Calling all serious fans of fast playing, finger picking, heart-stirring blues, rock, soul, and funk. The Pearl Street Warehouse is the place to be on Nov. 30, when two dynamic duos enliven the intimate stage with their transformative, rhythmic sound! Swampcandy and The Balkun Brothers, both highly acclaimed and multi award winning pairs, take to their primitive blues and traditional Americana roots, delivering rocking romps that redefine these musical genres.
Swampcandy, from Annapolis Maryland, was founded in 2007. The band did not discover the perfect pairing of Ruben Dobbs (guitar, vocals) and Joey Mitchell (bass, kick drum, percussive bass) until 2010. They describe their semiotic relationship as “the two hemispheres of one brain.” A creative force both balanced and anchored by pragmatism, the two offer listeners the energy and skill of a more heavily outfitted band with heartfelt aplomb and all-in commitment. Stomp your feet and clap your hands; and add their gritty energetic sweetness to your next playlist!
In addition, The Balkun Brothers will introduce DC to the possibilities of fraternal talent! Steve and Nick Balkun have been voted “The Best Blues Band in Connecticut” four years in a row. Their explosive live shows and gritty raw rendering of traditional rock and blues is the perfect complement for their Swampcandy brethren. Thursday night’s serving of unexpected Americana is sure to please any and all musical palates.
Leanne Tankel studied poetry writing as a UC Berkeley undergraduate and was fortunate enough to work with the inimitable Thom Gunn. She earned her M.A. in Creative Writing at Boston University, where she held a teaching fellowship. Currently, she is writing prose, and her manuscript, Broken Hallelujah: notes from a marriage, was a 2011 short-list finalist for the Santa Fe Literary Awards program. Leanne lives with her husband, three sons, and two pugs in Northern Virginia.
