The beauty and mystery of Po Girl’s music – a sound that has beguiled fans the world over - springs from the dynamic, improbable, mesmerizing bond shared by its two principle singers and writers – Allison Russell and Awna Teixiera. Hailing from Montreal and Toronto respectively, both women left untenable home situations at fourteen, found music instead of bad ends, and lived to sing the tales. The interplay between these two stunning performers is truly something to behold – and after honing it relentlessly in 13 countries in the last 12 months, the ladies are set to release a true testament to their bond and to their tremendous growth as writers in the last years. Casual Po’ Girl fans may not be ready for what they will hear…
After adding the impossibly talented tickler/maker of all stringed things - Benny Sidelinger - to their number last year, Po’ Girl will be holed up in Austin, Texas this June making the record that will almost certainly change forever the way the band is perceived. Many of the trappings of the trademark Po’ Girl sound are still there – the echoes of speakeasy jazz, the western lament, the accordion-strapped ghosts of European folk --- but it’s all delivered with a soulful clarity and depth only hinted at on previous records.
It seems almost silly – and not very interesting – to trot out a long, endlessly hyphenated list of the many influences coursing through Po Girl’s music. Suffice to say it’s 21st Century roots music, urban roots – never derivative, not faithfully aping a beloved tradition. Teixeira and Russell don’t re-hash the old forms, they reshape and reinvigorate them for new ears.
Genuine gypsies, these two wander and play. They move and move and play and sing. It’s quite simple. Always restless, more often than not bone-tired, they write their flashes of sadness, their loss, their good love, their faint dreams of home into songs that matter deeply to them. Like any good art, they are little acts of self-rescue. So you should listen. You aren’t much different from them, and who couldn’t use a little rescuing these days?
I first heard your music at a friend's home 3 years ago and I was transported to a sharp, beautiful place. Thank you for showing me another way to get to that aching aliveness.
You guys are at Momo's tomorrow at Seven??? We're at Momo's TONIGHT at eight!!! Wish we could have made it the same night as you ... I've been raving about your performance at the Folk Alliance. I'll definitely see you tomorrow; try to come out and say hi to us tonight at eight, I think you'll like
BUY
