Wrenwood hits their stride with new EP, Wrenwood Live

Wrenwood Live is the new 3-song EP from Charleston-based King City Records act, Wrenwood. Recorded during a live session at Ocean Industries Studios on April 20, 2013, the EP is now available for purchase at the band's live shows and on Amazon and iTunes.


Opening with a kazoo solo and the feverish guitar work of Dan Rainey, the first track on Wrenwood's new EP , "Apples and Oranges", would be right at home on the Squirrel Nut Zippers record Hot. If your head isn't bobbing and your foot isn't slapping the floor, someone needs to check you for a pulse. With its hot jazz vibe, it's easy to lose yourself in this song about a pair of uniquely matched lovers. "Whiskey and water / bourbon and Coke / I bring the laughter / you bring the jokes / Send me a signal / it's time to go / Hiding in the afterglow," Corbett sings in her best Tin Pan Alley trill. The flip to a half-time tempo at the end is a brilliant move - it gives the song some room to breathe, while showcasing Rainey's impressive guitar finger work. 

Equally impressive are the talents of Rainey's band mate and girlfriend, Dallas Corbett. She picks up the guitar and plays rhythm; she also plays bass. She's even been known to shake a mean tambourine. But here, it is Corbett's voice that steals the spotlight. Singing with a maturity beyond her twenty-six years, this modest frontwoman leads the band through the beautiful and heartbreaking "Cheap Shots". With a voice that is at once smoky and yet smooth and elegant as honey, Corbett will have you believing that this is an old country classic, with its tender word play and pedal steel. Wrenwood really hits its stride with this one, and while I would be remiss in categorizing them as a "country" band, this crooner is definitely the pinnacle of the Live EP.

The last song on the disc, "Somethin' Special", transports listeners to the wooden stage of a gritty roadhouse. The chugging bass and punchy drum fills keep a rock steady beat, while Rainey's searing guitar cuts through the inevitable smoke in the air; his solo near the two-minute mark is classic rock n roll. And Corbett gives another stellar performance, this time channeling the likes of Alannah Myles with her throaty beckon to "Just gimme somethin' special."

While the brevity of Wrenwood Live leaves me wanting more, it is perfect in that it allows every facet of Wrenwood to shine. As songwriters, the band has really come into its own, and I'm eager to hear what Wrenwood's future holds.


Find Wrenwood online:
w ~ www.WrenwoodMusic.com
f ~ www.facebook.com/WrenwoodMusic
r ~ www.reverbnation.com/wrenwood

Loners Society sign to Autumn + Colour Records

January 10, 2014


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Loners Society sign to Autumn + Colour Records!


Watch the King City Sessions promo video

We are extremely excited to announce that Loners Society have signed with Atlanta, GA/Raleigh, NC-based independent label, Autumn + Colour Records. (View the official press release.) 

Autumn + Colour will be releasing the next Loners Society record, King City Sessions, on Tuesday, February 11th!  Pre-order for King City Sessions begins on January 21st, and when you pre-order the album, you will receive the first single, "LaGrange", instantly!

In celebration, Autumn + Colour will be discounting EVERYTHING in their store 15% today (1/10/2014) only, when you use the coupon code: ILOVELONERSSOCIETY. So check out their site and stock up on some A+C merchandise on the cheap from Loners Society!

King City Sessions was recorded on Saturday, April 20, 2013, at Ocean Industries Studios in the band's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

"We put together a bill of good bands (Wrenwood and Tyler Boone also joined Loners Society on the bill)," says Loners Society's Matt Megrue, "got a bunch of beer, and invited a small group of our close friends and fans out.  It was a really special night for us for so many reasons: the crowd was great, it was one of Brian's (former Loners Society drummer) last shows with us, and we put together a set list of songs we don't typically play live.  I'm just so happy we were able to capture the night in the form of an album."

And while most "live" records are typically re-tracked, re-worked, and re-produced with studio technology to the point where the set becomes anything but "live", Megrue says that is not the case with King City Sessions:

"When we took the mixes to Don (McCollister from Nickel & Dime Studios in Atlanta, GA), we wanted to be very careful not to lose the energy and the feel from that night.  So instead of incessantly re-tracking and re-recording, we put our focus into making the best out of what was there.  We wanted this record to truly represent what we sound like if you were to see us live...warts and all."


WATCH THE VIDEO FOR "LAGRANGE" FROM KING CITY SESSIONS

Live Shows / Autumn + Colour Showcase

On the heels of the King City Sessions announcement, Loners Society will be performing at the Autumn + Colour Showcase in Raleigh on Saturday, January 18th. 

TONIGHT!!! Friday, January 10th

Matt Megrue (Solo, acoustic) 105.5 The Bridge/98X's Acoustic Sunset

The Wreckfish  |  7690 Northwoods Blvd., North Charleston, SC 29406

Show at 5:00pm, FREE

Saturday, January 18th

Loners Society / Autumn + Colour Showcase

Deep South  |  430 S Dawson St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Show at 6:00pm, $5 (tickets) Age 18+

Loners Society

http://www.lonerssociety.com/

King City Records 1st Annual Showcase - Recap

Charleston-based indie label King City Records made its grand entrance onto the local scene this weekend with its First Annual Showcase, at Tin Roof in West Ashley. Featuring three of its currently signed bands, the evening ran the gamut from a kazoo solo to guitar shredding, with a “Baba O’Riley” cover thrown in for good measure.

First on the bill was the duo Wrenwood, consisting of Dallas Corbett (lead vox + rhythm guitar) and Dan Rainey (lead guitar + backing vox). Opening with “The Moon and the Tide”, the band sprang to life with an Allman Brothers-meets-The Ventures speed-walking guitar line, cementing the notion that Rainey is one hell of a guitar player. Marking the time with a foot pedal-operated tambourine, Wrenwood worked their way through several songs, engaging the crowd with their bright sound and deep, bluesy grooves. Corbett’s voice is a searing flame on tunes like “Cheap Shots” (“He said ‘Come back darlin’, I haven’t said all I could’/He only gets this way when he drinks more than he should”), and a soft campfire ash in tunes such as the harmonious and sanguine “Bluebird”.

In their most adventurous song of the set, “Apples and Oranges”, Rainey again led with a swift, slick guitar intro, but this time with a distinctly swaggering hipster vibe. “Whiskey and water, bourbon and Coke. I bring the laughter, you bring the jokes,” Corbett sang, her jazzy vibrato reminiscent of a 1930s lounge act siren. Rounding out the set with their new tune “The Wayside”, Wrenwood is a talented and fun duo that I hope to hear more from in the months leading up to their new album release early next year.

Website: www.wrenwoodmusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WrenwoodMusic

Next up: Loners Society


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Trifecta of Talent

King City Records' 1st Annual Showcase
Tin Roof - 1117 Magnolia Rd., phone: 571.0775
Doors - 8p
Cover - $5
Originally founded in 2009 by then-Athens-based musician Matt Megrue, King City Records was born out of Megrue's desire for a single outlet through which he could funnel all of his creativity. But with friends like Charleston-based singer/songwriter Tyler Boone, it didn't take long for Megrue's personal project to flourish into a true indie label supporting a handful of area bands, including Loners Society, County Line Strangers, The Unusual Suspects, Tyler Boone's band and the newcomer duo Wrenwood. Many of the musicians play in each other's bands, and everyone contributes to the label's grassroots, "street team" efforts that have proven to be very successful for others in the Charleston music community.

To help introduce their label to the local scene, King City Records is holding its first annual showcase at Tin Roof in West Ashley TONIGHT. Featuring Tyler Boone, Loners Society and Wrenwood, Megrue and his team hope to impress some positive vibes and leave a sweet ringing in the ear of those who attend the bash. With new albums from all three bands coming down the pipeline early next year, King City Records' 1st Annual Showcase is an event that you will want to get in on.

7th Annual Holy City Cold Hearts Revival
Charleston Pour House - 1977 Maybank Hwy., phone: 571.4343
Doors - 8p
Cover - $8 adv / $10 dos - 100% of proceeds go to the Gram Parsons Foundation
Organized by Charleston songwriter Lindsay Holler, this year's Holy City Cold Hearts Revival (a celebration of local alt-folk, country-rock Americana musicianship) is being dedicated to the legend, the travesty and the enduring inspiration of Gram Parsons. On the eve of what would have been Parsons' 66th birthday, Holler and other area musicians including Company singer Brian Hannon and the prolific Rachel Kate Gillon, will be performing at the Pour House in a tribute to the late pioneer of cosmic American music.

Elim Bolt kicks off the evening with their reverb-laden and wistful country-psychedelia. Rachel Kate is sure to impress with her scolding vocals and intimate understanding of how to stir the soul. If psychobilly had a countrified alter ego, it would be Lindsay Holler's Western Polaroids, whose music deftly evokes images of tail lights fading into the black of a desert night, grit and heartache swirling in its wake.

The show wraps with the local Parsons tribute band, Hickory Wind. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Gram Parsons Foundation, whose mission is to assist musicians battling addiction and to support them in their recovery, while also spreading education, awareness and prevention through the redemptive and healing powers of music.

City Paper Music Awards - A Nick Collins Benefit
Charleston Pour House - 1977 Maybank Hwy., phone: 571.4343
Doors - 8p
Cover - TBA
The Pour House will host the City Paper's awards shows and winners showcase, featuring the winners of this year's 2nd annual City Paper Music Awards, which will be announced in the Nov. 7th issue of the paper, out later this week.

The show is being set up as a benefit for local singer and guitarist Nick Collins, who was involved in a very serious and tragic traffic incident over the summer. The outpouring of love, support and encouragement for Nick from all of Charleston has been nothing short of extraordinary, so please come out to the Pour House next Thursday to help support not only your local music community, but the continued recovery of fellow musician Nick Collins.