Tony Bello Jr.,
Brian Murray, Robert Bell,
Pete Marshall, Isaac Stanford, Dave Doggett, Jim Callan, Justin Kolb, Nate Fleming, Fred Stucky, Tony Jeeter & Steve Halin. Not all at the same time a-course.
Fans of the Handsome Family and 16 Horsepower will find this record a dark, bleak place. That, though, is a good thing. Philadelphia's Broken Prayer create beautifully bleak American Gothic. Narratives about the darkness of the heart, suicide, and a laundry list of other equally grim topics. The band weaves hypnotic, droning, cathartic rhythms around this somber and sinister tales. Peter Marshall (camera man/singer), Tony Bello (trucker/drums), Brian Murray (preparator/bass), and Issac Stanford (school teacher/pedal steel) play these songs and stories out as if they are compelled to confess their darkest fears. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music
Sounds Like
Our first review (translated from dutch). Once I find a better translator I'll post that. Written by Marc Nolis, MazzMuzikaS Free-Zine98bis, Belgium.
The Broken peoples who never stop talking/Crow/own management (www.brokenprayers.com) Ever was called Money these link ordinary gas and made them with 22 dollars a terrible plate. Such as the things sometimes to commit go, there a musical crack came and in this case relocated a part of the link to the accompaniment group of Jesse Dayton. The rest continued do further under a new name and at these we are surprised by their debut under that name. The link is nine men strongly and everything, but thus real everything become by themselves done, from writing and playing to production, promotion and distribution. Something like that we commit independent call treatment, and can count this here at huize always on only sympathy. Music then: that is a mix of all kinds of rootsstijlen, which you now once grant club to do denkeen, then to The Gourds. Parts of rock share country music and share of everything what sits, which the summary is able be of this ten songs, among which only one cover zit. Johnny Russells act Naturally, which could incite ever even The Beatles to cover, get here a very lijzige but lasting treatment. Other than that the plate with very few resources seems have made, but in this case disturbs that not in the least. This is lo-fi contemporary Americana, but or of very high level. Somewhere we read a reference to the beginning days of Will Oldham: completely correct and hopelijk the Broken peoples who never stop talking even good score if he, because they deliver with Crow an a lot work short sleep. (District head)
High Lonesome meets American Gothic on The Broken Prayers bleak and wind-swept recording, Crow; and right now, deep in south Philadelphia where a cluster of bands all share a dirty little space run by dirty little people, The Broken Prayers are working on their next release.
The new album, Crow is available now for just $10.00 plus shipping if you buy it from us directly. Just drop us a note via myspace and we would be happy to send one to you, or...
Reviews:
Every Friday morning one of this first things I do is head to Miles of Music to check out the “It’s A Cracker” selections for the week. Every now and then there will be a band whose samples just jump up and and grab me and I have to buy the cd. Such was the case with The Broken Prayers. I was placing the order for their new cd, Crow, before the end of the first song.
There is very little information on the internets about Philadelphia’s The Broken Prayers, but they appear to be Pete Marshall and a revolving cast of players (a la Magnolia Elect. Co.) that consist of; Tony Bello Jr, Brian Murray, Fred Stucky Jr., Robert Bell, Jim Callan, Justin Colb, Tony Collins and Scott Danzer. I had thrown the album onto my iPod for the flight up to Boston, so when my flight left Tampa around 6:15 in the morning I qued up the cd for some listening while I slept. Much like when I heard the sound samples on M.O.M., I was immediately drawn into the sparse and minimal Gothic Americana sound the band possesses. Really wanting to capture my initial impressions of the cd, I scribbled the following into my notepad:
Lonely and sparse
Sounds like they set up a mic on one end of the room and played the songs on the other then mixed it with oodles of reverb….lo-fi as hell but it works for these songs.
ninebullets.net
Think what you would do if Johnny Cash was born 35 years ago. Desierto, pedal steels fantasmales y actitud punk para el disco de raices del verano. Desert, pedal steels and ghostly punk attitude for the best roots disc of the summer.
Hotel Arizona
hotelarizonaradioenlace.blogspot.com
This month we mostly have Catie Curtis (with a Richard Thompson cover), Lindsay Fuller and The Cheap Dates (and who amongst us isn't?), Josh Fix with a track from the well-titled album This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry and the rather lovely Red Rooster.
Four more little sonic gems for your August pleasure are now available on the site. Blitzen Trapper, Boulder Acoustic Society, Jay Brannan and The Wiyos. Yet another fine quartet even though we say so ourselves as picked them out.
My debut single ROLLIN' IN THE HEY just broke into the top 75 on the Music Row Breakout Chart WITH A BULLET!!!. Also I was just featured in the "Listen Up" section of COUNTRY WEEKLY!!! Visit my page and click on the Country Weekly free download button to get your copy of the debut single.
ALSO CLICK ON THE ALBUM COVER BELOW TO BUY THE CD!!!
Hello, after an unfortunate hiatus, the reasons for which are probably best not gone into here, we finally have some new music on the AUK MySpace site. For your listening pleasure this month we offer Nathan Oliver, Conrad Ford, the irrepressible Todd Snider and the delightful Beccy Owen. Don't forget too, for those of you within striking distance of Leicester, Electric Dustbowl 2 on 19 September.
My debut single ROLLIN' IN THE HEY is currently #83 on the Music Row Breakout Chart and is poised to move into the top 75 WITH A BULLET!!!. Request it at your local radio station today and CLICK ON THE ALBUM COVER BELOW TO BUY THE ENTIRE CD FOR A LIMITED TIME FOR ONLY $5.00.