Artists

There’s something homey feeling about the idea of a man sitting out on his porch as the sun sets, plucking away at his guitar as he moves forward and back in a rocking chair. And it was just that image and sensation that Langhorne Slim brought to the stage, rocking chair and all, as he sang his songs of love lost and love found to an audience more than eager to share in his musical story telling.

“Time hangs heavy on the vine/Let’s make wine,” Ryan Montbleau sings in the lulling, sensual verse that gives his group’s new album its title. Ryan Montbleau Band has been tending its own musical vineyard for a few years, on the patient cusp of a breakthrough.

The dusty road leads to an unseen location. Clouds of dirt and earthy grime pass through the air. As the dust settles and the road becomes steeper, Horning’s Hideout comes into view. “Happy Horning’s,” comes a chipper voice from my right.  My window is rolled down and I turn to see a girl standing on the side of the road. She wears a neon-green shirt that reads “Volunteer”.

“Where should I park?” I ask her.

“Just keep driving,” she says with a devious smile. “You’ll find the way.”

I grinned and waved and continued down the rocky hill.

British singer-songwriter Bobby Long returns to the road this summer for a combination of solo acoustic shows and a series of dates at which he will be backed by a band for the first time since arriving on American shores just over a year ago.  Long, who has been working on his recording debut album backed by studio musicians, has been anxious to bring this new dynamic to his live appearances and is looking forward to giving his hauntingly personal songs added depth and dimension.