Composed of Iowa natives David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey, The Pines combine roots, blues and indie-rock to create a raw, haunting sound that is inventive and compelling. Tonight, they will be celebrating the June 12 release by Red House Records of their long-awaited major-label debut, Sparrows in the Bell. Bluesman Ray Bonneville will be highlighting songs from his upcoming Red House Records release, Goin' by feel.

The son of Greg Brown's producer and sideman Bo Ramsey, Benson was reared on folk and blues music and continues to let those influences shine, even on louder electric songs. Like Benson, David also has a deep love for traditional music, and together the two of them craft music that evokes the ancient while incorporating newer rock and pop grooves. Both strong writers and musicians, Benson and David have distinct voices that complement each other, causing audiences and critics alike to tout them as a powerful young force in American roots music. Although they have not been touring long, they have already shared the stage with the likes of Jolie Holland, The Arcade Fire, Kelly Joe Phelps and Spider John Koerner.

Ray Bonneville calls himself a North American. Born and raised in Canada, he moved to the Boston area in his early teens where he started playing guitar and harmonica. His last 30 or so years have seen him seeking out adventure and playing music throughout the world. Being a dual citizen allows him the freedom to live between Montreal Canada, and Austin Texas.

Bonneville is a distinctive artist, a man who cooks up a deep groove, blending a unique percussive electric guitar style, a weathered voice, and a soulful rack harmonica into image provoking songs that can be believed. His right thumb works the bass line, his index finger brushes and hooks out rhythm and melody, and his hand slaps the guitar for a snare-like effect. He sometimes uses a slide, always plays through a Fender tube amp, and brings his foot down on an amplified piece of plywood on the floor for added percussion. It is a powerful and visceral sound with a lot of forward momentum.

In the streets and clubs of New Orleans during the eighties, is where Bonneville soaked up the prevalent back-side of the beat attitude that ran through a lot of the music being played down there. "There were so many great drummers to learn groove and time from, great piano and guitar players to be influenced by, and man, the singers and horn players just made your heart go wild with excitement! This was the place that influenced me the most," he says. "It was infectious. I learned that solid, but laid back rhythm is like a tightrope on which the notes and words can do their dance."

"downbeat, moody and darkly poetic" (Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune 6/1/07, opining on Sparrows in the Bell)

$13 advance

$15 day of show

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Call Cedar ticket line 612-338-2674 ext 2

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