Above The Prairie, the latest record from The Pines, is rich with imagery and symbolism that can only come from a band that calls the Midwest home.
The Pines – David Huckfelt, Benson Ramsey, and Alex Ramsey, who fleshes out the trio on tour – have roots in Iowa and Minnesota, where there are plenty of wide open spaces and the distant horizon gives the sky a never ending quality. Those neverending sightlines have offered to the group’s songwriting the dichotomies between continuity and change, the finite and the infinite, the minuscule and the vast.
A particular track from Above The Prairie worth noting is the album’s final cut, “Time Dreams.” This spoken word piece is actually a poem written by famed Native American poet and activist John Trudell. The Pines provide the musical accompaniment while Trudell recites his poem, and the combination is magical.
Spend a few minutes with Above The Prairie. Simultaneously, almost magically, The Pines will make you feel both big and small.
I was lucky enough to catch up with songwriter David Huckfelt and get totally random.
BRO – Last great beer you discovered?
DH – The Shackleton Company’s Nimrod.
BRO – Last song you couldn’t get out of your head?
DH – “King Kunta,” by Kendrick Lamar.
BRO – Most played song on your iPod?
DH – “Jaw Bone,” by Willie Chapman.
BRO – Favorite late night driving music?
DH – “White Lunar,” by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, “Aerocalexico,” by Calexico, and “Peyote Song,” by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Willie Nelson, and Daniel Lanois.
BRO – Something that you always have in your fridge?
DH – Duct tape and light bulbs.
For more information on The Pines, please check out their website. And be sure to take a listen to “Sleepy Hollow” on this month’s Trail Mix.
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