Nicodemus Snow
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Nicodemus Snow

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Band Americana Folk

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"Nicodemus Snow Rises From the Grave"

In the Brainard Pioneer Cemetery, in Northeast Portland, stands a massive gravestone with two names carved into its surface: Nicodemus Snow (1846-1921) and his wife, Emilia Ann, (1846-1904). The surrounding stones are small, many barely rising more than six inches above the grass. Because of its grandiosity, the Snows’ headstone became a meeting place for Boone Langston and his pals during high school. They would gather there to smoke cigarettes and hangout, and the names on the stone grew into folklore figures among the teens, several of who would later play music together.

The gravestone the band got their name from.
Last year, during open mic night at the White Eagle Saloon, Nicodemus Snow rose from the grave. “We were trying to come up with a name and we threw it out,” Langston says. “It stuck.” There is something appealing about the name. Nicodemus Snow. It easily slips from the tongue but leaves a feeling of weight behind, as if your mouth is filled with phantom marbles.
The six-member band has been playing together for about a year, mostly in small pubs around Portland and the surrounding area. Langston, who leads vocals and plays the accordion, was influenced mostly by the music his parents listened to, like Fleetwood Mac and Chicago, but Nicodemus Snow doesn’t really play rock. Their music is a mix of Blues, Folk, and Gospel. They’re Americana to the core.
“We are a melting pot of diverse influences and textures,” guitarist Robby Wells says, who writes much of the music. His inspiration comes from Blues artists like Skip James, Son House, Reverend Gary Davis, and Mississippi John Hurt. “Their style of playing—finger picking—is what really shapes how I approach the guitar, writing, and playing. The Piedmont Blues style is especially fun to play, difficult, but fun to play. You get this charming carnival type sound [that] makes you want to dance. I like taking what I learn from those genres and developing something that sounds different, but palatable to my ears.”
I first heard Nicodemus Snow play at Pints a few months ago and loved their music, so when I heard they were playing at Brewligans, a small bar in Troutdale, I had to go see them again. As I drove out I-84 rain began to pour, and I thought of their song “Pour in Portland,” which is about the obscurity of the future and finding comfort in humanity. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring…I don’t know what this life’s all about. I don’t know all the turns in my route…but I know the rain will pour in Portland,” Langston sings.
Nicodemus Snow’s EP is currently available for purchase, and they will release their first full album in mid June. “Here Lies Nicodemus Snow” is the working title. They debuted at least two new songs off the upcoming album during the show at Brewligans, including one written and sang by percussionist Adam Wolfgang, who often wraps chains around his ankles and incorporates foot stomping into the beat. My favorite song, however, remains “Emilia Ann,” a dedication to the Snows’ love. Its tone is a bit darker than the rest of their music, but at its heart is a love story and a song about devotion and loss.
- Oregon Music News


Discography

Stone EP - 2012
Here Lies Nicodemus Snow - 2012

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Bio

In the summer of 2009, Boone Langston and Robby Wells began to play music together, mostly for friends and family. Often accompanied by the harmony of Danni Langston (Boone’s wife), the duo began to write songs together and offer them up to various Portland-area open mic crowds. In June of 2011, they invited local musician Ike Graul to sit in and fill out the sound on a couple of sessions, and by the end of the summer had also added Jason Hill on acoustic bass and Adam Wolfgang on vocals and percussion. The band lifted the name Nicodemus Snow from the prominent headstone of an Eastside Portland Pioneer Cemetery.

In the fall of 2011 armed with a fist full of original songs, Nicodemus Snow took to the Portland Pub scene and to the studio to record their debut album, “Here Lies Nicodemus Snow.” Released in July 2012, the collection features an eclectic mix of Americana, vintage pop, acoustic blues, and seductive vocal harmony; a unique sound that nods in homage to the likes of The Decemberists, Willie Brown, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Head and the Heart.