The Lone Bellow
w/The Saint Johns
Thursday, June 20th, at The Ark in Ann Arbor
$16, doors at 7:30
Hailing from Brooklyn via south of the Mason-Dixon, THE
LONE BELLOW features lead singer and principal songwriter Zach Williams,
singer and mandolin player Kanene Pipkin and guitarist Brian Elmquist.
At the heart of it,
Zach Williams is an intentional songwriter focused on growing a community,
rather than merely finding a following. Georgia-born Williams began
songwriting in 2005, during a prolonged stay at Atlanta's Shepherd Center after
his wife was thrown from a horse and paralyzed from the neck down. With a dire
diagnosis of quadriplegia, there was nothing to do but sit vigil with his group
of friends - also artists. While they waited for healing, Zach picked up a
guitar and taught himself to play, putting melody to a journal entry that would
become his first song, "Hospital." His wife eventually recovered (her spinal
cord, initially thought severed, was terribly bruised) and the couple and their
group of friends moved to Brooklyn shortly thereafter.
Williams and the
band's music evolved to reflect his Southern roots, incorporating elements of
rock, gospel, country and blues that result in a unique and soul-searing blend
of can't-get-them-out-of-your-head lyrics that spring from a deep emotional
reservoir. The upcoming record is a complete work, a "collection of stories
embodying tragedy, hope, betrayal and redemption."