Doors 4pm, Music 9:15pm

Freight

Formed in Ithaca, NY in early 2020, Freight is a new songwriting collaboration between JP Payton (JP and the Easytigers) and Liam Lawson (The Auroras). Groove-centric and playfully syncopated, the band's primary sound is a danceable variety of folk-rock, replete with electric organ fuzz, telecaster twang, and no-nonsense steel-string chug. Payton's confessional songwriting draws from the country music tradition; his lyrics explore the interior dynamics of close relationships, the connections between people and the places they live, and the pains of growing up and old. As the name suggests, Freight is a balance between momentum and substance, funk and storytelling, with its spiritual home waiting somewhere just a little farther down the highway.

In October 2020, as upstate New York dug in to weather another coronavirus winter, Payton and Lawson set about recording their first EP at Sunwood Recording in Trumansburg, NY. Realizing that social distancing would be an unavoidable factor in the recording process, the duo decided to embrace the production-forward sound of bands like Beck, Jay Bennet-era Wilco, and James McMurtry. The outcome was a funky sort of country rock, in which the different guitar and vocal components fit together like puzzle pieces, complementing and expanding upon a basic Waylon-style drum and bass foundation. As recording continued, it became clear that the sound needed a thicker harmonic "soup" to really bring out the psychedelic elements of Payton's lyrical imagery. Lawson invited keyboard player Colleen Countryman to sit in on the recording sessions, having worked with her previously in the Auroras. Her blended stage-piano/organ sound quickly became integral to the band; they began rehearsing as a trio in early 2021.

https://www.facebook.com/FreightIthaca

https://www.freightmusic.com/

Rev Ezra

“Hi, I'm Rev, and I'm a musician originally from Western Pennsylvania, now living in Ithaca, New York. I just released my first solo album titled "These Days" on May 6th, 2022 and is available streaming everywhere. The song "Strange Winds" on that album is currently featured on the "Indie Bluegrass" Spotify editorial playlist.

​I've experienced a lot of changes in life over the past few years. The songs in the album are largely about dealing with changing circumstances and environments, and the thoughts that race through your head when you have to make big decisions. I also come from a multi-racial, half immigrant family, so I'm no stranger to being in between two places. That comes through in the songs too. All in all, my goal as a songwriter is to tell honest stories, and to put all the common yet hard-to-grasp emotions into words, with the hopes that folks can relate. In everything I do, I want to be genuine, and this album is no exception.”

https://www.revezra.com/

Cover; $10