Futurebirds, Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause, Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires February 19, 2011

In Athens, Georgia, the future can look a lot like the past. Often not too many changes down that way and Futurebirds certainly don’t mind. Some folks think good music comes from making a whole bunch of sounds no one’s ever heard before. Some folks think that you can sit back and take her easy for a little while without trying too damn hard. Some folks think you can have a little of both. If you push yourself every once in awhile, you might wind up in the right place around the right friends and come up with something worth playing on the porch-swing over an ice-cold beer. That’s exactly Futurebirds’ situation. Surrounded by a sleepy-living music community—more earnest than you’ll find elsewhere—the band works to set things right where they belong. Provide people with an infectious melody and a refreshing song about things they understand and they’ll sing with you.

Last spring saw the release of their eponymous EP, a euphoric backwoods sing-a-long that made the six guys in Futurebirds a lot of choir buddies. Now, after only a short, hazy lifespan, the band has signed with Autumn Tone Records. With the help of Drew Vandenburg at Athens’ own Chase Park Transductions, there’s a new record in the can—one that sees Futurebirds harnessing the youthful exuberance of the EP to fashion songs of a grander scale.

Hampton’s Lullaby aims to prove that they’re not simply standing on the shoulders of giants like Flying Burrito Brothers, Andre Benjamin and The Band. Four distinct voices telling tales of trials and tribulations provide the strength for it to relate to the masses. New singing buddies are welcome July 27th, when this puppy hits the shelf.

Official Website: http://www.badearl.com/content/additional_info?event_id=1378&full=true