Spirit Family Reunion is a band from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York influenced by traditional American music such as country, folk and gospel. Founded in 2009 by core members Nick Panken (vocals, acoustic guitar), Maggie Carson (five string banjo, vocal), and Stephen Weinheimer (washboard, bass drum, tambourine, vocals), and featuring a rotating cast of musicians such as Ken Woodward (bass, vocals), Or Zubalsky (drums), Noah Block-Harley (fiddle, vocals), Dylan Block-Harley (drums, vocals),
Mat Davidson (fiddle, accordion, mandolin, vocals), and Pete Pezzimenti (drums, vocals). They have referred to their style as "homegrown American music" and "open-door gospel", and are often compared to
bluegrass,
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
and
appalachian music.
History
The band started out as Panken and Weinheimer playing with different people each night at the bar where they worked, and eventually became Spirit Family Reunion.
Officially formed in 2010, Spirit Family Reunion has self-produced and self-released two full-length albums, ''No Separation'' (2013) and ''Hands Together'' (2015). They have toured with bands such as
Trampled by Turtles
Trampled by Turtles is an American bluegrass music, bluegrass-influenced Folk music, folk band from Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota. They have released ten full albums, three of which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard (magazine), Billboa ...
,
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...
,
Tedeschi Trucks Band
The Tedeschi Trucks Band () is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, '' Revelator'' (2011), won the 2012 Gr ...
,
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog is an American rock band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its lineup consists of Toby Leaman (bass), Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar), Zach Miller (keyboard), Eric Slick (drums), and Michael Libramento ( ...
,
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers are an American folk rock/country rock band from New York.Bumgardner, Ed, 8 November 2007'Music Notes: Felice Brothers are earthy, their music visceralRelish Now!''.
History
Originally from Palenville in the Catskill Mo ...
, and
Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes are an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009. The band currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, and bassist Zac Cockrell.
The band began its career touring and perfor ...
and performed at the
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...
,
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB), originally Strictly Bluegrass, is an annual free and non-commercial music festival held the first weekend of October in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. Conceived and subsidized by San Francisco ven ...
,
Celebrate Brooklyn!,
FloydFest,
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion,
Flood City Music Festival
Flood City Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, presented by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.
The festival began in 1989 as a street fair to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Johnstown Flood ...
,
The Buckle Up Music Festival,
Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival
The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is a biannual music and dance festival in the United States, held on the first Thursday thru Sunday in May and October in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The festival takes place on a venue whi ...
, and the
Americana Music Festival & Conference among others.
They played a
Tiny Desk Concert
''Tiny Desk Concerts'' is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of former '' All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C.
The first ''Tiny Desk Concert'' came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music ed ...
in 2012 and took part in the
''Bob Dylan in the 80s'' project. They were also featured in
issue No. 34 of ''The Deli Magazine'' in 2013.
Discography
Albums
* ''No Separation'' (2012)
* ''Hands Together'' (2015)
* ''Harvest Festival Live'' (2016)
* ''Ride Free'' (2019)
Extended plays
* ''Spirit Family Reunion'' (2010)
Singles
''When My Name Is Spoken 7"''
* ''When My Name Is Spoken'' (2010)
* ''On That Day (2010)
''I Want To Be Relieved 7"''
* ''I Want To Be Relieved'' (2012)
* ''Green Rocky Road'' (2012)
*''Goin' Out To Cannon Ball'' (2016)
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Website
Musical groups from Brooklyn