Old Hundred is insanely awesome. Go see them and buy their new album. The end.
I suppose you want me to write more than that. I suppose you might feel jilted if I didn’t elaborate further. But fans of this amazing local modern folk foursome would agree that there’s little more that needs to be said. It’s my only hope that soon enough you’ll agree and spread the gospel of Old Hundred as well.
So here are more words. Pay attention. We’ve got learnin’ to do.
Jon Helm and Nate Gelinas moved in with Blake Skidmore on a whim in 2009. Blake was an established singer-songwriter in the Columbus music scene, while Jon and Nate were longtime friends sharing the same hometown in Massachusetts and a longstanding history of musical collaboration. A few months later, the trio added another local singer-songwriter and friend of Blake’s, Hal Hixson, and Old Hundred was born.
In October of that same year, Old Hundred recorded their first three song EP in their living room. As the band began playing more live shows, they wanted to be able to give their listeners and fans music to take away. The initial EP is raw and stripped down yet smart and beautiful. Old Hundred masterfully blended jangly rhythms and twangy lyrics in a way that felt new and modern yet seemed as natural and familiar as listening to your own heartbeat.
Seasons passed and the band grew and changed. They evolved from adapting Blake’s solo work to the framework of a four-piece band to collaborating and writing together and experimenting with new instrumentation. They moved from playing house shows to playing bars and music clubs, and quickly won favor in the local music scene. They played music festivals like Go West, Parking Lot Blowout, and Comfest, and wooed crowds by the hundreds. They performed with national touring acts like New Bomb Turks, Phosphorescent, Beaten Awake, Denison Witmer, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Jookabox, and Frontier Ruckus. All the while they were writing and recording new material and honing old work for their first full-length album.
Fast forward to November 2010, and the first Old Hundred album is ready to be shared with the world. The self-titled release contains ten tracks including brilliantly re-imagined versions of “Say it Again,” “Winter Months,” and “A Thousand Times” from the original home-recorded EP. The latter two tracks benefit mainly from improved recording technique and quality yet stay fairly true to their EP versions, the former highlights the evolution of Old Hundred’s sound. But one listen through the album demonstrates that the band refuses to adhere to a narrow margin of what Old Hundred sounds like. Tracks move from the jangling, front porch sing-along feel of “Babe Sweet Darlin” to the dark and thundery urgency of “Clouds” and “Good Timin’ Man” to the less brooding alternative folk feel of “Massachusetts” and “Midwest Girl” Despite their differences, each of the meticulously crafted tracks join together to form a beautifully cohesive whole. Sally Louise Polk of Wing and Tusk fame also lends a hand (or a violin to be more precise) on this album adding to Old Hundred’s growing patchwork of sound.
Old Hundred will be showcasing all of their hard work and new material this Saturday November 20 at Carabar, and they’d love you to come celebrate the new album with them. The shindig starts around 10pm with the always stellar Way Yes and Saintseneca handling opening duties. If you need a sneak peek of the new tunes, or if you just feel like being a little internet stalker-ish, you can find more details, pics, and goodies on the band’s Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter. The new album will be available at the show, but if some act of God (I can’t think of any other viable excuse) keeps you from being there, you’ll be able to pick up a copy at Used Kids or Johnny Go’s House of Music. If leaving the house for any reason just isn’t your thing (weirdo), click on over to CD Baby and buy the album AND the EP there. If you’re worried that just one show at Carabar won’t sate your appetite for Old Hundred’s great music, they’ll be playing an in-store at Used Kids on December 10th as a sort of second mini-release party.
So friends, in closing, I leave you with this:
Old Hundred is insanely awesome. Go see them and buy their new album. The end.
Lauren Wilson is a featured writer for Columbus Underground and all comments, suggestions, requests, and boozin’ invites can be forwarded to [email protected].
