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Due either to its proximity to Appalachia or to the number of college towns within driving distance, Columbus has never lacked for traditional country and folk acts. The latest to politely mosey up to the stage is Miller-Kelton, which released its debut CD, Goodbye Cindy, on New Year’s Eve.
Like many snobby critics, I don’t have a lot of time for folk music, but a couple of spins of this record make the argument for keeping the disc close by. The band plays a pleasant blend of banjo-led Americana wrapped around the honey-sweet vocals of Julia O’Keefe.
It’s a sound we’re all familiar with, one that would fit in just as naturally at Borders as it would at Victorian’s Midnight Café. For the most part, it reminded me of the overly pleasant, warm and fuzzy songs you’re likely to hear on Nick Jr.
Keep your ears peeled, however, and you’ll realize the band uses that sort of inoffensive musical language to convey much more mature lyrical themes. There is a veritable one-act play of pathos and interpersonal drama underneath the album’s surface.
Let’s hope this thoughtful work is a harbinger of a musically interesting 2010.
-Rick Allen - The Other Paper
Discography
Goodbye Cindy 2010
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Bio
MK was formed by Reilley Forman and Julia O'Keefe as a folk duo in 2007, with Reilley's brother Charlie joining up shortly thereafter on slide guitar. From the beginning of the band, there was uncertainty as to whether the band would be a largely acoustic folk project or would become an electric country-rock act. This tension is still unresolved, as MK performs both as an acoustic act and as an electric act with full bass and drums. Various members came and went on drums and bass during the first year, with Greg Cleemput solidifying the bass position in mid-2008 (as well as acoustic guitar). Randall Weber II took over drums in late 2009.
In the fall of 2009, MK went into the studio to create its first full length album with the help of fiddle player Ian Jones (who still occasionally joins the band for live shows), which was released on January 1, 2010.
Within the last year, MK has played approximately 25 shows in and around Columbus, including Comfest 2009. Venues played include Dick's Den, Rumba Cafe (as RTA), Caribar, the High Beck Tavern, Oldfields on High, Vic's Cafe and The Treehouse, among many others.
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