The Howlin’ Brothers – Subculture, New York, NY 5/21/14

The Howlin’ Brothers owned the room at Subculture in Manhattan on Wednesday, May 21st, and definitely took many folks in the audience by surprise. If anyone in attendance wasn’t familiar with their music, they left there as devotees. Playing a long, nearly two hour set with no opening band, the trio kept a really nice pace, with a well rounded mix of tunes from last year’s Howl and this year’s Trouble, and a few old bluegrass covers, too.

What makes the Howlin’ Brothers so great is that each of the three members produces such a different sound, and each contributes vocally. Bassist Ben Plasse’s voice is raspy and low, while guitarist Jared Green’s is steady and strong. And then there’s the powerhouse, Ian Craft, with vocals that are an effortlessly perfect blend of gospel and soul as he belts out songs like the loud romper “Night and Day” and the emotional “Sing a Sad Song”. All three are incredible musicians, and Craft is that rare force of nature talent that just blows you away.

From Craft’s ferocious fiddle and banjo playing, to Green’s mile-a-minute guitar picking, they played such fun foot-stompers as “Boogie” and the twangy, dirtier “Troubled Waltz”, each taking a turn with vocals, while also creating some really solid harmonies together. It’s clear that these are musicians who truly love music, particularly bluegrass. Their covers of old favorite “Charleston Chew” and the Carl Perkins classic “Dixie Fried” are layered, and their amazingly quirky and silly “Boatman Dance” got a lot of wallflowers on their feet dancing—something the band encourages throughout.

These guys can also write one hell of a road song, and they sang their favorites about traveling the country playing music, like “Pack Up Joe” and “Louisiana”. But don’t count them out for a sweet, sad love song. “World Spinning Round” transported the audience to a honkytonk dance floor, and “Mama Don’t You Tell Me” had the crowd singing along.

To show off the sheer musicianship even more, Craft and Plasse switch instruments about halfway through for a handful of songs. Craft takes on the upright bass, while Plasse whips out “Red Gretch”, his gorgeous, tinny blues guitar. “Hard Times” was the standout for this portion of the set, and damn if it wasn’t rich and soulful.

The true unforgettable moment came with their final song, “Yes I Am”, an intense and powerful gospel number for which they called audience volunteers up on stage to sing a call and response backup. This is definitely a standout Howlin’ Brothers tune, and to see it performed live is really something else. In a bigger crowd, it must produce some serious energy in the room. Not only are these three guys enormously talented, but you’ll also never see such a happy band who really loves what they’re doing and really enjoys performing quite as much.

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