Come out to support local Petworth band The Iris Bell at Songbyrd on Saturday, Jan 20th
/(photo courtesy The Iris Bell
Local Petworth band The Iris Bell will be performing at Songbyrd in Adams Morgan with two other great bands, Ballad Of (also based in DC) and Strangled Darlings, on Saturday January 20th at 8pm.
The Iris Bell performed at Petworthpalooza during the 2017 Celebrate Petworth festival this fall, and put on a great show. Come out to hear some great tunes and support a local Petworth band!
THE IRIS BELL
The Iris Bell has crafted a distinctive style of Americana noted for its lush harmonies and soulful acoustic rhythms. Playing festivals and shows across the region, the band is both raucous and melodic, making music that goes from foot stomping to haunting. Switching instruments frequently, the five members of The Iris Bell use their range to bring a fresh sound to the world of indie folk. The band is based in Washington, DC and formed in 2013.
- Jarrett Creasy (bass)
- Laura Hinson (keys, guitar, and lead vocals)
- Matt Hunt (lead guitar and lead vocals)
- Andrew Kambour (drums and vocals)
- Laura Schwartz (violin and vocals)
(photo courtesy of Strangled Darlings)
Strangled Darlings
The music is built on deep sense of rhythm and groove, carried by George on mandolin and Jess on custom tenor bass & foot drums. His mandolin bursts out in a slalom of notes and snare drum rhythms. Her solid body custom tenor bass weaves an intricate counter melody and her feet pound a percussive groove. The voices and the lyrics are the hidden third member of the band and the story behind the music. The songs work with nontraditional subjects for inspiration. Some song subjects include: the works of great authors (Faulkner, William Blake, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Donald Bartheleme, Anna Ahkmatova) as well as witchcraft in the Civil War, the morality of Somali piracy and the media impact of Neil Armstrong.
(Photo courtesy of Ballad Of)
Ballad Of
The DC-based quartet Ballad Of draws its influences from a deep well of both traditional and contemporary musical styles including early blues, Appalachian old-time, experimental classical, and shape-note hymnody. Their music intertwines close vocal harmonies with finger-style guitar (Margaret Wasaff), clawhammer banjo (Anders Fahey), cello/fiddle (Jonathan Een Newton), and a range of rhythmic styles performed on a mixture of both traditional and non-traditional percussion instruments including a suitcase drum kit (Manny Arciniega).
