The Hollering Pines

“Caleb Meyer, he lived alone in them hollerin’ pines/ And he made a little whiskey for himself, said it helped to pass the time.” So goes the first couple of lines of folk singer Gillian Welch’s song “Caleb Meyer,” the namesake of local roots-Americana quartet The Hollering Pines.

The band’s harmonizing female voices may sound familiar, since sisters Marie Bradshaw and Kiki Buehner were previously members of the well-known country/blues group The Folka Dots, which has since disbanded. But The Hollering Pines, which came together almost exactly a year ago, have an electrified sound that’s influenced by both old-school country and modern Americana folksies, as heard on their debut album, Long Nights, Short Lives & Spilled Chances, released in September.

“I think with The Folka Dots, our focus was on acoustic instruments, more on traditional music, and I guess a lot of people would call it old-timey,” says main songwriter and guitarist/lead vocalist Bradshaw. “And I think, at least for me, I wanted to start making some music that was more like what I listen to. [The Hollering Pines are] definitely more Americana and more … drums and electric instruments.”

Long Nights, Short Lives & Spilled Chances was recorded live in May with Scott Wiley at June Audio in Provo. The Hollering Pines began laying down tracks with the plan to record only a demo or an EP, says drummer/harmonica player Dan Buehner (of the now-defunct The Trappers), “and then it came together so quickly we had 10 songs in two days.” The polished finished product and the ease of its creation reflects the effortless chemistry between the four musicians (Dylan Schorer, of The Lower Lights, adds guitar).

“This group is so easy to play with, that this is just what happens when we get together and play,” Bradshaw says. “It’s not something we’ve really planned very hard or talked about. … It’s the collective sound of everybody just doing their thing, and it works well together, I think.”

Influenced by artists such as Hank Williams, The Louvin Brothers and Buddy Miller, The Hollering Pines’ stunning, twangy sound features gorgeous lap steel, pedal steel and dobro by Schorer, with the warm, cozy and often haunting harmonies of bass player Kiki and Bradshaw at the center. Flourishes of fiddle by guest artist and former Folka Dot Corinne Gentry on songs such as “Not the Only Ones” and “Wished I Was Gone,” as well as touches of organ and mandolin, add ornamentation that’s beautiful but economically utilized, with the songs’ lovely simplicity allowed to be the focus.

But The Hollering Pines’ actual sound isn’t the only sign of these musicians’ progression. The songs’ lyrics are poetic in their depiction of everyday life, the kind found at the bottom of a bottle, in a smoky bar or at the end of a lonely dirt road. Plaintive songs such as “Rainy Day Woman,” about loving someone through the hard-luck times as well as the good, and “Oh Mama,” about an adult woman meeting the mother who abandoned her when she was a child, are masterfully crafted with evocative lyrics that could make Lucinda Williams pull out a hankie.

Even though the Hollering Pines don’t completely draw from autobiographical experience for their songwriting, they have an uncanny ability to create stories that live and breathe with raw, real human emotion.

“I think all of us have grown a lot as songwriters, and I think the longer you write songs, the more you can write them about things you haven’t experienced yourself just to tell a story,” Bradshaw says. “I have an easier time putting myself in other shoes.” - City Weekly

“Caleb Meyer, he lived alone in them hollerin’ pines/ And he made a little whiskey for himself, said it helped to pass the time.” So goes the first couple of lines of folk singer Gillian Welch’s song “Caleb Meyer,” the namesake of local roots-Americana quartet The Hollering Pines.

The band’s harmonizing female voices may sound familiar, since sisters Marie Bradshaw and Kiki Buehner were previously members of the well-known country/blues group The Folka Dots, which has since disbanded. But The Hollering Pines, which came together almost exactly a year ago, have an electrified sound that’s influenced by both old-school country and modern Americana folksies, as heard on their debut album, Long Nights, Short Lives & Spilled Chances, released in September.

“I think with The Folka Dots, our focus was on acoustic instruments, more on traditional music, and I guess a lot of people would call it old-timey,” says main songwriter and guitarist/lead vocalist Bradshaw. “And I think, at least for me, I wanted to start making some music that was more like what I listen to. [The Hollering Pines are] definitely more Americana and more … drums and electric instruments.”

Long Nights, Short Lives & Spilled Chances was recorded live in May with Scott Wiley at June Audio in Provo. The Hollering Pines began laying down tracks with the plan to record only a demo or an EP, says drummer/harmonica player Dan Buehner (of the now-defunct The Trappers), “and then it came together so quickly we had 10 songs in two days.” The polished finished product and the ease of its creation reflects the effortless chemistry between the four musicians (Dylan Schorer, of The Lower Lights, adds guitar).

“This group is so easy to play with, that this is just what happens when we get together and play,” Bradshaw says. “It’s not something we’ve really planned very hard or talked about. … It’s the collective sound of everybody just doing their thing, and it works well together, I think.”

Influenced by artists such as Hank Williams, The Louvin Brothers and Buddy Miller, The Hollering Pines’ stunning, twangy sound features gorgeous lap steel, pedal steel and dobro by Schorer, with the warm, cozy and often haunting harmonies of bass player Kiki and Bradshaw at the center. Flourishes of fiddle by guest artist and former Folka Dot Corinne Gentry on songs such as “Not the Only Ones” and “Wished I Was Gone,” as well as touches of organ and mandolin, add ornamentation that’s beautiful but economically utilized, with the songs’ lovely simplicity allowed to be the focus.

But The Hollering Pines’ actual sound isn’t the only sign of these musicians’ progression. The songs’ lyrics are poetic in their depiction of everyday life, the kind found at the bottom of a bottle, in a smoky bar or at the end of a lonely dirt road. Plaintive songs such as “Rainy Day Woman,” about loving someone through the hard-luck times as well as the good, and “Oh Mama,” about an adult woman meeting the mother who abandoned her when she was a child, are masterfully crafted with evocative lyrics that could make Lucinda Williams pull out a hankie.

Even though the Hollering Pines don’t completely draw from autobiographical experience for their songwriting, they have an uncanny ability to create stories that live and breathe with raw, real human emotion.

“I think all of us have grown a lot as songwriters, and I think the longer you write songs, the more you can write them about things you haven’t experienced yourself just to tell a story,” Bradshaw says. “I have an easier time putting myself in other shoes.” - City Weekly

As the co-frontwomen of The Hollering Pines, Utah-based sisters Kiki Jane Buehner and Marie Bradshaw bring what their bio calls "blood tight harmonies" to the potent Americana and alt-country songs on their self-penned debut album Long Nights, Short Lives and Spilled Chances (out now). And once you hear their entwined vocals it's hard to argue otherwise. Backed by drummer/backing vocalist Dan Buehner and fine guitarist Dylan Schorer, Kiki Jane (now that's a name) and Marie rustle up overtones of Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams, sweetly turned roadhouse balladry infused with a mellow country twang and Buehner's stark, lap-steel guitar moans. Even a song titled "Rock and Roll" becomes a roadhouse jukebox slow dance. Loverly stuff. - Direct Current Music

by Dan Nailen on September 15, 2012

It’s not very often that you can roll into a concert with sky-high expectations, and have them soundly and decidedly exceeded. But Dave Alvin managed to do just that at The State Room Friday night.

Accompanied by his stellar backing band The Guilty Ones, Alvin rocketed through songs spanning his career as a roots-rock pioneer, a run that stretches back to the ’70s when he formed the Blasters with his brother, Phil, through a stint in X in the ’80s and then a long-running solo career.

Alvin opened with “4th of July,” a song X turned into an almost-hit with their John Doe-sung version, and Alvin totally reclaims ownership of the tune when he plays it live. From the get-go, the combination of Alvin’s pliable voice–he easily shifts from deep, bass-y growls to rockabilly shouts–and raucous guitar-playing proved a potent one-two punch. Throw in a band featuring the slippery slide-guitar of Chris Miller interweaving through Alvin’s guitar parts and it was truly a treat to witness what was happening on stage. Drummer Lisa Pinkratz and bass player Brad Porter rounded out Alvin’s Guilty Ones.
Alvin followed “4th of July” with “Harlan County Line,” a song familiar to some from its presence on the TV show Justified and part of Alvin’s most recent album, Eleven Eleven. From there it was a deep dive into one of the strongest American songwriting catalogs of the past 30 years. Old Blasters faves like “Long White Cadillac” and “Marie Marie” settled in easily next to newer fare like “Black Rose of Texas” and “Ashgrove.”

“Johnny Ace is Dead,” another new song, was a definite highlight, as was “King of California.” “Abilene” erupted into a lengthy instrumental workout–and this is one band that’s a pleasure to watch stretch out. Alvin standing on stage, legs splayed apart and ripping into his Stratocaster–that’s an iconic image for roots-rock fans that never gets out, which makes all the more sense because Alvin’s music is so timeless. The guy is a serious music historian, mining old stories of blues legends like Big Mama Thornton and the aforementioned Johnny Ace for lyrical content, and then putting those lyrics to sounds invoking folk, rock, country, R&B–you name it. As Alvin puts it on his Website, there is both loud folk music and soft folk music, and he plays both kinds.

Opening the show was the Hollering Pines, a relatively new Salt Lake City band made up of members of The Folka Dots and The Trappers. The harmonies of Marie Bradshaw, Kiki Sieger and Corinne Gentry that make the Folka Dots such a pleasure to hear are in full effect in the classic-country sound of the Hollering Pines, and when you add a male counterpart to the mix via the Trappers’ Dan Buehner, you get a winning combination. Definitely a band to keep an eye on. - SLCene

by Dan Nailen on July 26, 2013

For a guy who doesn’t tour as often as most of his country peers, Dwight Yoakam sure knows how to get it done when he does step on a stage.

Flanked by four musicians in glittering jackets that would make any amateur bedazzler proud, Yoakam hit Red Butte Garden Tuesday for a show that was not as packed as most thus far this season. But he certainly didn’t seem to worry about it, delivering nearly 30 songs across two hours that featured the mix of traditional honky-tonk and poppy flash that has been his trademark for decades.

Yoakam launched the show with “Take Hold of My Hand,” the first song on his excellent 2012 album 3 Pears. That was just the first of five new ones that he included in his set. All of them fit nicely alongside Yoakam’s classic hits, and the title track, “Waterfall” and rabble-rousing “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke” were all particularly strong performances.

At one point, Yoakam joked about his set list that “we get two new ones, and you get one old one. And later we get three new ones and you get one old one. Eventually, it’ll all just be new ones.” To the delight of those on hand–who stayed on their feet throughout and fed off the energy of Yoakam’s band and the man’s own Elvis-inspired leg twitches–he did not live up to his word.

Instead, the show was a savvy blend of career-spanning hits and well-chosen covers. “Little Sister” and his take on Buck Owens’ “Streets of Bakersfield” came early on, seguing into an inspired medley of “Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose” and “Buckaroo” before hitting another Owens favorite, “Act Naturally.”

Noting the beauty of Red Butte Garden, the “stomping grounds of the Utes,” Yoakam forged ahead through strong version of “Blame the Vain,” “Close Up the Honky Tonks,” “Always Late With Your Kisses” and “If There Was a Way,” all before hitting the halfway point of the show.

Yoakam rarely left his spot at center stage, where he stood, shimmied and swiveled his hips behind a music stand as he band bashed away behind him. A slowed-down version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” led into Yoakam challenging the audience to keep up with his band.

“It’s Thursday night, y’all,” Yoakam annouanced. “Looks like we’re going to see what you’re made of!” And with that, he proceeded to lead his band through a solid dozen or so more songs, including “Nothing’s Changed Here,” “3 Pears,” “Honky Tonk Man,” “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” “Only Hurts Me When I Cry,” “Little Ways” and “Guitars, Cadillacs.”

You can attribute the relatively small crowd to competing concerts in town; the Flaming Lips probably drew some of Yoakam’s alternative-minded fans, while One Direction probably took away some parents who were entertaining their kids at that show. Even so, the energy at Red Butte Garden was great, and Yoakam proved an excellent front man with a knack for delivering a modern honky-tonk sound.

Opening the show was The Hollering Pines, a collection of locals including Marie Bradshaw, Kiki Jane Buehner, Dan Buehner and Dylan Schorer. Similar to Yoakam, they delivered traditional country originals and covers–including an excellent “Long Black Veil”–with the added bonus of excellent harmony vocals and Schorer’s lap-steel. They have an album coming this fall–keep an eye out for that one. - SLCene

by Dan Nailen on July 26, 2013

For a guy who doesn’t tour as often as most of his country peers, Dwight Yoakam sure knows how to get it done when he does step on a stage.

Flanked by four musicians in glittering jackets that would make any amateur bedazzler proud, Yoakam hit Red Butte Garden Tuesday for a show that was not as packed as most thus far this season. But he certainly didn’t seem to worry about it, delivering nearly 30 songs across two hours that featured the mix of traditional honky-tonk and poppy flash that has been his trademark for decades.

Yoakam launched the show with “Take Hold of My Hand,” the first song on his excellent 2012 album 3 Pears. That was just the first of five new ones that he included in his set. All of them fit nicely alongside Yoakam’s classic hits, and the title track, “Waterfall” and rabble-rousing “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke” were all particularly strong performances.

At one point, Yoakam joked about his set list that “we get two new ones, and you get one old one. And later we get three new ones and you get one old one. Eventually, it’ll all just be new ones.” To the delight of those on hand–who stayed on their feet throughout and fed off the energy of Yoakam’s band and the man’s own Elvis-inspired leg twitches–he did not live up to his word.

Instead, the show was a savvy blend of career-spanning hits and well-chosen covers. “Little Sister” and his take on Buck Owens’ “Streets of Bakersfield” came early on, seguing into an inspired medley of “Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose” and “Buckaroo” before hitting another Owens favorite, “Act Naturally.”

Noting the beauty of Red Butte Garden, the “stomping grounds of the Utes,” Yoakam forged ahead through strong version of “Blame the Vain,” “Close Up the Honky Tonks,” “Always Late With Your Kisses” and “If There Was a Way,” all before hitting the halfway point of the show.

Yoakam rarely left his spot at center stage, where he stood, shimmied and swiveled his hips behind a music stand as he band bashed away behind him. A slowed-down version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” led into Yoakam challenging the audience to keep up with his band.

“It’s Thursday night, y’all,” Yoakam annouanced. “Looks like we’re going to see what you’re made of!” And with that, he proceeded to lead his band through a solid dozen or so more songs, including “Nothing’s Changed Here,” “3 Pears,” “Honky Tonk Man,” “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” “Only Hurts Me When I Cry,” “Little Ways” and “Guitars, Cadillacs.”

You can attribute the relatively small crowd to competing concerts in town; the Flaming Lips probably drew some of Yoakam’s alternative-minded fans, while One Direction probably took away some parents who were entertaining their kids at that show. Even so, the energy at Red Butte Garden was great, and Yoakam proved an excellent front man with a knack for delivering a modern honky-tonk sound.

Opening the show was The Hollering Pines, a collection of locals including Marie Bradshaw, Kiki Jane Buehner, Dan Buehner and Dylan Schorer. Similar to Yoakam, they delivered traditional country originals and covers–including an excellent “Long Black Veil”–with the added bonus of excellent harmony vocals and Schorer’s lap-steel. They have an album coming this fall–keep an eye out for that one. - SLCene