Gin House
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Gin House

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Band Americana Singer/Songwriter

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"Gonna Groove Reviews Gin House's "GIN HOUSE-EP""

Rating: 9/10 Tonic Abodes

Sometimes you don’t have to travel far and wide to find something special.  Sometimes, it’s right next to home.

Such is the case with my fiance.  Such is the case with Gin House.**

**By the way, before I get into too much trouble, I’m not saying I love Gin House as much as I love my fiance (who happens to run a fantastic fashion blog).

Gin House are based out of Atlanta, Georgia, within an hour of my home.  At the core of the band are Brandon Clark and Paul Lynch, and its their harmonizing vocals that are the standout feature on the album.

If you want to shove the Gin House EP into a genre, it’d fit comfortably somewhere in the alternative country/rock, roots-pop category (similar to NEEDTOBREATHE or something like that).  But I hate genres.  I like music.  And this is good music.

Whether it was intentional or not, the songs are ordered from worst to best.  However, “Things In My Head,” the first song on the EP, is certainly not a bad song, not at all.  As with all five songs, it’s very pleasant to listen to, relaxed and beautiful.  However, the lyrics are a little muddled and clumsy, which was occasionally distracting.  The song never really seemed to get its feet under it.

The acoustic warmth of the songs is balanced by great, if sparse, use of electric guitar.  You get a real sense throughout all of the songs that the guys behind Gin House are wanderers and travelers in mind, but they are all about home at heart.  No matter where they go, they always find themselves back home.  That message really comes across in the final (and strongest) two tracks, “Roots” and “Midwestern Mind, Southern Heart.”

As I mentioned before, what makes the EP so enjoyable is the perfect way Brandon and Paul’s vocals harmonize.  They sound fantastic together, period.  And the raw honesty that comes across in their vocals makes the music accessible and enjoyable.  The EP is the perfect kind of music to have playing in the background while you’re doing pretty much anything, but it doesn’t lose that loveliness when you pay attention to it, either.

I think the strength of the EP lies in its promise.  There are only 5 songs, a quick listen on the way to work.  But it gets you excited for more.  It’s a teaser.  Right when it starts getting really, really good, it says “see you next time!”  Good thing Gin House will hopefully have a full-length album coming soon.  I’ll certainly be on the lookout for it.

Maybe I’m biased because Gin House comes from my backyard, but this EP is a really solid bit of music that hints at a great future for the band.  Plus, my fiance loves it…which means I probably should, too!

Bottom Line: A little slow to start but fantastic through and through, Gin House’s EP is hard not to enjoy.  There’s nothing earth-shattering or revolutionary, but Gin House has the type of sound that will appeal to almost anyone, and you look forward to more from them.

Songs You Must Hear:  “The Fire is Alive,” “Roots” and “Midwestern Mind, Southern Heart”
- Gonna Groove, Zack Godfrey


"Gin House Concert Review @ Greenville College"

Monday the 24th turned out to be a rocking night as Atlanta-based band Gin House performed on campus in the Blackroom. The band, who’s primary line-up consists of Brandon Clark on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, and Paul Lynch on lead electric guitar and harmony vocals, played in support of their new self-titled E.P. released just recently. The concert brought in over a hundred campus concert-goers and proved to be an all-out fun night as the band gave the students a nice escape from a very long Monday.

You could describe the sound of Gin House as a blend between southern rock & American folk music, giving a very Third Day and NEEDTOBREATHE tinge. The set included a great line up of tunes, both from their E.P. and some that are currently unreleased. Among the E.P. tracks were a couple noticeable stand outs, such as the song “Mariana”. ”Mariana” proved to be a crowd favorite as the sweet groove of the song had all eyes up front and provided a catchy sing-a-long hook for the chorus that made the music accessible to the audience. The song “Things in My Head” caught the band rocking out to that classic/southern rock sound as guitarist Paul Lynch provided a show-stopping solo and tastefully added in some excellent background screaming vocals. When the band got into the groove, you could tell there was a passion behind their music.

Another highlight from the overall set included a nice acoustic set between Brandon and Paul which also featured a beautiful cover of the Ryan Adams song “Oh My Sweet Carolina“. Once they brought up the other musicians on stage, they jammed to a couple more songs before calling it quits for the night. While meeting with Brandon Clark after the show, I asked him for his honest thoughts on the performance. As it turns out, the performance at the Blackroom was actually one of the largest gigs Gin House has played so far, so for the band, it was a sort of milestone. You could definitely feel the good time they were having on that stage, and the energy and feel of the show was contagious.

This show was put on thanks to the GCSA student outreach and a freewill donation was collected on behalf of the Y.A.C.H.T Club, so the night proved to be a win for everyone. If you missed Gin House this time around, be sure to check out their website www.gin-house.com or their Facebook page and check out some good music. I can definitely say you won’t regret it. - The Papyrus - Greenville College Student News


Discography

Gin House - EP
released 11 May 2012 (digitally)
released 26 Aug 2012 (physically)
Produced by Jeremy Griffith
Engineered by Jeremy Griffith
Assistant: Lee Salevan
Additional Engineer: Tyler Walker
Mixed by Jeremy Griffith
Mastered by Drew Lavyne at ALL Digital Mastering, NYC - www.alldigitalmastering.com
Recorded at Singing Serpent Studios - New York City

All Songs Written by Brandon Clark (BMI)
Except "Marianna" & "The Fire Is Alive" - Written by Brandon Clark (BMI) & Paul Lynch (ASCAP)

Photos

Bio

Despite the trends and the state of popular music these days, you’ll find Gin House. They remain a band built on the basics and feeling of the heart and soul of American music. The music they play is honest, raw, and elemental. From ballads to foot stomping songs – anyone and everyone can feel the language in their music.

Paul Lynch and Brandon Clark are, although sometimes appearing full band, the central core of Gin House. Years of being in bands, and charting their individual musical journeys lead them to each other. The music industry can sometimes be an interesting territory, and despite several name changes, label contracts and member changes -- together they fought on and found a new found sense of musical clarity.

Their first official release as Gin House, the Gin House – EP illustrates their sound, energy and songwriting in just five songs and was recorded in March of 2012 with producer, mixing engineer and songwriter, Jeremy SH Griffith at Singing Serpent Studios in New York City. Oddly, enough the album was recorded in just under a week, and features Brandon, Paul and Jeremy as the primary musicians. Although short, the Gin House - EP is a testament to their vision. Some might say it sounds vaguely country, or southern-tinged but ultimately, it is their own blend of roots-pop music.

The best way to understand what Gin House is all about is to catch them live. They will be touring in late 2012 and early 2013 along with the release of their new album and are currently working on material for their first full length album, to-be-recorded and released sometime in the future.

They might remind you of the music from the past – but rest assured, Gin House was born in the present, here to stay and heading towards the future.