SOUTHERN TENANT FOLK UNION - JOIN FORCES

2016 - Johnny Rock Records
In their early days and in fact their first two or three albums Southern Tenant Folk Union were one of the best alt. country bands around. Gradually over the years with changes in lineup they have segued into a band that is probably best described, at least loosely, as modern folk mixed with slightly off centre bluegrass but with strong political elements, perhaps even 'protest!' So, the reader can be forgiven for thinking the band have completely left the country elements behind and become an entirely different band. In fact they have ............. and they haven't! What i'm trying to say is that perhaps the modern alt. country element has gone but it's been replaced with an often 'old timey' feel, a 'genre' that many will know was basically 'American folk,' which in turn was derived from the European/British folk music imported to the 'new world' by the immigrants and after being saddled with the name 'hillbilly' much of it eventually segued into 'country music.' Certainly there is much more sophistication to the music that STFU make now but it is more a band development than a direction change and incorporates just about all of the above named elements, as they always did, but now with changes to the 'quantities' of each that are used.
The two main elements remaining from those early days are band leader, backing vocalist and main songwriter Pat McGarvey and of course, his banjo. It has been Pats musical vision and undying stubbornness that has kept this hugely talented outfit working when many lesser mortals would have called it a day. I sometimes wonder, despite them having been one of my favourite alt. country bands, if that early version of the band really fitted Pats vision as he gradually sought to add more of a political element to his music, something that has worked beautifully on their last few albums but would probably not have worked so well on the first couple of recordings of the bands career that, including 'Join Forces,' now stretches to seven tremendous albums.
It is probably inaccurate to apply any specific label to this band that is likely to include perhaps a Celtic reel, maybe a song that has the feel of an old Appalachian ballad sung in a long lost 'holler, then perhaps a folk rock song that leaves you with the feeling you have also heard a little country rock as well. Maybe in turn that will be followed by a song that has the feel of an ages old English folk ballad, all in all just some of the basic ingredients to be found in this quite exceptional bands alchemical blend and indeed on this album!
I've seen them perform on quite a few occasions and with various lineups since our first meeting at the very first Maverick festival where I interviewed them for a feature that later appeared in the magazine. On each of those occasions I have been knocked out by the sheer quality of Pat's 'brainchild' and their huge ability to blend numerous elements into a highly original, perhaps generically unique, musical stew.
The last two or three albums have been much more rooted in British folk but there is a slight change on this album on which several of the songs, at least to my ears, have a much stronger leaning towards 'Americana,' not actually in a hugely dominant form but more the general feel. Perhaps that is due to a stronger blend of banjo and fiddle bur to me it is there even if I can't be specific!
The Edinburgh, Scotland based band consists of the already mentioned Pat McGarvey who along with his other skills is also an entertaining between songs M.C. Rory Butler plays acoustic guitar and provides a warm, powerfully evocative degree of pure emotion in his manipulative lead vocals, Katherine Stewart is on fiddle and backing vocals, Craig McFadyen on bass and backing vocals and Steve Fivey plays Cajon drum, percussion and backing vocals. They were also helped out by former members, Chris Purcell on guitar and backing vocals, Adam Bulley on mandolin and Jed Milroy on harmonica. Of the songs, eight were written by Pat McGarvey, two by Rory Butler, one by a combination of Pat, Chris Purcell and Katherine Stewart. Katherine along with Steve Fivey also wrote a tremendous instrumental that features late in the album. The songs themselves are certainly rooted in the modern day political world and protest against the futility of so many aspects of the world we live in from politics to war, even including a strong familial tale and a song about a wayward lover. Regardless of who wrote the songs every one of them is beautifully composed and has deep powerful roots in folk music, be it from the British Isles or the U.S, ultimately the same (or at least very similar) thing when you think about it!
This is a band that probably has more grasp of the dramatic qualities of music than just about any other band around. Even on the songs that have an eerie 'old timey' quality they are able to engender a strong topicality in their lyrics bringing together the two contrasting time periods without losing the power of either, in fact, often enhancing the depth and power. I won't say this is their best album; there has been too much development over their career, so favourites depend very much on the mood I'm in on a particular day, but I do think this is stylistically perhaps their most expansive recording. As a consequence it should contain something for everyone whose musical tastes range from the very best of British Isles folk to folksy Appalachian Americana, albeit with large doses of a unique originality. Ultimately there is no other band like STFU, their music having evolved continuously and completely naturally rather than changing direction for changes sake. Not many bands whose sound has gradually developed can lay claim to that. Whether they ever finally attain Pat McGarvey's musical vision remains to be seen but so far it has been a long and fascinating journey and thankfully there is no reason to suspect that journey is going to end any time soon!
http://www.southerntenantfolkunion.com/
In their early days and in fact their first two or three albums Southern Tenant Folk Union were one of the best alt. country bands around. Gradually over the years with changes in lineup they have segued into a band that is probably best described, at least loosely, as modern folk mixed with slightly off centre bluegrass but with strong political elements, perhaps even 'protest!' So, the reader can be forgiven for thinking the band have completely left the country elements behind and become an entirely different band. In fact they have ............. and they haven't! What i'm trying to say is that perhaps the modern alt. country element has gone but it's been replaced with an often 'old timey' feel, a 'genre' that many will know was basically 'American folk,' which in turn was derived from the European/British folk music imported to the 'new world' by the immigrants and after being saddled with the name 'hillbilly' much of it eventually segued into 'country music.' Certainly there is much more sophistication to the music that STFU make now but it is more a band development than a direction change and incorporates just about all of the above named elements, as they always did, but now with changes to the 'quantities' of each that are used.
The two main elements remaining from those early days are band leader, backing vocalist and main songwriter Pat McGarvey and of course, his banjo. It has been Pats musical vision and undying stubbornness that has kept this hugely talented outfit working when many lesser mortals would have called it a day. I sometimes wonder, despite them having been one of my favourite alt. country bands, if that early version of the band really fitted Pats vision as he gradually sought to add more of a political element to his music, something that has worked beautifully on their last few albums but would probably not have worked so well on the first couple of recordings of the bands career that, including 'Join Forces,' now stretches to seven tremendous albums.
It is probably inaccurate to apply any specific label to this band that is likely to include perhaps a Celtic reel, maybe a song that has the feel of an old Appalachian ballad sung in a long lost 'holler, then perhaps a folk rock song that leaves you with the feeling you have also heard a little country rock as well. Maybe in turn that will be followed by a song that has the feel of an ages old English folk ballad, all in all just some of the basic ingredients to be found in this quite exceptional bands alchemical blend and indeed on this album!
I've seen them perform on quite a few occasions and with various lineups since our first meeting at the very first Maverick festival where I interviewed them for a feature that later appeared in the magazine. On each of those occasions I have been knocked out by the sheer quality of Pat's 'brainchild' and their huge ability to blend numerous elements into a highly original, perhaps generically unique, musical stew.
The last two or three albums have been much more rooted in British folk but there is a slight change on this album on which several of the songs, at least to my ears, have a much stronger leaning towards 'Americana,' not actually in a hugely dominant form but more the general feel. Perhaps that is due to a stronger blend of banjo and fiddle bur to me it is there even if I can't be specific!
The Edinburgh, Scotland based band consists of the already mentioned Pat McGarvey who along with his other skills is also an entertaining between songs M.C. Rory Butler plays acoustic guitar and provides a warm, powerfully evocative degree of pure emotion in his manipulative lead vocals, Katherine Stewart is on fiddle and backing vocals, Craig McFadyen on bass and backing vocals and Steve Fivey plays Cajon drum, percussion and backing vocals. They were also helped out by former members, Chris Purcell on guitar and backing vocals, Adam Bulley on mandolin and Jed Milroy on harmonica. Of the songs, eight were written by Pat McGarvey, two by Rory Butler, one by a combination of Pat, Chris Purcell and Katherine Stewart. Katherine along with Steve Fivey also wrote a tremendous instrumental that features late in the album. The songs themselves are certainly rooted in the modern day political world and protest against the futility of so many aspects of the world we live in from politics to war, even including a strong familial tale and a song about a wayward lover. Regardless of who wrote the songs every one of them is beautifully composed and has deep powerful roots in folk music, be it from the British Isles or the U.S, ultimately the same (or at least very similar) thing when you think about it!
This is a band that probably has more grasp of the dramatic qualities of music than just about any other band around. Even on the songs that have an eerie 'old timey' quality they are able to engender a strong topicality in their lyrics bringing together the two contrasting time periods without losing the power of either, in fact, often enhancing the depth and power. I won't say this is their best album; there has been too much development over their career, so favourites depend very much on the mood I'm in on a particular day, but I do think this is stylistically perhaps their most expansive recording. As a consequence it should contain something for everyone whose musical tastes range from the very best of British Isles folk to folksy Appalachian Americana, albeit with large doses of a unique originality. Ultimately there is no other band like STFU, their music having evolved continuously and completely naturally rather than changing direction for changes sake. Not many bands whose sound has gradually developed can lay claim to that. Whether they ever finally attain Pat McGarvey's musical vision remains to be seen but so far it has been a long and fascinating journey and thankfully there is no reason to suspect that journey is going to end any time soon!
http://www.southerntenantfolkunion.com/