Aurical + Earth to Aaron + Wandering Downhome + Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers @ The Way Station

7pm- Aurical
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
For fans of: Tori Amos, Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock, Pearl Jam

Founded by musicians Rachel Rossos and Michael Gallant, Aurical is the sort of indie rock band your grandmother would love: honest, polite, well-groomed, and capable of telling a damn good story. Aurical pulls from influences ranging from grunge, modal jazz, and Motown to folk, soul, and French art songs. Their debut album, Something to Say (Gallant Music) was recorded in Berkeley and San Francisco, California and received praise from audiences and critics alike. They currently play and record in New York City, including recent appearances at CMJ Music Marathon and Lincoln Center.

 “A rare talent” - The Times of Trenton

“Aurical finds the duo in pop-rock mode, and their cleverness comes through right away.” - M: Music and Musicians

“Things get really interesting on 'Redhead Girl', with a piano style that sounds like a cross between Ben Folds and Tori Amos. The most original and intriguing work on the album, ‘Redhead Girl’ shows Aurical's ability to push the envelope and do it well.” - Wildy’s World

Website
http://www.auricalmusic.com
www.facebook.com/auricalmusic

Video/audio links:
www.soundcloud.com/aurical
www.youtube.com/rachelrossos
www.cdbaby.com/aurical8pm- Earth to Aaron
Genre: Alternative, Folk, Bluegrass
For fans of: The Decemberists, The Lumineers, & Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Earth to Aaron is a stripped-down folk/bluegrass duo from Brooklyn, comprised of girl-guy harmonies and acoustic instruments. Their original music is heavily influenced by Good Old War, Paul Simon, The Weepies, and Neil Young giving them a poppy yet peculiar semblance.
www.earthtoaaron.com
 
9pm- Wandering Downhome
Genre: Americana
For fans of: The Lumineers, Amos Lee

Through folklore and a delta blues pulse, these two songbirds captivate audiences with their chilling harmonies. Wandering fluidly through genres, their sound appeals to any ear. Grounded in Downhome roots, they'll put you at ease, inviting you to be a part of their musical camaraderie. Welcome along their journey.
http://www.wanderingdownhome.com/p/videos_5.html

10pm- Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers
Sean Kershaw — the Brooklyn-based music artist whose swaggering “high-octane honky-tonk” (NY Times) has thrilled and seduced audiences in New York City, north up to Alaska, and as far south as Australia — is now hoofing it across the Atlantic.

The Coney Island Cowboy (the title of Kershaw’s acclaimed debut CD) whose lead vocals and rhythm guitar suggest the whisky-soaked angst of Hank Williams Sr., with a twist, struts out a gritty brand of rockabilly that drives restless boots straight to the dance floor. However, it was a writer for Playgirl magazine who observed that those same boots might just as soon be kicked off and placed under a lover’s bed, after listening to the single “Moonlight Eyes,” Kershaw’s most popular recording to date. In fact, Coney Island Cowboy enjoyed regular airplay in the U.S., Australia and Europe; the latter augurs well for the upcoming summer tour.

Such is the rough-hewn but stubbornly romantic sound produced by this lifelong wanderer who was born in Baltimore, but growing up in a military family, lived overseas and all over the continental U.S.  Early in his career, Kershaw continued to embrace the road by busking throughout the country. Starting out in New Orleans, he headed west to play in Los Angeles and San Francisco, went north up to Seattle, back across to Chicago and St. Louis, and eventually settled in New York.

It was in Brooklyn that Kershaw became a driving force if not the face of a growing country music scene, spurring notices in various high profile media outlets such as the New York Post, New York magazine and Time Out New York, and eventually becoming the cover story of a Village Voice article dedicated to Brooklyn country.

From 1996 through 2003, Kershaw played with a band called the Blind Pharaohs. The rockabilly group developed a plugged-in and loyal following touring up and down the East Coast. But by 2007, having written and continuing to hone a host of original country and rockabilly songs, “Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers” became Sean’s main musical vehicle.

Depending on the venue, Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers scale up or down in players, and feature Sean on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, an upright bass, lead guitarist, drums, pedal steel, and occasionally keyboards, banjo, fiddle and the mandolin.

“Audiences that respond to mainstream country music will readily find the influences of Johnny Cash, jump blues and western swing in the New Jack Ramblers’ sound,” comments Sean Kershaw. “But it’s the remnants of my background as a punk rocker, the high-energy that the New Jack Ramblers bring to the stage, and the strange, unexpected tales our songs tell that tend to subvert country purists’ expectations and appeal to an even broader, often younger audience,” continues Kershaw.