There was no shortage of alt-country Americana folk bands at XPoNential this year, with Dawes, Dr. Dog and Grace Potter all getting billing last weekend. These United States brings more of that sweet, mellow 70s AM Gold to the proceedings.
The band lists Washington, D.C. and Lexington, KY as their home bases, but if you never heard of them before, you could have guested Kansas or Austin, TX. There's a strong feeling that the music comes from late night dive bars in some rundown part of town. Lead singer Jesse Elliott grits his teeth as he sings his songs about evil men and evil deeds. Make no mistake, they are not some crummy, run of the mill bar band full of drunken dead beats. These guys are smooth players with the twangy guitars and sometimes driving rhythms.
Their latest album came out Tuesday, it's called What Lasts. They come to NYC on August 28th at Mercury Lounge.
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