Live Music Alert: TONIGHT, October 29, CD release party at Hotel Donaldson, Fargo ND

Teague Alexi

Those rambling hobo nephews have a new album and DVD that they are introducing to a whole new audience while they’re mounting a major tour across the country. Traveling Show, a 13-song extravaganza, is supported by special guests: Marco Benevento (keys), Jon Graboff (pedal steel player from Ryan Adams and also the Cardinals), and Ryan Young (fiddle), Eric Berry (mandolin), and Dave Carroll (banjo) from Trampled by Turtles.

This endeavor is the third studio album the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank have produced. It is also a great sampling of Teague Alexi’s well-crafted songs. Teague, along with his brother Ian, founded the Hobos a few years back and began producing a rich sound and loyal following inspired by the land of the Iron Range of Minnesota. This is doubly inspiring because the Alexi brothers had no ties to the area until recently. They both grew up in southern New Jersey. Ian went off to the Berkeley School of Music and eventually studied drums and guitar in Africa for a year. Teague stayed stateside and played in a band called Spilled Milk and eventually followed a beautiful woman to the pine forests of Holyoke, Minnesota, where he makes his home.

Teague began to sit on his porch and let the land speak to him. That changed him to the core, causing him to rethink his musical journey and set aside some of his earlier musical influences, mainly hip-hop, reggae, and jazz. “After living in Minnesota for awhile, the rootsy music of this country started to sound better to me than it ever did on the beaches of San Diego or in Atlantic City, New Jersey,” Teague said. “Living out in the woods, suddenly that music started to make more sense to me.”

As Teague wrote and recorded his new music, he sometimes did a solo act as Teague Alexy with Medication. When Ian moved to Duluth, 30 miles north, Teague formed Hobo Nephews. He also started the Feelin’ Band, which is now fronted by Nicholas Mrozinski.

The Hobos released their debut self-titled album in the summer of 2006. Sing!, with its sepia album cover that looked like the front page of an old Sing Out magazine, came out in the fall of the following year. Then a limited EP, One For The Time Capsule, was released last October. Traveling Show, which is available in three formats (CD, CD/DVD, and digital download) was released September 1 of this year. The DVD called Moments and Truths is a documentary directed by Joshua Priestley that offers an intimate look at the Hobos as they record this album.

Traveling Show contains a happy collection of some of Teague’s best writing. Even the track about a misbegotten love, “Break Every Bone,” with its twangy, steel guitar-richness and tight harmonies makes you want to sing along on the chorus and join them in their misery. “Traveling Show,” the initial track, chronicles life on the road and also underscores the band’s trailer for the DVD and the album. “Little One” is a country rock tune reminiscent of Poco, and “The Rooster” presents a little dominant male song with a vocal catch in the vocals akin to Michael Parks’ recordings in the 80s. And there’s so much more.

The instrumentation is top-notch and the vocals (with Ian and Teague sharing duties) are a perfect vehicle for these great songs. Traveling Show is ripe and succulent, just ready for your listening enjoyment. But always it is rooted in the earthiness of the region and the big hearts of the people.

The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank are currently touring to bring this album and DVD to a wider audience. Teague handles acoustic guitar and harmonica on stage and on the album while Ian holds forth on guitars and electric bass. Paul Grill mans drums and percussion. Catch them when you can.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Issues, October 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.