New CD from Whispering Pines revives album-oriented Rock-n-Roll

Article Contributed by KG Music Press | Published on Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The sound and look of Whispering Pines could be straight out of the early 1970’s, but don’t let that fool you-- this is a band that nods to the past, while blazing their own trail.  If you read anything on the band, one word will keep popping up again and again—authentic. Whispering Pines debut album, Family Tree (2009), listed on several “Best Album of the Year” lists and inspired PopMatters to say, “Somehow the heart and soul of the South pour out of Los Angeles’ Whispering Pines…this isn’t some mere Southern rock bar band…these guys vary their dynamics and give their songs a great amount of dimension.”Their second self-titled record, Whispering Pines, brings the same depth and flavor and adds a new confidence derived from their touring and performing experiences as well as a more focused sense of identity and purpose. The 5-piece band has four primary songwriters and each writer will typically sing the songs they bring to the group.  Band member, Joe Bourdet points out that, “This keeps it interesting for us and gives everybody an opportunity to play a support role and then also stand out.”Whispering Pines is rootsy rock n’ roll that could have been in vogue a decade before the band was born. Comparisons are often made to The Allman Brothers, Cowboy, Steven Still's Manassas, and The Band and while these artists are an influence, Whispering Pines don’t slip into tribute territory…this band is the real thing. Whispering Pines are able to take the wildness of rock n’ roll and marry it to the discipline and tradition of country music and turn their live show into what one reviewer called “effortless, awe-inspiring, and tight as nails.”The album Whispering Pines was inspired by all the traveling the band has done over the past couple of years (Purest Dreams, Sunrise to Sunset), by the birth of a child (Wolfmoon), by the loss of friends and heroes (Love is Free) and inevitably, a little romance (Fine Time, Come and Play, Second Chance).  In keeping with the bands analog and tape recording preferences, the album was tracked and mixed by Mark Rains (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Waylon Jennings) at his Station House studio in Echo Park as well as with Jason Soda (Everest, Slydel, Jakob Dylan) at New Monkey Studio.Whispering Pines are:  David Baine—Guitar, organ, mandolin, piano, vocal/ Joe Bourdet—guitar, slide, organ, vocal/David Burden—harmonica, vocal/Brian Filosa—bass, vocal/Joe Zabielski—drums, percussion

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