Pound Cake
Ft. Jeff Hill (bass), Teddy Thompson (guitar), Ethan Eubanks (drums)
Poundcake is a cover band. Yuckers. Hold on, don't give up; it’s not that simple. Poundcake play hits, sure, but they also search far and wide to find songs that you should have heard of as well. The heart of the material is drawn out of the Sun Studios era where rock and country were almost indistinguishable. The songs that Poundcake choose are part of the experience. Songs you love; songs you forgot you loved; and songs you should have been loving, but were too busy wrapped up in yourself to take time out to enjoy. The songs are presented unadorned, by three dudes with three instruments and three voices.
Artists that Poundcake have covered include: Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, the Brothers Louvin and Everley, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, and, well, I think you get the point.
Poundcake strives to honor the original recordings and recreates them in the trio setting. The band is truly a labor of love, and was born when it was suggested by drummer/singer Ethan Eubanks to singer/guitarist Teddy Thompson that he should think about doing a project between album cycles that would keep him off the streets and out of the bars. Bassist/singer Jeff Hill was the natural and only consideration when it came to a bassist, as the three had all just spent the better part of the year touring Thompson's record "A Piece of What You Need". They all share a deep and loving respect for this music that they discovered in their formative years as musicians.
Opener: The Woodsmen (Todd Adelman, Danny Blume, Jeff Hill, John Valesio)
There is an old folktale you might recall: Little Red Riding Hood. The central theme is that one must use caution when moving through the world. Why? Because it is a perilous place — fraught with imposters and predators. Not only is the grandmother eaten, but Red Riding Hood too. A slightly modified version by the Brothers Grimm introduces a Woodsman to save the day. I don’t want to live in a world where the wolves win. I need to believe in something.
I remember a conversation I had once with Todd Adelman. Adelman is a singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, and owner of The Woods, an analog recording studio tucked away in the woods just outside of Woodstock, NY. We were discussing the state of live music, weighed down with tribute bands and performers “phoning it in,” playing the same old tunes for the hundredth time, and he said, “Just give me five minutes of something real! I'm just looking for something real!”
I often find myself trying to tap into that — in my own life, in my relationships, and in my art. It ain’t as easy as you might think.
I suppose it is that quest that led him, amidst the chaos of the pandemic, to form The Woodsmen.
Adelman, who spent 20+ years fronting bands based out of the hills of Colorado (The Love Handles and The Country Mile), is the chief songwriter, singer, and guitarist for the group, and has surrounded himself with three veteran players — all composers and producers in their own right.
Danny Blume on guitar. Blume grew up in Ohio “surrounded by musicians playing, singing, and stomping feet… at age 8 I heard The Beatles, picked up a guitar, and never looked back.” He has played in bands of every genre and toured for ten years with Kid Creole & the Coconuts, as well as Iggy Pop, The Lounge Lizards, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Jewel, Lisa Loeb, and many others. After ten years recording and producing in NYC, he moved to Woodstock, where he has been making his own music and recording and producing others since 2010.
Jeff Hill on bass. Hill is a bassist, producer, and recording engineer who has played with numerous notable musicians including Rufus Wainwright, Rosanne Cash, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Buster Poindexter, and Shooter Jennings, to name a few. Jeff was a member of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood from 2016 to 2019 and joined Steve Earle’s band, The Dukes, in 2019.
John Valesio on drums. Valesio has recorded with Kate Pierson of The B-52’s and Daryl Jennifer of Bad Brains. He currently tours with Lara Hope & The Arc Tones and writes and records with his group, Skeye.
To witness The Woodsmen live is refreshing. Vintage gear. Lots of guitars. Guitar solos. Killer rhythm section. Maybe you wanna dance? Maybe you wanna order another beer — one or two more than you usually do. It’s a throwback to a country music show which is a rock ’n’ roll show. Which is it?
Bob Dylan, when pressed about playing electric in Subterranean Homesick Blues, gave this elusive answer: “Well, they play electric guitars in country music too.”
Don’t put a label on it. Just listen to the songs. Listen to the groove.
Let The Woodsmen deliver you to that magic time when artists wrote their own songs, practiced them, honed them, recorded them, and then went out and played them — for an audience. An audience in search of something real.