LIVE MUSIC: The Milk Carton Kids @ Jammin Java - 3/5/12
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LIVE MUSIC: The Milk Carton Kids @ Jammin Java - 3/5/12

Driven by the engine of Joey Ryan’s impeccably studied songwriting skills and Kenneth Pattengale’s awe inspiring guitar evocations, The Milk Carton Kids have found themselves occupying a space that hasn’t seen a lot of heavy hitters as of late. Oh sure, there’s The Civil Wars and there’s the ever present Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch (ostensibly the “godfathers” of the modern scene) but gone are the days when names like Simon, Garfunkel, Prine, Croce, Stevens —  the list goes on and on —  dominated the musical landscape. Which is not to say that Ryan and Pattengale are quite there yet, but damned if they aren’t on the right track.

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Live Music: Review - The Civil Wars @ Jammin' Java

The Civil Wars take the stage at Jammin Java.A little over a week ago, Joy Williams and John Paul White, collectively known as The Civil Wars, performed to yet ANOTHER sold out crowd, this time at Vienna’s Jammin Java. It’s becoming a common thing for them lately. With a sound that attempts to subvert the pop sensibilities of bands like Allison Krauss and Union Station or The Swell Season as much as it seeks to honor them, The Civil Wars are something entirely their own. The easy way out would be to describe their music as sort of a Gothic take on folk music, but that would be selling the duo short. It keeps being repeated that there is some sort of magic going on between Williams and White, and after seeing it for myself firsthand, I can’t help but repeat it again:

There is some sort of magic going on here.

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