-radio sensation into their modern music."
- Will McClain, City Pages
“bounces around in rootsy folk and blues territory, with a heavy dose of Dylan and "American Beauty"-fied Dead. Teague is more the bluesman of the group while Ian delivers most of the folkier, twangier stuff. Somehow, they strike a perfect balance.”
- Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“The results are pure gold; a groovy — almost danceable — genre-buster of epic proportions…an undeniable fact emerges: The Hobo Nephews are the new kings of Highway 61.”
- Matthew R. Perrine, Duluth Budgeteer News
“The Alexys are rootsy chameleons whose musicianship serves the song above all else… This music is back porch with a freight train whistle in the distance — unpretentious and inviting at the same time.”
- John Ziegler, Duluth News Tribune
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Hobo Nephew Booking Inquiries
http://www.bucketcity.com/page/page/show?id=1996826%3APage%3A5222
Check out Teague Alexy with The Feelin' Band and Ian's project Broken Billy.
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
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