Outlaw Social
a seven song e.p.
Outlaw Social first met years ago at kitchen jams and gigs with other musical partners. But late one night in the fall of 2004, Catherine Black and Pharis Patenaude cornered Oliver Swain in a bar and let him know that they wanted to PLAY - a week later the trio had their first show in Victoria, B.C. They whet their sound with Victoria shows, concerts, and theatres, but they were waiting... Adam Dobres' exceptional and uniquely tasty electric and acoustic guitars joined the mayhem in late summer 2005; Kendel Carson, a "hell-raising fiddler" to be highly reckoned with, now graces the stage with her steel trap bow (because nothing gets past her). The sound of the band gathers high calibre instrumentation, spirited and spiritual vocals, and a sense of deep love and respect for the music they're playing.
The music mixes Appalachian, country blues, and other roots traditionals with a healthy dose of original songwriting to make a show where the urge to dance spars with the serious case of goosebumps on the back of your neck. It might be the most heartbreaking version of Troubling Mind on a nylon string banjo called "the goat", a ripping oldtime fiddle & banjo tune, or an original piece of new song that floats your boat - in any case, audiences fall in love with the dynamic quality of an Outlaw Social performance.
The clan has lifetimes of playing between them, and each one has spent years honing their particular sounds in the festivals, halls, living rooms and bars of North America and Europe. Their past & present incarnations have involved work with phenoms Scruj MacDuhk, The Bill Hilly Band, The Paperboys, The Seams, and Dan Lapp among many others. In this incarnation of kick-assedness, they are: Adam on acoustic and electric guitars, Catherine and Oliver on the banjo, bass & singing, Kendel on the fiddle, and Pharis on guitar & singing.
If a jug band took a day and recorded with a gospel choir, it would be something like Outlaw Social - and on a good day, you’d be closer than if you were standing in a chicken run (not that we don't like the sound of chickens - they're pretty rhythmic).
