The Toothe + The Skates + August West + Mike O'Malley @ The Way Station

8pm- The Toothe
Genre: Psych-Americana
For fans of: Midlake, Fleet Foxes, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Wilco, Bob Dylan

THE TOOTHE provide musical accompaniment to the Eternal Pagan Psychodrama that churns and whorls, seen and unseen, constantly around us. Their beguiling psych-pop sound melds a variety of styles into a high-energy live performance full of lyrical and musical twists and turns that defy logic and reality. Recently relocated to Brooklyn from Asheville, NC, THE TOOTHE are seeking to transcend the inherent limitations of their folk-rock instrumentation and drag Yankee audiences along with them down a bottomless sonic rabbit hole.

“The Toothe is a trio that brings order to normally chaotic music, tightening elements of macabre freak folk into polished musings that peel back the prestige of Southern heritage to uncover murder and menace.” - Jordan Lawrence, Mountain Xpress, Shuffle Magazine
“...modern Appalachian Americana with a reverence for the past, all with a heavy lean on southern Gothicism and theatrical highs and lows.” - Timothy Anderl, Gettoblaster Magazine

www.facebook.com/thetoothe
www.thetoothe.bandcamp.com

9pm- The Skates
Genre: Grunge Surf Doowop
The Ventures, No Doubt, Grunge Surf with melodic vocals.

The Skates are a 60’s inspired surf grunge doowop group. Members Albeezy, C8, Eamon, and Frisco have been playing together through different ventures for years and love making music together. You will be urged to dance during their set, even if just in your seat.

www.theskatesnyc.com
www.facebook.com/theskates

10pm- August West

August West, the weary, homeless man at the center of the Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia tune “Wharf Rat” represents optimism and blind and misguided hope. Guitarist and Singer Jack Devine says, “It’s how we feel when we play. We were just a group of friends here in Brooklyn, looking for an outlet, looking for a release.”

Each member of the group has many years of experience gigging with other bands. They all came together for this project.

Keyboardist and singer Joel Harrison puts it this way. “We all had this music in common and decided to use it as a springboard for our own voices...but with a lot of respect for the source material.”

Weekly acoustic music gatherings at guitarist Rip Westmoreland’s house usually focused on bluegrass and the great American songbook. After five years of the Thursday night acoustic sessions, the thought of plugging in some amps took off. “Next thing you know we had something real. We’d been playing together; so we had the foundation, trust, vocal blend, musical respect and awareness of space that a band needs. Plus we were friends, so it was fun and easy to relate it to these tunes”, says bassist and singer Mark Avnet.

Jack puts it this way...”With Scott Hamilton holding down the drum groove while pushing me as a soloist there’s a beautifully unpredictable element to the improvisational sections of these tunes, plus Rip and I have good guitar karma - he intuitively zigs when I zag type of thing. The real secret weapon is Joel. He lays down the harmonic structure and nails the harmonies. His background in jazz and experimental music really helps keep things fresh. It’s good to have someone who’s ready to get weird at the drop of a hat. I’m more inside; so it’s a real win for me.”

“I told them we should have plugged in a long time ago!”, says Rip. This writer wholeheartedly agrees. Go check out August West when you get a chance. It’s a trip and a treat!

https://soundcloud.com/august-west-band

11pm- Mike O’Malley and the Beastie Band
Genre: Screamer-Songwriter.
For fans of: Tom Waits, Glen Hansard, The Decemberists, Fiona Apple

Mike O’Malley carries a lot of anger around. He endeavors to funnel said extra energy into a rollicking, kinetic set of folk songs for drinking, howling, and stomping to. He would specifically love to howl with you.