Folken' Nati

In the beginning was Rock. And Folk was with Rock. And Folk WAS Rock. The early patriarchs of our musical faith were those that pioneered the apparatus of a new movement that was to rally the people and give them a reason to screw the man. Hank and Woody turned into Elvis and Jerry Lee. With a small pinch of British Invasion and a dash of Blues, Rock was begotten. With the coming of David Bowie, The Sex Pistols and The Ramones, Folk music became an after thought of the Second World War. Music was now done in a hurry. Recording studios turned into garages and soon the new movement of Punk was on its way. Bands like The Cure and Joy Division changed punk that much more and before America knew it, they were on the brink of a new change. Add something melodic and meaningful, and we were now seeing the commencement of Emo.
As we sit and watch for the next great change, our eyes turn to the Lamb of Evendale. Instead carrying on with his Punk/Emo roots, lead singer/song writer, Steven Hasser envisioned a new blend of music. When he was 18 years old, Hasser packed up and moved to Cincinnati to join the Monofolk Movement. His sound went through a metamorphosis. He switched from piano to guitar and breathed a new life into folk music via his deep bass voice and intriguing lyrical mystique.
At the end of the day, we find Lamb of Evendale toeing the lines of punk, emo, and folk. As he found himself at the end of a musical journey—inside the arguable devolving of Emo, Lamb of Evendale reached back to a cause that was nearly forgotten inside his current socio-musical climate; Folk Music. This ‘reaching back’ has proved to be one of the most important influences in his music. Folk music has become his vehicle for Emo manifestation. Around the Cincinnati/Dayton area, Lamb of Evendale has been labeled “A folk singer for emo kids.” His voice is a mixture of Mark Kozelek, Ian Curtis, and Mat Brooke. The writing style reflects the latter with traces of Bob Dylan in the margins. Lead singer of Racecar, Joey Cook states, “He tells stories in a really simple way. Sometimes you can even find yourself getting lost in what he's saying... because he can sometimes go pretty deep into something as simple as rain falling outside.”
Recently, drummer Josh Furnish joined Lamb of Evendale, offering an even more diverse showing of the group. His addition has been perking the ears of many around Cincinnati, everyone is wondering how this will change the music. The duo has only played one show together so far at the highly esteemed Candy Store in lower Price Hill. Not to spoil the ending, but these two together are nothing short of amazing.
-Neal Cassidy, New York, NY. April 30, 2007.