If you've been hunting for a young band that plays music associated with decades before the members’ births and have a fine go at it, step up and retrieve your prize with Tumbleweed Wanderers.
The boyish, genuine Oakland, Calif., five-piece specializes in multi-person harmonies, string instrumentation and a blend of Country, Folk, Rock and Gospel patterned after output from the ’60s and ’70s. Joe Jackson, The Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, Neil Young and Dolly Parton would all have made fine touring partners for the Wanderers. (The group advertises its own work as the evocative “Hair Folk” and the blasé but accurate “Soulful Rock & Roll.”)
There's a satisfying sense of maturity to Tumbleweed Wanderers’ songs, too. The group takes its time with things, hitting emotional cues with veterans' confidence. “So Long Blues” — a single available on their Bandcamp page — is a sterling example of what they do right.
Tumbleweed Wanderers' short history began in April 2011 when high school buddies Jeremy Lyon and Zak Mandel-Romann established the band. In the time since, they've hustled hard, performing shows in (or on) clubs, cafes, bars, houses and the street. So Long, their John Vanderslice-produced first full-length, came out in July 2012. The Wanderers don't have much else to speak about just yet, but give them three more years and we'll have new heavyweights of nostalgia.
TUMBLEWEED WANDERERS perform Friday, Feb. 15 with guest Tea Leaf Green at 20th Century Theatre in Oakley. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
