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The two roads meeting on this album are Alex Michaud and Dave Krusch, and the album they make at the crossroads is full of life and energy. This is an attention-grabbing collection of folk/rock that hooked me from the very first track. Michaud brings his soulful, Tracy Chapman-like vocals and percussive style of acoustic guitar, and Krusch provides the kind of percussion that doesn’t just keep the beat, it provides atmosphere and spine-tingling vibes.
These songs are earthy and warm, which is why the image of sandal-clad feet on the disc is so appropriate. Like the folksters who preceed them, they lash out in one track against prejudice and ignorance on the aggressive, pulsing “Free World.” They get downright tribal with the drumbeats on “Old City Street.” They also provide a simple, jaunty, romantic song called “So Good.” (However, on this one, they can’t resist mixing in the lyric “I’m missing you to death.” They wouldn’t be The Tell if they didn’t pause for a moment to visit the dark side.)
The two standouts for me are the reggae-ish yet haunting “Who Am I?” and the beautifully melancholy and bluesy “The Prince.” The Tell doesn’t provide the lyrics with their CD, but I found myself more absorbed in the music, which lives and breathes on every track. This is a band I really do need to see live. I have no excuse since they live just up the road in Chapel Hill. I’d wear sandals, but I have the feeling I’ll need something comfortable to dance in, judging by the way my foot was tapping throughout this CD. - Jennifer Layton, Indie-Music.com
Our album, "Where Two Roads Meet", received Top 25 Albums of 2008 from Indie-Music. - Indie-Music.com
Discography
"Where Two Roads Meet", our debut album released in 2008.
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Bio
The Tell officially formed in Chapel Hill, NC in mid-2005 when guitarist/lead vocalist Alex Michaud and drummer Dave Krusch came together to record the tracks that would eventually become their debut album, "Where Two Roads Meet."
The collaboration began in the summer of 2004 when the two began jamming in the backwoods of the North Georgia mountains with simply an acoustic guitar and hand drums. Even though they came from two entirely different musical backgrounds - Alex, from a rock/singer-songwriter style and theater, and Dave with his background in fusion-funk drumming and world percussion - an instant connection was made.
In 2005, the duo decided to take their music a step further and put their ideas to tape. Over the course of a trial-by-fire, intense marathon recording session at Nightsound Studios in Carrboro, NC under the direction of head engineer/producer Chris Wimberley, The Tell was born. What resulted was an adventurous, sparkling collection of original songs, combining a high degree of technical ability with killer hooks and poignant lyrics about love, life, and everything in between. From the powerful opening track, "On My Own," which was written in the studio during a session, to the Police-esque vibe of "Who Am I?" and the political-tinged rock of "Free World," The Tell showcases a wide range of styles and influences.
Through various musical connections and sessions with other bands, Casey Toll and Grayson Rich were introduced to the band, adding a rounded out sound with a mastery of their instruments and a gift for great sounds.
Bringing together elements of groove-laden rock, acoustic roots music and power pop, "Where Two Roads Meet" is the culmination of a creative process that was over three years in the making.
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