Frankenpine: old-time bluegrass with a modern twist

"...For an increasing number of music fans in New York City and the North Country, Frankenpine is an acoustic string band with a unique sound and some strong ties to the Adirondacks.
As part of our week-long series looking at the culture and business of the region's music industry, Joel Hurd has this profile."

North Country Public Radio
Full Report

Frankenpine’s Crooked Mountain Beckons Ominously

"Grim, lurid and gorgeously tuneful, Frankenpine’s new album The Crooked Mountain is definitely the darkest album of the year so far – and it might be the best.
There are scores of Americana roots acts with great musical chops and harmonies, and plenty with good original songs and lyrics, but few who combine them with this kind of originality and singleminded intensity."
Lucid Culture
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Frankenpine CD Release

"The Crooked Mountain, a celebration of “the song” -that eternal process of putting words and music together through the careful phrasing and placing of notes to support and expand poetry shared through our most essential form of communication...
I hope you’ll take a moment to listen to Frankenpine’s The Crooked Mountain. I guarantee there is something in there for everyone. And once you have, stop by and say hello at their release. They’ll make you feel like you are in the right place. Because you are."
Jeph Duarte, BrooklynCountry.com
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Frankenpine stretches its signal on ‘The Crooked Mountain’

"I've listened to the album all the way through, and it's pretty brilliant...
Frankenpine continues to have its own sound. From a distance people might describe it as piney old-style music, but it's really a new deal - and a particularly good deal. I knew the first time I ever heard "Faceless Weaver" and "Rivers and Tides" [in 2008] that this band had its own style and that it worked. But this album shows a lot of range, stretching that brand to its limits...
There are a million bands out there trying to get noticed, but [Frankenpine] has a good name; a distinct, generally appealing sound; well tested live dynamics; good songwriting; and now, a really good album."
Peter Crowley, Adirondack Daily Enterprise
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Frankenpine debuts first long-play album today

"You can't chop down a Frankenpine and drag it home this holiday to fit in a tree stand. But the band that snagged its name from wordplay for stealth telecommunication towers released its first album today. It's a little like taking "boughs." Called "The Crooked Mountain," the work features original music and lyrics of a five-part New York City ensemble whose sound draws largely from a rural and gritty heritage of strings. "
Kim Smith Dedam, Press-Republican
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Magical bluegrass goodness in the city

"This is not just another band that shows some promise; they look the part and are true seasoned musicians who have created convincing and complex compositions that will whisk you away up into the hills. ... The chemistry between band members is wonderful, with one member picking up a melody seamlessly where another left off. Occasionally the whole band will join in to reach a crescendo for dramatic effect, and this is where Frankenpine really rocks out."
Wyatt Marshall, Rock NYC
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Concert Review: Frankenpine at Lakeside Lounge

"Lakeside gets a ton of good bands, but not all of them pack the place on a weekday like this crew did. The careening six-piece bluegrass group ran through a gorgeously tuneful, diverse mix of originals and imaginatively arranged covers with lots of terse, inspiring solos, all of which they kept relatively brief. The chemistry between the band members was apparent from their first song...
With Frankenpine, the music takes centerstage over anyone’s ego which is an awfully nice thing to see. What they play is the future of bluegrass, not the past... There hasn’t been any bluegrass band in town this unpredictably fun since the Dixie Bee-Liners vamoosed for the woods of Virginia and started winning IBMAs..."
Lucid Culture
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Gig Alerts: Frankenpine

"If you're really jonesing for some stringed folk, Frankenpine might have your fix. The Brooklyn collective play warm bluegrass inspired by rock, country and blues, and they'll make you think you're up in the hills of Southern Appalachia instead of in a club in Williamsburg. "
Alana Harper, WNYC

First Night Saranac Lake

"Brooklyn-based band named for a cell tower posing as a conifer, lives up to its name: Modern waves radiate from the form of piney old bluegrass and country."
Peter Crowley, Adirondack Daily Enterprise