The Pines Play Milwaukee's Shank Hall Tonight

The Pines will play a special concert in celebration of the vinyl release of their new album Dark So Gold. It follows their radio-charting Tremolo, which received rave reviews and was highlighted in PopMatters and CMT.com as one of the top Americana albums of the year.

The concert is set for tonight, May 16, 2013, 8pm at Shank Hall, 1434 N Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, WI. Tickets: $15. Call 414-276-7288 or visit www.shankhall.com for more information.

Showcasing their distinct blend of dark atmospheric indie-folk, rock and blues, The Pines' new album shows a young band that has fully arrived with a sound and song craft that stands apart on the indie music landscape. Frontmen Benson Ramsey (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and David Huckfelt (vocals, acoustic guitar) lead up the expanded seven-piece band that includes Alex Ramsey (keyboards, vocals), J.T. Bates (drums), James Buckley (bass), Michael Rossetto (banjo) and Jacob Hanson (guitar). Together they create a cinematic soundscape of radio-friendly songs and beautiful instrumentals that display all the grace and sensibility of a truly great record.

From the haunting opening track "Cry, Cry, Crow," The Pines conjure up rural specters and ghosts from the farms slowly disappearing throughout their native Midwest. Exploring the tension between city and small town and the loneliness that can exist in both, they move through breakups and new beginnings on songs like "If By Morning," "All the While," "Dead Feathers" and the radio-friendly "Chimes." Whether rocking out ("Rise Up and Be Lonely") or playing contemplative instrumentals ("Moonrise, IA" and "Losing the Stars"), The Pines cook up a diverse palette of musical flavors and songs that reflect on cold days, dark nights and the hope that shines in between. Drawing light out of shadows, Dark So Gold is an album that provides solace in hard times and stands as The Pines' masterwork to date.

Photo Credit: Cameron Wittig