photo by Jon Waits
Savannah born and bred alt-bluegrass outfit City Hotel – who takes their name from a 19th-century hotel where Moon River Brewing Company is today – just finished recording their sophomore studio effort, and now are looking for backers to help get it out.
They launched a Kickstarter campaign this week to get the final bit of funds for the album’s release.
If you’ve been around Savannah in the last year or so, there’s a damn good chance you saw the boys (Cory Chambers, Jay Rudd, Anthony Teixeira and Aaron Paul Zimmer) of City Hotel. They play a constant stream of shows, and have rightfully earned a regular spot in the Savannah music scene, as well as a 2013 “Best of Savannah” accolade.
Dogged Days is an 11-track album with eight original tunes recorded at Savannah’s Elevated Basement Studios (Gregg Allman, Black Tusk, Cusses, Soap, Accomplices, Super Horse, Bear Fight!, Bela Fleck, Chris Thile, and many more!)
One of the non-original tracks on the new album is a song written by a friend of the band, Ernie Palmer.
“City Hotel has honored me greatly by recording one of my songs, ‘Gainesville Mill,’ on their new album, Dogged Days. When I first wrote the song, I thought it was pretty good. Then I heard City Hotel perform it and their version is fantastic. Check it out,” Palmer commented on the Kickstarter page.
They have set a goal of $3,500, and as of the evening of Jan. 18 they’ve received almost $400 in pledges from seven backers. The drive will end Feb. 15 with digital copies available in March and physical ones in April.
There are a lot of talented musicians in Savannah, but I rank these four in the top tier of that list. Melding traditional bluegrass music with solid modern songwriting and a contemporary sensibility concerning their music, City Hotel properly carries the traditions of an American art form into the future.
I have no doubt the new album will be a great listen. Check out their first album here: link
The packages available range from $10 – $1,000 and grow in intensity. Some of the higher levels feature some pretty unique rewards. Or, at least some that I am seeing for the first time. Some of these are an original tune written for the backer (your choice of theme), signed lyric sheets, and a live album recorded at Red Clay Theatre.
Soap Box: Support for local anything is support for Savannah. In this case, some really fine local musicians. End Soap Box transmission.
photo by Jon Waits