The Old Paints

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Spinning yarns about cowboys and devils, The Old Paints bring western music out of the saloons and into the taprooms of Birmingham. They combine Western country with Southern and Appalachian traditional music to create their unique take on folk. The group draws inspiration from folk figureheads like Bob Dylan, and digs to the roots with cowboys like Jess Morris.

 While many members play more than one instrument, The Old Paints typically see vocalist Andy Harris on guitar, as well as a number of folk instruments like banjo and mandolin. Previous lineups and recordings feature Adam Greene on acoustic, while William Harris handled drums and percussion. Jed Alford provided bass and vocals, and with additional percussion duties. Atlanta solo artist Aurora Adams lent her voice in addition to ukulele, harmonica, melodica, and accordion.

The Old Paints currently function as a quartet, with Breely Flower (The Burning Peppermints) on percussion. While the standard drum kit makes an appearance, the band’s primary percussive sound is rendered via log. The branches and trunk of the repurposed tree torso offer a variety of clicks and clacks, and Flower often adorns the log with additional noise makers. The resourceful instrument colors the music with a “deep in the sticks” vibe. Recent additions see Virginia Phillips on bass and Mitch Guenther on guitar and vocals.

The band’s name was drawn right out of a long-running folk tradition: Old Paint is the name of a pony that appears in several old tunes, such as “I Ride An Old Paint” and “Goodbye, Old Paint.”

 Harris began played solo shows around town in 2011, and decided to form a band by the following spring. “Playing with a band is more fun most of the time so I got a few friends in on it,” he says. The Old Paints formed in April 2012, creating a unique collection of talents and instrumentation that includes banjos, accordions, and didgeridoo. Their first album, First Ten Songs features their country/folk sound plus a few contemporary tracks. It was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Bud Brown at Higher Ground Studios.

 The opening track on First Ten Songs, “A Prayer For My Lord,” begins with a fingerstyle guitar that introduces the song’s melody over simultaneous strumming. The chorus is sung by a bar crowd, accompanied by rowdy calls and the clink of glasses. The music itself is an update of the old Irish song “Whisky in the Jar,” now told by a wayfaring cowboy.     

 “It’s fun to take characters like Pretty Polly, Old Paint, The Devil and more and give them a new life by extending their story and throwing them all in the same scene,” says Harris. “Most of our songs contain more than a few references, lyrically or musically, to other songs or cultural events.”

 The Old Paints touch on an encyclopedia of subjects- with songs featuring religious figures, varying degrees of functional/dysfunctional relationships, life, and death- often delivered through music that could suitably accompany a jovial drinking song. Take from it what you will, though. “I think it’s important that the listener make their own interpretation rather than let the songwriter tell you what to think,” says Harris. “Once the song is out there, it doesn’t really belong to you anyway.  The public can now do with it as they please.”

 In “The Loner,” the Dylan influence comes through loud and clear. The instruments are scaled back to a forlorn harmonica and acoustic guitar, and the lyrics and vocals are reminiscent of “Positively 4th Street.” The song is not an impersonation, though, as The Old Paints are able to faithfully draw from their source material without falling into parody.

 The group picks up on the tongue-in-cheek mentality prevalent in country songwriting, and it’s used to great effect in “(How Can I Miss You) If You Won’t Go Away?” The singer suggests that some time apart is just what his relationship needs. This loving invitation to take a hike is delivered over a honky-tonk rhythm, complete with steel guitar. The band’s stories are intriguing to the point that the listener has no room to get hung-up on the thought of a song being introduced by a kazoo solo. In fact, the varied and sometimes eccentric instrumentation goes miles in developing the group’s character.

 The Old Paints are continuously expanding their setlist, which can be heard live at a number of Birmingham’s popular venues. “We are thankful to be playing at a number of places in the next few months and hope the trend continues,” says Harris. “To return at a venue roughly once a month is a good thing. To play at a new venue where there is a new crowd is also a success. We’ve been doing a little bit of both and are excited to be riding a little wave.”

 The group hopes to release a new record by the end of the year. “We are always writing/rehearsing new songs,” he says. “The plan for the second album is to release as much new music as a CD can hold.”

 Harris also hosts Good People Brewing Company’s open mic night on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (provided that the Barons are not playing across the street at Regions Field).

  You can find The Old Paints on Facebook.

They’re also on Twitter.

 Their music is also available on iTunes.

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