Slowtrain

Adoniram Lipton and the rest of the boys in Austin’s Slowtrain play a highly melodic blend of Americana and pop, crisp warm tunes that strike rootsy and retro chords that will resonate with lovers of folk, blues, soul and classic rock. Bound to Find You Out’s opener, “Not the Only One,” brings to mind The Band playing a Beatles tune, without sounding overtly derivative. It’s a neat trick. The title track is a complete change of pace, a gritty blues with a sneering vocal from Lipton to compliment his waling harmonica. “Nobody Loves Me (Like You Do)” is a blues with a reverb-drenched, over-the-top rockabilly vocal, leading up to a brilliant processed guitar and organ coda. Other contenders include “Beautiful Soul,” a smoky late night blues full of glistening slide guitar accents, the faux Dylan romp “Just Like Cheever,” a tongue in cheek salute to the late literary icon, and the poignant lament, “Love Me Again.”
— J. POET - Lone Star Magazine

In an interview on Slowtrain's website, lead singer-songwriter Adoniram Lipton compares his band to the Jayhawks. He also names the Band, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker and Muddy Waters. Those influences are certainly there on "Bound to Find You Out," but the best tracks on the album recall other artists, including the Beatles, who lurk on the choppy blues of the title track. Similarly, soulful rocker "About You" rolls along with the laid-back honky tonk of early Wilco. For the most part, Lipton avoids sounding like just another knock-off with songwriting that tends to reach beyond classic rock cliches. - Austin 360

Slowtrain. The very utterance of it invokes images of dusty travellers…leather-skinned and weather-hardened. Eyes affixed upon the distant horizon, squinting through the mid-day sun, their gazes piercing through the passing scenery…not at what lies ahead, but at what lies beyond. Their stories ever-changing, like a song born from a bar napkin, or a rhythm first tapped on the side of a coffee mug only to evolve into something new upon each visit, at each stop along the rails of the unknown.
Much like the weary traveler, a band of musicians walks a similar path. Not knowing what lies ahead, but keeping an eye on what’s out there, just out of reach…that’s what Slowtrain [the band] has come to know and continues to reach for more. And the stories it collects along the way? Some are kept secret – either close to the heart or in the depths of the soul. Some are shared and soon forgotten. And then, still, there are others…others you can only know by listening to the music. Like the rhythmic clapping of the steel rails, the soulful bellows of a singer accompanied by fine engineers of sound can tell many a story. And by listening to them you are bound to find more — more about them…and possibly even more about yourself.
Slowtrain’s new album, Bound To Find You Out, was cut live in San Marcos’ famed Fire Station studios. The approach was to book eight consecutive days of 14-hour sessions in order to capture the crackling energy of their live shows. Frontman Adoniram Lipton and guitarist Andy Keating then retreated to a borrowed house in the Texas Hill Country, set up some recording equipment, and began fleshing out the recording. It was there that the swirling organ and layered guitars that give the record its distinctive sound were added.
Mark Addison, who has worked with the likes of Guy Forsyth and Ian Moore, caught wind of the rough mixes and offered to help the band refine the sound of the record. The finishing touches, including many of the vocals, were hammered out at Addison’s Aerie Studio.
Slowtrain’s sound is what comes to mind when asked to describe Austin music. It’s how we want it to be. It’s raw, but at the same time it’s so refined. It’s dirty but clean. That’s kind of what Enso Magazine is all about as well – how certain elements of life can occupy the same space, even if they are complete opposites. But this isn’t a review of Bound to Find You Out. Why? Well, we’re a little biased, so we won’t go into the nuances of each song and the instruments used. That’s for an album review, of which there are a few already, and they’re really good.
This is just a glimpse into the mind and life of Slowtrain frontman Adoniram Lipton, just one of the creators of this wonderful sound and style that seems to scold, preach to, and console you all at once. Lipton was kind enough to share some personal stories and wax eloquent on some things — both trivial and elegant — that have no doubt helped to give this band the character it possesses and the success it is now enjoying.
EM: We assume Austin is home base for Slowtrain, but can you take us back to your roots and beginnings?
AL: You’re correct that Austin is our home base. My family moved around a lot when I was younger, so I kinda grew up all over the place, mostly the Northeast I guess. New York, Philadelphia, Connecticut. I was born in Baltimore; I lived in France for a while. Before we came to Austin, I lived in Pittsburgh, and before that, in the Catskill Mountains north of Woodstock, which is where I really figured out what I wanted to be as a musician when I was a kid.
EM: The first time I heard Slowtrain was several years ago. I was sitting on the front patio at Opal Divine’s Freehouse in downtown Austin. As I recall, you guys were jammed into a far corner of the interior. The tune that brought me in to watch reminded me of the Grateful Dead, one of my all-time favorite bands. I can’t remember the tune, but are The Dead of any influence?
AL: Absolutely. I used to listen to Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty all the time. Aside from the great songwriting, there’s some really cool parts being played on the snare drum on those albums. With all the beautiful harmonies and stuff, I think people sometimes lose track of how great those guys were as musicians.
EM: Some influences you’ve listed in other interviews are Bob Dylan, The Band, and Joe Cocker. Do you still get out to see Dylan? What’s your opinion of his performances these days?
AL: I used to go out and see Dylan whenever I could. As a matter of fact, when I was 17, I managed to sneak backstage to a Dylan show in Troy, NY. This was a lot easier to do in those days, before Time Out Of Mind came out.
I hung around with his band for a few hours, and I got to pretend that I was buddies with Tony Garnier for a while. They even invited me upstairs to eat dinner with them, which was some catered Indian food as I recall. There’s a lot more to this story, but the ending part is that I never did get to meet Dylan and I never did get to run away with the circus, which was my plan.
I saw Dylan at the Backyard recently, and I thought it was the best show I’ve seen him do in years. He’s really best these days when he plays his more recent material. If you want to hear the old stuff, he’s got plenty of live records you can buy.
EM: You’ve played a lot of different venues in Austin, as well as other cities. You’ve even recently played at a place actually named “Hole in the Wall.” How do you see the Austin music scene and artist community now versus when you were getting started?
AL: That’s an interesting question.
When I first moved here not too long ago there wasn’t very much organization at the club level. This was before Transmission and C3 and all that; although, I think C3 might have been around, but they weren’t nearly as powerful as they are now.
The music scene seems to be growing up a little bit, and I see that as a good thing. Those guys that I mentioned are the big guns, but there’s a lot of smaller promoters and production companies that are really professionally run. A music town needs that to keep the wheels greased.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that the music scene here is incredibly welcoming and supportive. I know that sounds really lovey-dovey, but the truth is that all of the cross-pollination of musicians working together and bands teaming up on projects results in some pretty creative stuff.
EM: Any other contemporaries you and your band mates enjoy seeing perform?
AL: Lots of ‘em. Mike And The Moonpies is one of our favorites right now. They do that Les Paul and Mary Ford-sounding thing with all their guitars playing tight harmony parts, which I really like. Leo Rondeau is another great songwriter who’s supposedly a country act but sounds more like a folk singer to me. I saw a band called Quiet Company, at Mohawk recently, that was doing some really cool stuff, but I don’t know anything about those guys.
EM: You’re the frontman and songwriter; tell us about the creative process. Does it start from a lyrical place or more of a musical one?
AL: That’s a bit hard to say. I’ve taken a lot different approaches to songwriting over the years and the answer, for me, is “whatever works.” A lot of times songs just kind of come out whole which I suppose means that the lyrics come first and they were born with a melody already attached to them. Other times, you’re just taking scraps of paper and text messages written to yourself and stealing those ideas for new songs. Again, whatever gets you there.
EM: You make some solo appearances at the Driskill Hotel. What’s the idea behind those gigs? Do you do non-Slowtrain songs there?
AL: It’s fun pretending that we live in a classier world than we really do. The Driskill is great for that. I play whatever I feel like at those shows at the given moment. Sometimes all Slowtrain songs, sometimes none at all.
EM: What kind of press have you been getting since the new album dropped?
AL: The good kind I hope. We got a great feature in The Vinyl District and a nice little write-up in the Chronicle. Texas Music Matters featured “Not The Only One” on their show, and I got to do an interview with David Brown who went to the same college as pretty much everyone in my family, St. John’s College. There’s maybe 400 students at any given time there, so that was a surprise. We’ve got a bunch of TV stuff lined up locally and some more press on the way.
EM: According to your website, the new album was “born out of both personal and legal turmoil…the album release show is as much a celebration of that [completion] as it is anything else.” Some folks would probably take a break after such stress, but you’ve got a new album to push. What’s next in the Slowtrain odyssey?
AL: The next step is getting into the studio and preparing for the follow-up record. That and getting out to hustle Bound To Find You Out.
By the way, I did take a break after all that stress. I disappeared for a couple of years – living in my rehearsal space, sleeping on couches, hooking on with various tours, renting rooms from whoever would take me. I’m glad that’s all over though.
EM: Songwriters generally have some favorite authors and poets. Any that strike a particular nerve with you?
AL: Wallace Stevens is one of my favorites. He writes some weird stuff like “Hymn From A Watermelon Pavilion” and “Emperor Of Ice Cream.” Actually, I think the band They Might Be Giants lifted a couple of lines from that last one. “…Finale of seem.”
I love Chekhov’s short stories. I’d like to be able to learn to write with that kind of visual authority. I’ve always been a huge Hemingway fan, which I guess is in the same vein. I went through a big John Cheever phase, which is mentioned in a song on our album. I wrote that song about the short story “World Of Apples.” It’s a good one.
EM: If you could ask yourself one question, what would it be, and how would you answer?
AL: Do you know who I am? Do you?
EM: You seem like a pretty intelligent guy. Generate a relevant formula for us.
AL: L + P = SS where “L” represents “loose”, P represents “lips”, and SS represents “sink ships”
EM: What is your favorite ingredient, condiment, or seasoning?
AL: Horseradish is pretty good. I also like things that are pickled, like herring for example.
EM: What’s the band’s beverage of choice?
AL: Natural Light… that’s mostly a financial decision; although, I have developed a taste for it. Nathaniel and I both like vodka and olive juice too.
EM: The band’s favorite place for late eats?
AL: Whatever’s closest to the gig we just finished. Personally I’m more of a Magnolia man than a Kerby Lane man, but the best option of all is probably some shawarma. There’s a bunch of carts downtown where you can get decent shawarma pretty late.
EM: Where can people see you perform?
AL: Well, in June we’re playing every Tuesday night at The Continental Club around 11pm. We’ve got the whole night set up with musicians that we dig so come out at 9:30pm and watch the whole night.
Our website is always up to date at www.theslowtrainband.com.
EM: Where can people get your music?
AL: Just go to our website and link from there. It’s on iTunes and all the other places. Also, you can go to Waterloo Records and find us in the Hear Texas Here listening booth this June.
EM: What’s the story behind your hat?

AL: This hat actually used to belong to a great friend of mine. We used to go to his house for late night music romps at like 3 or 4 in the morning for about 200 days straight. Anyway, he had this great hat that he barely ever wore, so I asked him for it pretty much every time I saw him. One day I think he had read a book about only keeping 20 percent of your possessions or something so he gave it to me. I think he might have asked for it back a little bit later. He said something about the hat being a graduation present but it was too late by that time; I had already sweated off the magic marker dedication on the inside.
Here’s a sneak peek at a song that has yet to be put on an album. “When I Walk Into A Room” was recorded live at Shoot the Breeze with 3 Degrees at Venue 222 in Austin.

From the new album Bound to Find You Out, this is “Nothing Wrong With Me,” also recorded at Shoot the Breeze with 3 Degrees.

Look for more from this band in the coming months. Its wave is still building.
Slowtrain is: Adoniram Lipton (piano, guitar, vocals), Andy Keating (guitar), Matthew Roth (bass), Nathaniel Klugman (organ and keyboards), Doug Walseth (guitar) and Aaron Calhoun (drums). - Enso Magazine

A staple of Austin, Texas, Slowtrain’s release Bound to Find You Out combines the Americana-oriented influences of Bob Dylan and the Band, the soulful vocals of Joe Cocker, and the rural and urban blues of Leadbelly and Muddy Waters. Leader Adoniram Lipton (vocals, guitar, piano) and his quartet (“the best Slowtrain has ever had,” he mentions) create a musically and lyrically solid love- and spiritually-centered debut.

“Not The Only One,” a jubilant opener and standout, recalls ‘70s-era piano rock riffs and features whistling at the fadeout, reminiscent of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” The title track ups the ante with stuttering harmonica and high-pressured blues-inflected vocals, an energy that segues into the love poem “About You.” Co-producer Mark Addison (Guy Forsyth, Sara Hickman) lends his organ chops to the rolling keys and Elton John-posturing of “Nobody Loves Me (Like You Do).” The influence of Bob Dylan is preponderant. “Love Me Again” is a Dylan-esque ballad, and “Waiting Just for You” is bedecked in biblical imagery, recalling Dylan’s Christian period, while the literary-steeped “Just Like Cheever” is a paean to the classic novelist John Cheever, again using Dylan’s allusive techniques.

Bound To Find You Out’s accomplished musicians and skilled songwriting, recalling the ‘70s roots-oriented and singer-songwriter foundation, makes it a worthwhile set. - Jupiter Index

Just who is Slowtrain? Songwriter Adoniram Lipton says Slowtrain grew out of the late night jam sessions he held in his living room. What emerged is a core group with Adoniram Lipton on piano, guitar, vocals, Andy Keating on guitar, Matthew Roth on the bass, Nathaniel Klugman behind the organ and keyboards, Doug Walseth on guitar and Aaron Calhoun pounding out the rhythms. The first thing you notice about Slowtrain’s songs is the groove. Every song immediately falls into a beat that never lets up and never gets old. They maintain the momentum so effortlessly you can’t help but get on the train. Listen to Slowtrain perform in Studio 1a for host Jody Denberg RIGHT HERE! - KUT

The June Continental Club residency that brought Slowtrain to the attention of many Austinites introduced a heart-and-soul rock sextet that seemed to pop up instantaneously on this city’s music scene. It’s unusual for a band to start off with such a sudden bang, but their debut record Bound To Find You Out simmers with the confidence and poise of a group settling into its groove five years down the line. The production job alone, by Mark Addison and band mastermind Adoniram Lipton, is miles ahead of most first releases.

It’s not just a bunch of sped-up 12-bar blues, which too many young bands put forward in an attempt to gain credibility before they’ve paid their dues. Instead, this album begins with the exuberant “Not the Only One,” which has the peaks and valleys and playful keys accompaniment of a late-60's pop single. The ensuing title track shows that the group can pull out the gritty blues rock, but it’s really the only track here that fits that description. The easygoing, catchy rootsiness of “About You” feels closer to the group’s heart.

Ballads also excel on Bound To Find You Out. The moving, organ-laden “Love Me Again” is an early highlight. Lipton has a flexible vocal gift that can drip with sincerity or crackle with attitude. It feels like he’s studied every nook and cranny of every record The Band ever made. Like that music, Slowtrain has a sound based in trends that can be traced back to olden times but that never seems derivative.

The harmonica-accentuated, down-home feeling “Waiting Just For You” is the album’s best song. Lipton might agree with me on that, as the final track on this record is a reprise of the composition. That touch might be a bit too much of a good thing. However, the vocal performance here is Adoniram’s best moment. He croons with personality and emotion in a drawl that’s just on the right side of authentic. There is a world contained in the song because you believe the “character” singing it to you.

On side B, “Take Me Home” is a groovy stomper with an opening riff seemingly borrowed from the Bob Dylan’s “Nettie Moore.” There’s a real desperation to the testifying in “Nobody Loves Me (Like You Do)” that works well. “Beautiful Soul” is soft-spoken, smooth and romantic. It’s actually the track most outside Slowtrain’s comfort zone, being closer to alternative rock and R&B ballads, but they nail it. “Just Like Cheever” recovers from its gratuitous literary pretensions and moves with a great sway that translates well live. I especially dig the non-verbal vocal refrain.

The final song is the stripped-down, Gospel-tinged reprise of earlier track “Waiting Just For You”, and it really does feel superfluous. “Just Like Cheever” should be the last song on Bound To Find You Out, but if your main complaint is that Slowtrain gives too much of itself that’s not too bad. AME’s been giving a lot of good reviews lately, and I can understand if that’s a bit boring after a while. But you’ll just have to live with it right now, because Bound To Find You Out announces an Austin band that proudly adds to our reputation. - Austin Music + Entertainment

Living in a music-filled and artist-oriented town such as Austin, TX means the constant barrage of new music can be overwhelming. There are the veteran musicians who play to sold-out shows in familiar and nostalgic locales because their 20-plus year career has earned more than a full house of fans; and there are the brand new starry-eyed dreamers who would sell their soul for a record contract, deserved or not. Somewhere in between, there are a handful of individuals who are musicians by birth, who live and breathe music, who simply exist in a normal realm that happens to be incredibly artistic. These last treasured few are the ones to watch; Adoniram Lipton- front man of Slowtrain- belongs in this category.

Bound To Find You Out is the first full-length album from Slowtrain, and in short, it is awesome. Mastered with obvious, tedious precision the 10 tracks are full-bodied, well-rounded and endlessly interesting. The layers are fascinating: laid down neatly and stirred up with the highly skilled musicians’ endeavors in piano, organ, harmonica, and guitar. The lead vocals and accompanying harmonies soar through the well-written lyrics, yet somehow envelope the listener with emotion by allowing tiny squeaks and tweaks to remain. And the whistling is like icing on top of an already delicious treat. This is smart music.


Somehow this album reminds you of everything you love from a lifetime of good music, yet Bound To Find You Out is so original and fresh that not one specific artist or song can be pinpointed. Sure, the influences are there: Dylan (the band name presumably honoring the title track of the Dylan album), The Band, classic Elton John even; but the ever-so-slight familiarity lends to the satiated and content feeling similar to that you get after your favorite home-cooked meal. It’s real, it’s honest, and it’s so, so good. Slowtrain has cooked up a mouth-watering album.

Literary references in “Just Like Cheever” and the piano riffs and near whimsical whistles in “Not The Only One”, add to the emotionally playful nature of the album. Although the original 5th track position with its wistful sense of simpler times and a bittersweet desire for a different, but unknown destination is great, the added piano combined with the passion in Lipton’s voice and haunting echo in the “Waiting Just for You” reprise caps off the album with the poise of beloved single-monikered artists. “Beautiful Soul” is filled with just that: beautiful, soulful crescendos and enough repentance to make you come running back for more. With stage-production-sized melodies and theatrically romantic lyrics about sometimes unrequited, sometimes fulfilled love stories Bound To Find You Out presents a lovely ensemble of talent, sensitivity, and straight-up cool tunes.

If you’re here locally in Austin, listen to Bound To Find You Out and check out Slowtrain live. If not, buy the album and start packing. Either way, this album has 10 delicious tracks you need in your collection, but please refrain from licking the band. - The Vinyl District

The 1970s roots revival in Austin continues apace with the debut LP from local quartet Slowtrain. Following the likes of Deadman, Uncle Lucius, the Happen-Ins, and the Band of Heathens, Slowtrain rolls best with a full head of steam, like the hard-pounded, harmonica-ripped blues-tumble of the title track or the Harry Nilsson piano pop flourishes of "Not the Only One." Much of the rest of Bound To Find You Out rests too heavily on frontman Adoniram Lipton's efforts, a calm nasal grit splitting the difference between Dylan and the more contemporary influence of Jeff Tweedy. The two versions of "Waiting Just for You" that close both sides prove effective but highlight the band's competing impulses – the first playing straightforward with Lipton's vocals pushed up front, with the reprise lacing organ and piano into a Before the Flood flair. A solid debut only wanting more from the rest of the band. - Austin Chronicle