As we see the invention or resurgence of certain musical genres, there are always bands that will come to shape or embody that genre.
When folk music was adopted in the ‘60s and adapted into a new genre, folk-rock, it was musicians like Bob Dylan or groups like Crosby, Stills, and Nash that came to embody that genre during its formative years. With the most recent resurgence of folk rock, I’m convinced its bands like 2/3 Goat that will become the poster child of the genre.
The band, fronted by Annalyse McCoy and Ryan Dunn, and featuring Jason Liles on bass, and Neil Nunziato on drums, have just released their album Let it Rise, a collection of songs released throughout 2015, plus a few extras. They’ve all got the distinctive sound that 2/3 Goat has created, with their eclectic blend of cultural folk music and classic rock.
2/3 Goat, 100% Style
The first track on the album, “Burning Bridges” is a song about broken relationships, while taking a more triumphant, accepting tone: “Burn, bridges, burn / Until I am an island looking all around.” It’s characteristic of 2/3 Goat’s style, combining folk instruments like the fiddle with a classic rock instrumentation and style.
“Young Man” is a type of “coming of age” song, taking the perspective of (surprise) a young man facing the challenges of life: “I’m just a young man who’s finding his way.” It has a bittersweet acoustic guitar and mandolin intro, but it picks up in energy as the song goes along.
One of the more classic, folk-sounding songs on the album, “Heading Down the Road” has the intriguing addition of an electric-organ in the chorus, that gives it a sort of “Walking in Memphis” folk rock sound.
“Whiskey Sins,” the last track on the album takes a more unique sound. It starts out with a deep, bass-heavy guitar riff that sets the stage for the energy in the rest of the song, with its sharp, cutting guitar and its more pure classic rock feel.
Although folk rock is by no means a new genre, it is an ever-evolving one. When classic rock changed from the ‘60s psychedelic period to the louder, more energetic ‘70s, bands like Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and Steve Miller Band took the reins.
After them came bands like Journey, Genesis, and Van Halen, all continuing to usher in new phases, new iterations, of Rock and Roll. The bands may have been different, but they were all true to their genre.
2/3 Goat is both different from their predecessors in folk rock while still being completely true to the genre of folk rock, and they’ll be one of the bands we look to as the future of folk rock.
