Brothers Jimmy and Tommy Curry, along with their cousin Galen, formed the kernel of The Currys years ago in Port Saint Joe, Florida, honing their brand of home-grown folk ever since.
After recording a self-titled EP in 2011 and touring Ireland somewhat extensively in 2012, the band uprooted and moved from Florida to Charlottesville, Virginia where they enlisted the help of two new honorary Currys; Matt Kauper (bass) and Johnny Humphreys (percussion).
The extended family band are about to release their first full-length, Follow.
‘How A Man’s Supposed To Die’
The album is a product of their intertwined talents backed by crowd-funding via a successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2013, smashing their $12k target and netting a total of $19,804.
The loyal backers will be rewarded with mainly new songs, as well as some older tried-and-tested compositions from their EP (namely ‘Water From The Well’, ‘Hollow Bones’ and ‘Catharsis’).
Folk has re-invented itself over the past decade or so, but The Curry’s organic, stringed tones ring true – they’re the real deal, and their grassroots support base validates this sentiment.
The Currys EP was essentially melodic contemporary folk in its purest form, carrying the flame of what musicianship was all about before Dylan went electric, while Follow is slightly more upbeat, articulate and switched-on, resulting in a more folk-rock presence.
Recorded at White Star Sound in Charlottesville over a four week period, Follow is full of rich, comforting harmonies and charming lyricism across the 12-strong track listing. The storytelling is especially touching as we are left to decide for ourselves which of the lines are based on true events and which are simply poetic expression.
“We played with matches once when young, but years have robbed our pure old fun, we need infernos now to leave the ground” – ‘Catharsis’
The track ‘Catharsis’, for example, talks of playing matches as children, which sounds like adequate imagery for a harmonised ballad about absconding – but it could also be inspired from two naughty brothers and a cousin who played with matches and nearly burned the “whole mess down”. Objectively, that doesn’t make it a better song, but it adds an extra level of authenticity to the album which is already personable and endearing.
Catch a live show with The Currys if you’re lucky enough to be in or around the east coast, and be sure to get yourself a copy of Follow when it is released on 29 April, 2014.
The CurrysBrothers Jimmy and Tommy, along with cousin Galen, formed the kernel of The Currys in Port Saint Joe, honing their brand of home-grown folk ever since.FollowWritten by: Damian BurkeDate Published: 03/07/2014Brothers Jimmy and Tommy, along with cousin Galen, formed the kernel of The Currys in Port Saint Joe, honing their brand of home-grown folk ever since.7 / 10 stars
