Riverboat Soul by Pokey LaFarge

From St. Louis, Missouri comes a wonderfully fresh and quirky kind of pop music that combines a riverboat ragtime sound with Delta-meets-Appalachia songwriting, all laid down in front of a big, big swingin’ beat. LaFarge is a neo-hobo, constantly traveling and continually inspired by early American roots music from throughout the land. But while Pokey LaFarge and his crew may summon the likes of Blind Blake, Dan Hicks, or Leon Redbone, and their music may be a fitting soundtrack to R. Crumb’s comics, don’t call it old-timey. Pokey and the South City Three are here to grace this electric world with their unique sound, throwback and rough around the edges featuring parlor guitar, guitjo (a guitar-tuned six-string banjo) kazoo and harmonica, but all with a modern twist. “Riverboat Soul” is what they call it, which just so happens to be the name of their latest recording, brought to you with great pride by Free Dirt Records. Produced with the help of Phil Harris in Nashville, Tennessee, the recording features old pals Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show), Tommy Oliviero (Bawn in the Mash) and more.

Pokey LaFarge is a musician, songwriter, bandleader, entertainer, innovator and preservationist, whose well-rounded arsenal of talents has placed him at the forefront of American music. His music transcends the confines of genre, continually challenging the notion that tradition-bearers fail to push musical boundaries.

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