Jackson County Kills / Steel Fringe

https://www.thejacksoncountykills.com

THE JACKSON COUNTY KILLS are rooted in the fertile soil of «traditional” American music. This musical landscape is riddled with cultural contradictions that reflect hard truths. It’s these very contradictions and truths that cause this soil to be so fruitful in so many genres of musical expression. From the hardscrabble twang of Hillbilly songs to the undeniable beat of the Blues. From gospel music’s desperate cry for redemption to the wild exuberance of Rock and Roll, all are reflected in the JCK sound.

“Give us three chords and three minutes and we’ll have you cryin’ in your beer or stomping along.” laughs Matty Charles, singer and songwriter for the band. “We’re singing about real life. If I’m not the person in the song there’s a good chance that I know them.”

Charles’ plainspoken songwriting uses narrativetechniques found in folk and country storytelling to draw the listener in. Lead guitarist, Brian Byrnes deftly improvises with an unselfconscious ease and facility of emotion. Kevin Major and Tom Armstrong, on drums and bass respectively, keep the songs tight and focused, allowing the twin guitars and harmonized vocals of Charles and Byrnes the freedom to expand and contract with a playful vitality keeping their live performances unconstrained and dynamic.

https://www.instagram.com/steel_fringe/reels
Steel Fringe is Tyler Johnston (guitar, vox), Nathan Murphy (bass, vox), Parker Hall (drums), Mitch Gonzales (guitar, vox), and Erik Clampitt (pedal steel). Hailing from the rainy enclave of Portland, Oregon, where enchanted forests are carpeted with ferns and moss-covered rocks, the members of Steel Fringe have played together in various bands throughout the years. Steel Fringe features themes that evoke a deep connection to nature, woodland wanderings, hallucinogenic imagery, desert odysseys, and the yearning for life in the country. The songwriting came quickly together, and Steel Fringe was ready to explore the sound with other musicians.