Fire On Fire / Orchard

Young God

Fire On Fire used to be the art-punk-prog-chaos collective Cerberus Shoal, but they ditched their electric instruments, went into hiding for a while, and now play acoustic--stand-up bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonium, accordion, acoustic guitar, dobro, etc.--and all sing and harmonize on the songs. Live, they do it "old school" and just use two mics placed in front of them on the stage, like a bluegrass band. They all live in the same house up in Maine, across from rusting green oil tanks, apparently. They sound like a backwoods, fierce, psychedelic Mamas and the Papas or a crazed and joyously vengeful gospel string band. They feed off each and propel other as musicians with a powerful and joyous energy. It's all acoustic, but it's not in the least folky. More old-timey incantations--American music with excellent words, performed with the honed violence of intent that truly great music requires. --Michael Gira / Young God Records  "Fire On Fire hum with ancient things transmuted through all-acoustic instrumentation and a marvelously un-modern chemistry. Deeply felt, highly personal and eloquent as a homespun waltz.... Raw, beautifully organic voices burrow into heavy places with a sweet step redolent of Sacred Harp spirituals...." --Jambase.com   "... a blend of Appalachian, the Grateful Dead, Strawbs, Incredible String Band, Patti Smith, madrigalian folk, the Band, even touches of Sammlas Mammas Manna here and there, importing older pan-European strains ... ripe with full-fleshed maturity, often almost shocking in its eruditions, never remiss in delivering a potent angle on hallowed traditionalism while injecting sly latter-day tweaks and tune-ups...." --Acousticmusic.com

• SHARE

  •  Twitter
  •  Stumbleupon
  •  Digg
  •  del.icio.us
  •  Facebook
  •  Mixx