You probably know Pokey LaFarge from his work on Jack White’s Third Man Records, and Don Flemons from the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Here they are together, kicking up a ruckus in the Central Time Tour with a stage-packed lineup also featuring Cajun Country Revival, the Tillers and the Loot Rock Gang.
Recorded backstage in Nashville, this raucous update of the traditional song “Mama Don’t Allow” heralds a series of dates that continue this weekend in Chicago, then onto Minneapolis, Washington D.C., New York and Philadelphia, among other stops. A complete list of announced concerts follows.
What you hear is a kind of orchestral approach to the hootenanny aesthetic, as a group so large it takes in the entire sweep of Americana — folk, country, Cajun, this, that, the other — trades lyrics, licks and knowing looks. It’s contagious fun.
LaFarge’s self-titled album was produced by Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show for Third Man. Cajun Country Revival is co-led by fiddler Joel Savoy, founder of Valcour Records. The Tillers are a Cincinnati-based folk trio who identify themselves as recovering punk rockers. The Loot Rock Gang features Little Rachel and Mat Wilson, a married St. Louis vocal duo.
Upcoming dates for the Central Time Tour:
September 18 – Normal, IL – Waiting Room Records
September 18 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre *
September 19 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music *
September 20 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House *
September 21 – Minneapolis, MN – The Cedar Cultural Center *
September 23 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theatre *
September 24 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note *
September 27 – Peninsula, OH – G.A.R. Hall **
September 28 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe **
September 30 – Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360 **
October 1 – Washington, D.C. – The Hamilton **
October 3 – Arden, DE – Arden Gild Hall **
October 4 – New York, NY – Madison Square Park
October 5 – Providence, RI – Columbus Theatre **
October 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Tin Angel **
October 8 – Hamden, CT – The Outer Space Ballroom **
October 9 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse **
October 10 – Cambridge, MA – Club Passim **
October 11 – New York, NY – SubCulture **
October 13 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground **
October 15 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center **
October 17 – Black Mountain, NC – Lake Eden Arts Festival
October 18 – Black Mountain, NC – Lake Eden Arts Festival
October 19 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
* Central Time Tour with Pokey LaFarge; Joel Savoy, Jesse Lege and the Cajun Country Revival; the Tillers; and the Loot Rock Gang
** With Grace and Tony
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