Well Brah-nation, we meet again. As you may have noticed, things around the blahg have been, shall we say, sparse lately. Unfortunately, our personal lives have gotten in the way of doing what we do best, being Brahs. We’ve recently bid C. Brahkowski farewell as he returned home to the Lone Star State. Speaking of returning home, two of North Carolina’s favorite sons return home this weekend for a CD Release Party at the Pour House for their band, The Moderate. The Rest Is Up To You is the band’s first full length album and builds upon their already impressive catalog of songs. Raleigh natives, Jim Dempsey and Drew Marks, form one half of this quartet. Dempsey on lead guitar and vocals and Marks on drums and percussion are joined by bassist Tracy Epperson and Ian Burke on the sax, guitar and back up vocals.
The Moderate is based out of DC and ventures into country, blues and beyond. The new album, which can be previewed on the band’s Myspace page, has been well received in the DC Metro area, including arts and entertainment site, the DCist:
The album opens strong with the title track, which seems somewhat lighter than what we’ve come to expect from The Moderate. It sacrifices none of Jim Dempsey’s emotion, but sets it to a more simplistic and indie rock inspired melody. That less is more aesthetic comes back on tracks like “Untitled,” but the band has chops and is not hesitant to show them off. They are admitted fans of The Grateful Dead and in songs such as “Lost, Boy,” their extended jammy interplay recalls that influence. More often than not, though, the band’s technical prowess appears in unexpected spurts that keep the listener on their toes. There might be a quick drum fill here, an unlikely four second guitar solo there and it keeps the band outside of the dreaded middle of the road.
The Moderate is unmistakably a band with southern roots. Drummer Drew Marks and singer/guitarist Jim Dempsey hail from North Carolina, and from songs mentioning Nashville to guitar tunings that Lynyrd Skynyrd made famous, they never deny it. “Chapel Hill” sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a breezy drive down the lazy, tree-lined highway into the city.
Saturday should be a great evening as The Moderate lights up the Pour House. For anyone familiar with Raleigh’s music scene, the Pour House is probably a second home. For those of you unfamiliar with this Oak City musical treasure, it is located at 224 South Blount St. The show starts at 9:00 and tickets are $6 in advance/$8 at the door. Do yourself a favor and support local live music. You won’t be disappointed.
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