The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Love with Arthur Lee, Nick Drake, Teenage Fanclub, Oasis, The Replacements, Guided By Voices, Van Morrison, Donovan,The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground,Neil Young, David Bowie, Wilco
Sounds Like
"a Nick Drake record that was dragged through the mud then left out to dry in Southern California, picked up by the Byrds and played on Gram Parson's turntable" - The Grog Shop, Cleveland Ohio
"Wilco with a BritPop fetish playing during a spectacular sunset at Joshua Tree" - MPMF 2009
Cleveland, Ohio’s, Pale Hollow naturally combines elements of roots-rock folk with the restless urgency of a rustbelt garage band. Their songs, though modern and melodic, are anchored by the solid rock and pop traditions of the 60’s and 70’s.
Inspired by the posh blues of Nick Drake and the woodsy jangle of Gram Parsons era Byrds, ex Jericho Turnpike bassist, Michael Allen, bought an acoustic guitar and started writing songs to perform in local coffee houses around Cleveland. With a batch of home demos, he went to Detroit to record an album with producer Al Sutton (Detroit Cobras, Dead String Brothers). The resulting record was a shimmering blend of Alt-Country/Folk-Pop, with shades of British Invasion thrown in for color. With comparisons to The Kinks, The Verve and Neil Young, the self-titled release has gained the attention of press and fans alike.
Back in Cleveland, Allen teamed up with drummer Nick Perry to begin the work of bringing the Pale Hollow material to a live audience. Now, with Derek Poindexter on bass and Pete Simon on guitar, the group has begun to perform these songs in festivals and clubs throughout the area, while continuing to make new music along the way.
Pale Hollow was the grand prize winner of the Rock Hall's 2009 national music video contest"Rock Your Way To Cleveland" for their song "Sugarcane". With acclaimed performances at the 2008 and 2009 Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, and the 2008 and 2009 International Pop Overthrow in Youngstown and Cleveland, Pale Hollow is beginning to fulfill its vision nationwide!
REVIEWS/ACCOLADES:
“This quartet’s music has an Americana base, but there is too much going on in Pale Hollow’s delicate songs that limiting descriptions to one word can only end up coming up short. The band has been understandably compared with Nick Drake, The Verve, The Kinks, Neil Young and Oasis, but even then, the group’s slow-mo, glimmering sway deserves it’s own category-Dreamercana TwilightPop? Sure, why not.”- 2009 Midpoint Music Festival.
"Pale Hollow describes its sound as a mix of Americana, soul and folk, but there is a decidedly Brit-pop bent to this 14-song collection.
Sure, the opener “Don’t It Leave You Lonely” leans on a rootsy harmonica and a jangly electric guitar line, but singer Mike Allen’s raspy delivery conjures introspective gray skies more than carefree blue ones.
And Pale Hollow’s subsequent headlong dive into the wonderfully sonic “Sugarcane” — one of the best songs on the album — instantly reminds you of the arena-size sound of British rock act Oasis. Yet the high point of the disc is the confidently low-key “Roll the Stone Away,” which offers a nice balance of Pale Hollow’s disparate ingredients." - Cleveland Magazine
“Pale Hollow mastermind Michael Allen is a songwriter's songwriter. He's aware that a tune needs more than just a catchy chorus. And even though the hooks come fast and furious on Pale Hollow's debut, Allen builds on his acoustic skeletons with an array of instruments to form a melodic slice of pop rock.” – Cleveland Scene Magazine
“In addition to some fine guitar work, tunes such as "Sugarcane" and "Gustav's Dream" are catchy and suggest Allen might just be one of the best (if unheralded) songwriters on the local scene”. -Cleveland Free Times
‘Now here's an exceptional disc. A very pleasant surprise indeed’- Absolutepowerpop.com
"Sugarcane" and "Remains Of Yesterday" are simply stellar examples of power roots pop! One of, if not "the", roots pop releases of the year! Can't say enough about this one! GREAT!!!" - KoolKatMusik.com
‘Allen's delectable hooks and acoustic-based folk-pop shine through on Pale Hollow; what you get is shimmering and absolutely melodic. You begin to thrill at Allen's uncanny ability to nail a hook and blend pop, rock and folk components into something sublime.’ –CoolCleveland.com
Oops! In an apparent administrative blunder, Paranoid Lovesick drummer John Potwara fired himself in 1998. By the time the error was discovered the band had signed on skin man Nick Perrry. Nick, a former Air Lufthansa stewardess was discovered at the Frankfurt Airport during the disasterous "Seig Heil Baby" tour. Within hours of accepting PL's offer, Perry found himself on stage in front of 3,000 screaming Hitler youth at a concert in Nuremberg. Despite Nick not speaking any language at all, and no rehearsal, he performed uncannily similar to Potwara. John has since found a loophole in the charter which allowed him to return, be he was not able to carry his official PL membership card for one year.
Reproduced without permission from the Subterrestrial Glamorous Pop Hymnal http://www.paranoidlovesick.com/hymnals/
Congrats to Pale Hollow for being one of the 9 artists listed in this month's No. 9, No. 9 list! Come see the other 8 I listed and discover more excellence in MySpace...Richard Filaccio (The Pop League)
great band and great people. Thanks for adding me. I may have an opening at the hardrock on the 14th. Not sure but will let you know if interested. Peace Nick
It doesn't matter where you are from :) We got you covered!
$25/hr special in studio b $30/hr special in studio a �We shop every band that records here to record labels!� �We have 17 record deals out of Chin Music Studios� ProTools HD, SSL, etc Free lodging!
Let me know if your interested in knowing more. Yes I am writing this to you :)
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