Midnight Singers
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Midnight Singers

| Established. Jan 01, 2008

Established on Jan, 2008
Band Americana Indie

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"UM.....Drop original review"

When the hook-happy Philly band Cordalene split up a while back, its members drifted inevitably toward other musical pursuits. Bassist Jeff Anderson stepped up his rock-PR career in New York, singer/guitarist Michael Kiley embraced piano-led pop with his gorgeous project the Mural and the Mint and guitarist Jamie Olson and drummer Joe Boyle stuck together for a new chapter called Mistakenly called a jam band at least once already, the Singers are actually an especially relaxed country group taking equal inspiration from Buffalo Springfield and, yes, early Grateful Dead. The boys are best summed up by a song from their new self-titled record: “That Old Time Living Room Sound.” Olson truly sings and leads the band as if a baby were asleep in the next room, and the others—Boyle, bassist Tim Meachem, guitarist Todd Zamostien and keyboardist Mike Milach—follow suit without a hint of stress.

Recorded locally by Bill Moriarity (Dr. Dog, Man Man), the eight-song mini-album is as calming to listen to as it must have been to play. That’s not to say it’s dull; the opening “100% Mobile” trots happily along to tangled guitar work and Olson’s carefree ode to the road. “All Day, All Night (Nickels And Dimes)” is another breezy singalong, but the following “Brotha Jaybo’s Tune” deftly fingers a resonant chord of melancholy that makes it the band’s best song, if not its happiest. “We don’t die alone/ I used to believe that,” sings Olson at first, later deciding on this advice: “Reach out to the closest/ And you won’t be alone.”

Country is criminally absent from Philly these days, and it’s refreshing to hear how much love North Lawrence Midnight Singers have for the genre’s story-heavy songwriting and bittersweet wryness. At a time when retro-minded bands are primarily rehashing ’60s psych and garage, these guys are reaching back even farther. - Philly Weekly


"Intriging Sounds of NLMS"

Intriguing sounds
of NLMS

Music Row
By Brian Rademaekers

Step into the living room of the North Lawrence Midnight Singers, a pleasant little five-piece who got their start in Northern Liberties last year and have largely since scattered to far-off places like Fishtown and South Philly.
In their spacious and welcoming parlor, you might find Roy Orbison humming along or Jerry Garcia warming up to the chords of Friend of the Devil, while Robbie Robertson plays around with a tune on the ivories.
Surely, various members of the Traveling Wilburys also come and go at their pleasure, as do Neil Young and his pal Elvis Costello . . . all leaving bits of harmony and legendary lyricism behind now and then.
Perpetually locked into the witching hour, it’s a place with the easy good nature of a glass of whiskey and the hazy warmth of a roaring fire.
Yes, the Singers’ debut release, North Lawrence Midnight Singers . . . And that old time living room sound, takes in a broad, unabashed and glorious smattering of classic American rock ’n’ roll greats.
Recorded with Bill Moriarty at Kensington’s American Diamond Studio, the eight-track \"mini LP\" also has the big, bright clarity of sound established on the recent releases of Philly greats like Dr. Dog, Man Man and Make a Rising.
The band was founded by Jamie Olson, who launched the group after his well-received Cordalene outfit dissolved in 2007 after a seven-year run that saw them play with the likes of My Morning Jacket and Weezer.
Taking on guitar, vocals and the occasional Vox, Olson is joined by drummer and fellow ex-Cordalene member Joe Boyle, bassist Tim Meachem, Todd Zamostien on guitar and Vox, and Mike Milach on keys.
Together, the boys create a rich, rollicking take on old-fashioned rock, rolling together the big, booming harmonies of Buddy Holly with the winding guitar work of American Beauty and the witticisms of Bob Dylan.
Album starter 100 Percent Mobile launches straight off with clean, crisp 1970s-style guitar riffs, followed by Olson’s mellow vocals that at times call to mind a marriage of George Harrison and Roy Orbison.
While a palpable 1970s rock vibe is channeled all over, pop-hook filled numbers like Sentimental Me combine that nostalgia with modern guitar licks that might have been dreamed up by Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley.
Showing a range of ability and reference not often displayed, they also can dip into weepy, eloquent pieces like the slowed-down Forever Follow the Night, which summons Dylan circa Desire and Street Legal. All in all, …that old time living room sound is an album that — at just under 30 minutes — acts as a shimmering showcase of the talent possessed by the North Lawrence Midnight Singers. And it invariably leaves you craving more, hanging on the edge to see just where they’ll take it after their introductory ramblings.
Here they wear their influences on their sleeves, and manage to execute their handcrafted homage with impressive skill that assures greater things to come. - Fishtown Star


"Bag of songs blog show preview"

North Lawrence Midnight Singers, whose sound runs deep into rootsy, folk, country territory well blended with a healthy dose of good old rock and roll. Imagine Elvis Costello backed up by The Band and you’ll have a good idea of what they sound like. - Bagof songs blog


"SOUND ADVICE"


"This young philly band knows the secret to straddling the classic/jam/indie divide: It's gotta be catchy, like sing-along-everybody-now-c'mon catchy. Peppy beats, twangy guitars and Jamie Olson's moonshine vocals help North Lawrence Midnight Singers hit you the same place the Wilburys or the Connells used to. "
- Patrick Rapa, Philadelphia City Paper


"PW RECOMMENDS!"

"On their song "All Day All Night," Philly fivesome North Lawrence Midnight Singers call to mind the Replacements when they went down to Memphis to record with Jim Dickinson: Whiskey–and–cigarette–shaped vocals from a punk heart merging with rockabilly backbeats, country guitar twang and a potent dose of classic R&B soul. The ghosts of Sun Studios live in several of NLMS’ other tunes, and when they say they’re fond of ”all the cats who made up the Traveling Wilburys,” they’re not kidding, though they certainly handle those collective influences with care."
- - M.A.G., Philly Weekly


"UM...DROP 2008 ROUNDUP (Top 10 Local Releases)"


"Shambling country-Folk Goodness Culled from the Oldest of Schools"
- DOUG WALLEN, Philly Weekly


Discography

North Lawrence Midnight Singers......and That Old Time Living Room Sound.

We've had some modest spins at local, international, specialty and internet radio stations

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Bio

We were born just before Midnight, into Einstein’s chaotic jumble of time and space, where a lifetime lasts the course of one long day. Fortunate were we to spend many, many glorious times around the greatest of hours, the worries of the world slipped out of mind and people with good hearts shared their spirits and practiced the language of imagination and revelry.

But, more importantly, it was the music that brought us all together and it was the music that allowed our bodies to loosen up and freed us to dance. These were the kind of celebratory times that all who share are thankful for their good fortune, knowing that not all of God’s creatures get to experience a time where their mind is set so free to dream, so much so that it can inspire them for a lifetime. But the Singers, given no exception to the unwavering hands of time, stealing away minutes, and often hours, can’t help to think back with a little sadness and longing, for that time of night where we permitted ourselves to let go of it all and be lost in a song. And in our thoughts, we wonder about the next Midnight on the very distant horizon. In the meantime, we’ll still sing, under the Sun or the Moon!

We all come from somewhere around the way, but can currently be found kicking around the City of Philadelphia. Our Mission Statement could read as follows:

Make No Mistake! NLMS are simply here to help our Friends, Neighbors, Brothers and Sisters…and those beyond, get loose on Saturday Night, leave their worries at the door, and Dance! Dance! Dance! It’s called Rock n’ Roll, people!

Let the Good Times Roll!