Perhaps we should begin with a clarification. It seems that Frontier Folk Nebraska’s name has sparked some misconceptions about the band that should be addressed. Frontier Folk Nebraska does not have any particular affinity for the frontier, they are not necessarily a Folk band and … well, you can guess where this is going.
“We played in Indianapolis, and they asked if we needed a place to stay and I said we were driving home after the show, and the guy was like, ‘Holy, shit, that’s a long drive. What part of Nebraska are you from?’ ” FFN guitarist Travis Talbert says over lunch at Newport’s Pepper Pod. “We said, ‘We’re not from Nebraska.’ ”
There might be some question about their point of origin but there can be no doubt about the quartet’s present location. With their bold, brash and muscular new self-titled album, Frontier Folk Nebraska is firmly on the verge of a breakthrough. The band’s debut full-length, 2009’s Pearls, was a reflection of their largely acoustic beginnings four years previous, but the new album, for now available only in the vinyl format, finds them in loud and expansive mode.
“Pearls was more of a transition,” bassist Steven Oder says. “We were in the midst of going from an acoustic band with violin to what we are now.”
Frontier Folk Nebraska plays the Southgate House Parlour Friday with Josh Eagle and the Harvest City. Go here to read Brian Baker's full interview.
