Variously described by critics and fans as Americana, alt-country, roots-rock, and rockabilly in an attempt to define their original blend of guitar-driven American music, members of The Molenes are themselves more likely to tell you it's simply "rock'n'roll with twang."

Either way, this blend of swaggering riffs, steam-train rhythms, trenchant tunes, and evocative lyrics makes a music that moves you, and that has gotten the band noticed in the process. Two Spotlight Award nominations, designation as a "River Rising Star" by Boston's largest independent commercial radio station, a half-hour live feature on NHPR's acclaimed "Front Porch" radio series, and radio play on more than 150 stations around the country and the world all attest to infectiousness of this "twang", and the ability of this music to reach beyond the band's home in the Northeast's Seacoast region. Formed in 2005 by Dave Hunter (lead vocals, guitars), The Molenes consist of Andrew Russell (bass, vocals), Bruce Derr (pedal-steel guitar), and Zach Field (drums). Their acclaimed full-length releases to date include 2006's This Car is Big and 2008's Songs of Sin and Redemption . The Molenes' hotly anticipated third album, Good Times Comin', was released September 28 2010, and is already climbing high into the FAR (American Roots) and Americana Music Association radio charts.


Main photo by Gregory Rec.

Inset photos by Veronica Martini.


 


  • Dowloadable one-sheets for press and radio and high-res images No1 and No2 here (for photos, please credit Gregory Rec).
  • Publicity for USA and Europe: Fred Boenig, Americana Media Productions (member of the Artists Development Co-Op), 610-967-5948, rrootsr@gmail.com
  • Or contact: themolenes(at symbol)themolenes.com
  • EARLY PRAISE FOR GOOD TIMES COMIN'
  • The Boston Globe: "Roughly two seconds — OK, maybe three — into 'Blood and Bone,' which opens the Molenes’ strong third album, you know exactly where singer-songwriter Dave Hunter’s heart lies: south of the Mason-Dixon... As 'Rockin’ Monophonic,' one of the disc’s best rave-ups attests, these are geographically universal songs about rootlessness and restlessness; about being “a long way from nowhere, lost in static on your FM dial.’’ Ah, if only such poetic nuisances still existed... With a clear-eyed, no-nonsense mix from Paul Q. Kolderie, who knows a thing or three about making Americana records (see: Uncle Tupelo), the Molenes’ sturdy, straightforward strengths are placed front and center, with room to roam under their big sky of blues, greens, and golden sunsets suffused with peals of pedal steel. It all starts with Hunter’s gritty, conversational tenor and resonant — and Resophonic — guitars ('Four Feet Under' is a Stones-meets-Son Volt gem). But make no mistake, the Molenes sound very much like an intuitively integrated band, not some solo rhinestone cowboy surrounded by hired hands. Bruce Derr’s expressive pedal steel wraps itself around the cool Western swing of 'Hot Damn'; and thanks to drummer Zach Field, 'Love Me' carries a primal dose of Bo Diddley’s beat mixed with Guadalcanal Diary’s cowpunk hoodoo. Meanwhile, bassist Andrew Russell proves his point by gracefully gluing it all together without making a fuss." –Jonathan Perry.
  • The Portland Phoenix: "These guys just seem to be having a blast, trading off licks like two world-class tennis players lithely volleying. 'Hot Damn' is an old-school Texas swing piece that could have been written by Johnny Cash or Jerry Lee Lewis when they were first barnstorming the south. This is the kind of thing that could be utterly cornball without real-deal chops, but this piece is perfectly authentic — Hunter and Derr are very, very good players. Sometimes, it's that simple." –Sam Pfeifle
  • Rambles.net: "...I favor all of their songs, but one of them in particular, 'Rockin' Monophonic,' puts me into an ecstatic state of consciousness. A simple paean to rock 'n' roll on AM car radio, it's the most pleasing song of its kind I've heard in 30 years, since Blasters anthems like "Border Radio" and "American Music." The Molenes' stripped-down lyrics don't reach for the ages, but riding atop the band's fluid sound, they convey perfectly the pleasures of musical moments in motion. In 10 cuts (plus a hidden 11th, a thoroughly entertaining instrumental jam) these four guys -- based in Boston -- perform in an entirely unaffected style that manages to conjure up just about every reason this listener once fell under the spell of rockabilly, twangy rock 'n' roll, and all those beats and howls that carried them out of the backwoods. Miraculously, there seems no artifice here whatever. The Molenes are not trafficking in sentimentality or nostalgia; rather, the impression is that everything is what it is and it is happening right now at this second, where it belongs. You'd think these guys were put on earth to stand here at the crossroads of space, time and rock 'n' roll to do exactly this..." –Jerome Clark
  • Spotlight Magazine: "Good Times Comin' paints a picture of a band getting infinitely better as time goes by... Right out of the gate you know the band is looking to hit it out of the park with this release. The opening cut, "Blood and Bone," sounds like the product of a fiery jam session between Uncle Tupelo and ZZ Top where a case of Bud and a bottle of Jack are being shared liberally. Dave Hunter (lead vocals, guitars) makes no qualms about letting you know through his rockin' drawl that "we built this thing from blood and bone / read the word that's etched into the stone." The lyrics could in fact be read as script that the Molenes have been doing this for a chunk of time now, are deserving of some listening attention, and intent on getting their tunes out to a more widespread audience. They've built this sound from blood and bone. It's real, it's raw, and it's not glossed over." –Chris Hislop
  • The Boston Patriot-Ledger: "If you've spent any time following the Molenes, you'll want to spend more of it with Good Times Comin' - it's the album you knew they had in them. And if you haven't, now would be a good time to pick up the story: one of the best in the not-uncrowded ranks of New England alt-country and country-rock bands. Now the Molenes finally have an album worthy of the reputation of a crackerjack live outfit... A broadly satisfying mix of country rock (think Tom Petty), Jayhawks-style folk and good ol' fashioned honky-tonk." -Chad Berndtson
  • PRAISE FOR SONGS OF SIN AND REDEMPTION
  • "THE MOLENES' debut album 'This Car Is Big' was a gutsy, roots-rock affair. It was – and remains - a fine, Uncle Tupelo-style blowout, ideal for anyone who relates to rousing anthems celebrating hard times for honest men. It seems that Dave Hunter's men have been consolidating on the 'Roots' part of their roots-rock approach across the course of the intervening twelve months. The self-explanatory 'Songs of Sin & Redemption' is an excellent follow-up, but it draws water from a much deeper well of traditional folk and country than its' predecessor... The Molenes' desire to get their amped-up kicks seems a little more muted as a result, though there's no denying the convincing cut'n'thrust of the album's trio of crunching rockers. 'There's A Suffering' mainlines on Replacements-style energy; the equally no-nonsense 'Charlotte Lights' is a rousing road song and the punchy 'Fall For This Again' demonstrates The Molenes are rapidly patenting their own brand of gritty'n'spangly, Byrds-y rockers... 'Songs of Sin & Redemption' is a tremendous sophomore effort. The Molenes are rightly becoming renowned as one of New England's best Americana-related outfits and their authentic grasp of roots-rock stylings is fast becoming a joy for the ear to behold." –Tim Peacock, Whisperin & Hollerin (UK)
  • "Country music has that bad rap for being nothing but songs for sad sacks with dead dogs, lost women, and drinking problems, but country music got ruined by over-production and under-performance, not the content of the lyrics. In fact, there’s nothing at all wrong with reveling in whiskey, beer, bitter women, and sweet heartache, as long as the guitars are hot, the backbeat’s driving, and no one expects me to feel an ounce of sympathy. Dave Hunter and his Molenes know this well, and their second album, Songs of Sin and Redemption, shows they’re more than just a guitar band... This 12-tune collection represents a tremendous upgrade over The Molenes debut and establishes them as one of New England's premier alt-country/Americana bands. If you get a chance to see them, take advantage of it." -Sam Pfeifle, Portland Phoenix (full review).

     

  • "With the thematically dark subject matter, Hunter's smooth vocals and some graceful guitar work, Songs of Sin and Redemption seems to be presenting The Molenes as one of the Seacoast's more compelling and most promising Americana acts." -Jamie Perkins, Portsmouth Herald Spotlight magazine.

  • "The album begins with an instrumental bluegrass jam titled 'Redemption.' The introductory track weaves strains of banjo and mandolin into a driving, rockabilly drumbeat, knitting together a timeless sound that follows the roots of American music. As the tune begins to fade, amplified feedback drowns out the jam, making way for the country-rock guitar riff of 'There’s a Sufferin’'. It’s a striking transition, and one that might surprise fans of The Molenes’ first album, This Car Is Big. Emerging more than 18 months after the debut disc, Songs of Sin and Redemption wraps together all the rootsy elements that define The Molenes’ style, from blues to bluegrass, rock to rockabilly." -Matt Kanner, The Wire.
  • PRAISE FOR THIS CAR IS BIG
  • "This is a solid dose of top down, windows open, dirt road kind of Americana. The best thing about this disc is that you can hum along to most of the songs after just one listen, but each subsequent spin reveals more than was initially apparent. There's an appealing twang to the guitars of Dave Hunter and Tom Ferry, and Dave's voice has an appropriate worn-in feel... This is unquestionably a winner." -Kevin Finn, The Noise (Boston)
  • "Every once in a while a great record will come along with so little fanfare, you'd almost think the artist was intentionally masking its release to keep the beauty all to themselves... This Car is a melding of rockabilly, country, gospel, and roots. More descriptively, it's pure grease monkey rock armed with turquoise tail fins and Vaseline hair-dos. It bears the innocence of Whiskeytown's Faithless Street, the wide-swing tremolo of X's Los Angeles, and the simplicity of Springsteen's Nebraska, complete with haunting harmonicas and earthquake whammy bar groans."
    –Martin England, Herald Spotlight magazine
  • "Among the Molenes perfected songs on This Car Is Big are at least a few bona fide oughta-be-hits (like Heart Beat On, Brand New Yesterday, Two Doors Down and Prosperity Town) ...chock full of mean guitars and painfully strained vocals. It's a great Alt-Country album! It's way up there with the best work of the likes of Whiskeytown, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, the Replacements, Blue Mountain, Nadine, Slobberbone, Drive By Truckers, etc."
    – Freddy Celis, www.rootstime.be
  • "This Car Is Big is een verdienstelijke poging met een extra vermelding voor het lekker aanwenden van de smoelschuiver op "Twisted" en "Flood", de twangy gitaartjes op "Heart Beat On", "Brand New Yesterday", "Two Doors Down" en "Prosperity Town" dat wel eens kon uitgroeien tot een flinke Radio - 1 hit. Met "Gone", " Barely Breathing" en "Wheels on the Ground" verzeilen the Molenes misschien nog wel het dichtst in de richting die hen op het lijf geschreven lijkt en die hen boven het gemiddelde doet uitstijgen van de zovele bands die in proberen in de voetsporen te geraken van boven vermeld lijstje. Fraai debuut ... nu nog bevestigen!" – SWA, Roots Time, Belgium
  • "The Seacoast Scene can lay claim to a hotbed of roots rock, so when two of its leading lights agree on the next big band, you might want to pay attention... Both recently raved about The Molenes, an alt-country outfit who managed to stay pretty far under the radar until releasing their debut full-lenth, This Car Is Big. I can see where they're coming from." –Sam Pfeifle, Portland Phoenix
  • "This Car Is Big, il loro nuovo album è la più classica delle raccolte di spaccati della provincia americana e per accorgercene basta leggere i titoli, Prosperità Town, Stinking Town, Brand New Yesterday e Wheel On The Ground. Si parla di strade polverose, sogni infranti, automobili, ma ciò che importa è che brani come Thousand Candle Glow e Twisted divertano tanto quanto quelli prodotti dai Say Zu Zu e che le loro ballate (Barely Breathing, Flood) colgano sempre e comunque nel segno. Loro non sembrano farsi troppi scrupoli nello sfruttare sentieri già battuti ma se questo in futuro diventerà un abitudine difficilmente usciranno allo scoperto su palcoscenici più importanti." Salvatore Esposito, Il Popolo del Blues, Italy
© All material copyright The Molenes 2010. To be used with written permission only. Logo design by Mike MacDonald © 2010.