The Nitty Gritty Dirt band has been reincarnated as young, bearded, stoned-out, eclectic post-modern hipsters. They now call themselves the Futurebirds. Like in their past-lives as banjo-pickin’ yodelers, they still call Athens, Georgia their home base.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt band has been reincarnated as young, bearded, stoned-out, eclectic post-modern hipsters. They now call themselves the Futurebirds. Like in their past-lives as banjo-pickin’ yodelers, they still call Athens, Georgia their home base. Little known outside of the Southeast until recently, the Futurebirds have been warmly welcomed into the wider world of alternative music after some lively SXSW performances in Austin and coverage on blogs such as Aquarium Drunkard. Their one and only release, a self-titled EP, comes highly recommended by yours truly. While the band name fails to hide the fact that these nestlings have a definite eye and ear towards the Appalachian valleys of the 1960’s and 70’s, there is more here than nostalgia. These guys and gal are creating circling, haunting neo-psychedelic-folk that’s delivered with a healthy heap of Southern charm. This free-spirited alt-country, hippie-hymnal choir sound as if they found a flame retardant 8-track, chucked it in the campfire, and gathered round with their guitars, pedal-steel, mandolins, and a whole lot of soul. Their six song debut sounds like that boozy bliss of a late Southern summer afternoon spent with friends, loose and lazy on the porch, watching the ominous afternoon thunder clouds roll in. While the Futurebirds may not be soaring yet, the future looks bright for these fledglings.
– Brooks Hays
