North Lawrence Midnight Singers

"Classic southern rock hasn't died; it's just been waiting for North Lawrence Midnight Singers to bring it back. They may come from the decidedly northern territory of Philadelphia, but their new album Last Great Saturday Night goes to the core of what truly makes classic southern rock indelible. The warm, shuffling title track explores young love in a wistful, unpretentious way just like their forefathers used to do. The guitar work has the twang of an Allman brother, and the voice behind it all is reminiscent of some genetic crossbreed of Neil Young and Tom Petty. Have a good old time with these old-fashioned but never dated dudes." - Beacon Pass

"North Lawrence Midnight Singers are a local band through and through. Named for the address where the five-piece was founded, these rockers are firmly rooted both in Americana and Philadelphia. They’ve been compared to Bob Dylan; their sound is a kind of cross between The Jayhawks and Roy Orbison. Beyond an attachment to classic Sun Records releases, North Lawrence is very much a Philly band. Both North Lawrence records were made in Philly (one with Bill Moriarty of Dr. Dog and Man Man fame), and their most recent effort was named one of 2010’s best local albums by the Inquirer’s Dan DeLuca. North Lawrence Midnight Singers perform with The Spinning Leaves and Birdie Busch at 6:30 p.m. at Penn Treaty Park; tickets to the all-ages show are free." - The Key/WXPN

"Even the smallest hint of something new or different in the hydra-headed monster of a genre that calls itself Americana is to be welcomed, so the second album from Philadelphia’s Midnight Singers is the proverbial breath of fresh air. It may be rooted in the classics—southern rock, classic rock’n’roll singles, even a hint of doo-wop, as well as the more expected rootsy rock’n’roll—but it’s what they do with those well worn items that counts, and what they do is make music that has a freshness, a youth to it, something that sounds like it was knocked up by a group of teens who’ve just formed their first band and are having a go in a garage. Not because it’s rough and ready, far from it, but because it captures that joy of exploration and just playing, and because it doesn’t have that world-weariness that is fine when it’s done well, but is too often overdone. The album is only thirty minutes long and gradually ups the tempo as it progresses, with the driving roadhouse rocker All Night Rain adding a bit of Tom Petty and My Way Is Lost providing plenty of torch and twang, but the band save their best for the closing title track, which has serious anthem potential and is both elegiac and forward looking. One love leaves, another arrives, everything changes, everything stays the same. One thing is for sure though, there should be plenty of great Saturday nights in store with the Midnight Singers." - Maverick Magazine

"The band we come to praise, though, is North Lawrence Midnight Singers, the rootsy quintet fronted by singer Jamie Olson (and featuring Arnold), whose sharply and smartly written Last Great Saturday Night is an impressive set of welcoming and warm melancholic tunes that evoke Nashville Skyline-era Bob Dylan and the easygoing, country-leaning Grateful Dead. And that's a good thing." - The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dan DeLuca