Michigan touring artist Jonny Carroll and his Atlanta friends Kenny Howes and Pelicans & Their Allies come together for a night of songwriting showcase and folk pop revival.
$6 Adv – $8 Door
Doors @ 5 PM
All ticket sales are final. No refunds.
Sitting somewhere on the fence of chart pop and fringe folk, Jonny Carroll’s sound has been cultivated by his eclectic taste in musical extremes and his manic depressive sense of creativity. Hailing from Grand Rapids, MI, Jonny got his start by busking the streets of West Michigan for a living, spending winters playing shows and street performing in England and Scotland. His debut EP “The Willow" was nominated for 4 WYCE Jammie Awards in 2014 and his music has been featured on a number of regional radio stations spanning across the Atlantic, as well as in the award winning short film “Step One” by Chris Eckenwiler.
Jonny Carroll Official Site
Jonny Carroll on Facebook
Jonny Carroll on iTunes
Kenny Howes is an American power pop musician.
Raised in Mulberry, Florida, Howes began his recording career in the 1990s in Tallahassee, FL. Overdubbing all voices and instruments (except drums, performed by schoolmate Kelly Shane), Howes recorded and released his first collection Nothing Wrong With That, first as a DIY cassette EP in 1993 and then (after adding songs) as a full-length CD in 1995.
He then recorded and released his CD Kenny Howes’ Second Album in early 1996, which is known not only for the song "Girls With Glasses" ("one of the finest power pop tracks of the '90s" - author John Borack), but also for its cover art, which parodies The Beatles' Second Album. The disc was ranked #157 on The 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums list in the 2007 book Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide.
In 1996, Howes and Kelly Shane relocated to the Atlanta, GA area, began work on Howes' next CD Back To You Today! (released 1998), and stabilized a lineup for his new group, Kenny Howes & the Yeah!. Later, in 2000, Howes signed a deal with Atlanta indie label SecondHeaven.com, who released The Right Idea, a compilation of songs from Howes' first three CD releases, which were now out of print.
Howes and his band began work on their first group recording in 2000 at Chase Park Transduction studios in Athens, GA, recorded by David Barbe of Sugar, with pre-production done in Hoboken, NJ with producer Don Fleming. The resulting album, Until Dawn, was released on TallBoy Records in 2002.
Howes released his CD Lady Friend in 2004. He also relocated to California; while there, his side project Hautewerk licensed three songs to the video game Rockband in April 2009. His recordings have also been featured on MTV’s Sorority Life.
Kenny Howes performed nightly in Las Vegas with Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens for eight months before relocating to Atlanta in 2012. His new group, Kenny Howes & the WOW!, began performing regularly in Summer 2012, and his new studio album, Tornadoes Here & Past, was released in November 2012, with a vinyl LP version released in December 2012.
Robert Higgs and Dayana Yochim of Pelicans and Their Allies sympathize with their avian mascot. Higgs believes the birds are, “... unable to hide how awkward and bumbling they are - all pointy angles and floppy feet with a stupid hairdo. But when they glide they are the most graceful and beautiful looking things ever. It may not always be readily apparent, but we are all great at something.” In this case that something is music. While birding on the Gulf Coast one day, Higgs picked up a pamphlet that listed local species, which included the heading Pelicans and Their Allies. The band name was found.
Pelicans and Their Allies is an Atlanta and Washington DC-based band formed in 2014 by Higgs (lead vocal and guitarist) and Yochim (vocal and multi-instrumentalist). The duo produces smart, quirky indie pop that crosses varied terrains, from pretty and subtly melancholic, to full of big drums and pop hooks. Between the two, a multitude of instruments - violin, glockenspiel, melodica, various toy organs and keyboards, electric guitars, and percussion - can be heard in each song on their self-titled EP.
To continue expanding their sound, Yochim often combs through thrift stores in search of musical oddities. These instruments fit in perfectly with the theme of Blanket Fort Studio where most of their music is recorded. It's not just a name – the Fort is located in Higgs' home, where Ikea comforters hang from the ceiling to create an acoustically sound circus-tent-shaped recording studio. The environment helps keep things fun and playful and also allows for unlimited experimentation with new instruments and gadgets all at the low, low cost of free.
Authenticity fused with a nerdy playfulness is the backbone of Pelicans and Their Allies’ music. Their self-titled EP asks listeners to figure themselves out. Who are you? Where do you belong? What is your best life and who will you share it with? While maintaining a pretty and fun sound full of hidden pop-culture references, every song tends to incorporate a playful-made-serious and/or serious-made-playful tone. In “Sam vs The Ape” Higgs' inspiration comes directly from his fans. One fan requested a song about Mark Twain, which became a song about Sam Clemens struggling with his alter ego, peppered with a hint of King Kong. Ultimately the song is about the constant struggle we face in dealing with our best and worst selves.
Pelicans and Their Allies is an evolution of a previous collaboration, Addieville, which unfolded over the course of 2012 – 2014. Addieville was Robert and Dayana focusing on acoustic guitar and cello. In 2013 four songs turned into a folk-pop EP titled RaceCar. In 2015 the collaboration moved from acoustic to plugged in, from Addieville to Pelicans and Their Allies. The band might pop up in a playlist with Yo La Tengo, Generationals, The Shins, Andrew Bird, the Mountain Goats, Bishop Allen, and Built to Spill’s softer side. The duo is set to release their first EP in 2015, a self-titled collection of five songs. Come late 2015, the road trip begins and the good times continue.
Pelicans & Their Allies Official Site
Pelicans & Their Allies on Facebook