Ah, to be 20 again.
Actually, I take that back. I hated turning 20. I actually really enjoyed turning 30, but 20 meant that I was no longer a teenager, but I had nothing to show for it. I hadn’t yet moved away from home, and had no real idea of what I wanted to do with my life. By 30, I had, and I did.
But to be 20, and to not only know what I wanted to be doing, but actually doing it, and not just doing it, but really excelling at it–ah, to be that.
That is The Old Believers. They moved to Portland from their hometown of Kenai, Alaska after graduating from high school just two years ago. They’ve just released their second EP, Eight Golden Greats, which Casey Jarman of the Willamette Week describes as “crushing, refined Americana pop…The songs are unapologetically romantic, but investigate romance with the same fearlessness that the Believers explore the studio.” The Mercury’s Ezra Ace Caraeff calls their music “soulful country, vintage dustbowl storytelling.”
The duo, Nelson Kemph and Kelly Boyle, were kind enough to come to KPSU and perform some songs. They’re currently on tour, and will play Pickathon on August 2nd and 3rd.
The Old Believers: myspace
*Also, a technical note: If my voice sounds echoey during the interview portion of this show, it’s not because I didn’t properly turn down the reverb on the mic I was using while the Technical Director had stepped out for a staff meeting. It’s because my golden throat makes even the smallest studio sound like a cathedral.
