hello everybody,

We got another great review out of Hotlanta. This time from atlantamusicblog.com. Its pretty great and honest, which I appreciate. Also, if you’re ever in or going to Atlanta, you should check out the AMG. I used it all the time when I lived there to find cool shows to go to, in a past life.

-J

Alblum Review: “All My Life”

So, we are very pleased to announce that the current edition of Southeast Performer features a review of our debut album, “All My Life”. You can check out the review at the online e-reader or read it in its entirety below. Thanks Performer Mag!

Simple and sweet, Elonzo’s debut album is on that fully relects the band’s South Carolina surroundings. With brush strokes of bluegrass, folk and hard-working Americana, the trio’s music paints pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains and lush forest hiking trails.

The quiet nature of their songs is felf through quick rootsy quitar picking, as found in “About Last Night,” or in the slow swing tempo of songs like “Fool’s Gold.”

Still, Elonzo’s take on folk tunes are not dated or tired rehashings of the past. Like Band of Horses, or even the later works of Conor Oberst, the band bottles the soul of its musical inspiration, yet still manages to build on it in a relevant way. This is seen greatly in the lyrics written by quitarist Jeremy Davis. All My Life is an album that tackles the same issues that have always plagued songwriters, only this time the working man has insurance to worry about and the religious man acknowledges his sin but does not always try to correct his wrong doings. Most of their tracks surround a type of journey that has no real end point, the suspensions that are felt as we move through life. This is especially so in the song “Forty Miles to Asheville,” which details a sort of never ending road trip of self-discovery.

All My Life is an album that was literally produced in-hous by the members of Elonzo. All the recordings were done at one of the member’s homes. Because of this there are occasional stints of background noise, but they usually prove to be edearing rather than distracting. The overall sound of the recorded track could be more robust with more layered instrumentation, but for a self-made debut this record is truly something to treasure. -Nico Stahl (Southeast Performer Magazine)

In an attempt to be trendy and keep our blog current, we have uploaded a music video for your listening pleasure.  The video it Jeremy’s version of Ms. Lucinda Williams wonderful song “People Talkin’”.  Now, we are not too sure of the legalities of this recording (if anyone could clear that up for us we would appreciate it), but considering that we will make no money off of it and we have very few personal assets I don’t think we have a whole lot to worry about.  Anyway, enjoy!

As many of you may know, the Elonzo crew is based out of Rock Hill, SC.  So, we very regularly forgo the trip to Charlotte for a night/day in town.  We figured that since there is not always an update to post that pertains to the band, we could start a series that lists some of the things that we like to do around Rock Hill.  I’m not too sure how short or long this list might become, but we will try to keep it current.  Also, if anyone has suggestions for a business/place to go on the list, let us know.

  I think it would be appropriate to start this list with the Old Town Bistro, since I’ve spent so muh time there.  “The Bistro” is located right on Main Street in the downtown area of Rock Hill.  They have done a nice job renovating the space and have succesfully created a comfortable atmosphere that a few others on Main Street should take note of.  Also, quite a bit of history has taken place in the building;  the location was home to a civil rights era “sit-in” that helped bring about change in Rock Hill and also throughout the Southeast (check out their website).

“The Bistro” proves that a nice atmosphere, consistently tasty food, and low prices don’t have to be mutually exclusive factors when looking for a nice place to eat any night of the week.  I’m not sure how many times the Elonzo crew has indulged in a spontaneous meal at “The Bistro” but it is probably just shy of the triple digit range.  With a judicial use of funds you can take a date and spend just a little more than $10, if you both drink water and order sandwiches… 

Recomended eats:  gyro, meatloaf, and the Mediteranean burger.

http://www.rholdtownbistro.com

I’m not sure if this was the first day in my adult life that I can say I was proud to be an American, but it definately didn’t disappoint.  While I stood in line to vote today (2 hours) I heard numerous people saying that it usually has taken about 10 minutes to get through the voting process in that particular precinct.  I don’t have any hard numbers, but considering the wait time increased from 10 minutes to 2 hours… I would say there are significantly more people voting here in South Carolina than in the past.  I guess that can be credited to the current financial and political state of America and also to the shear excitement that many people feel about both the McCain/Palin ticket and the Obama/Biden ticket. But I really was proud at the turnout, thanks America!