The titans of folk, alt-country and
Americana music known as the Ebony Hillbillies have released their
anxiously awaited live album, “Slappin' a Rabbit – Live!” The
record is a full-length LP comprising 10 tracks for an approximate
listening time of 40 minutes. It has been proudly published on the EH
Music independent music label. Jubilant, genuine, and
red-blooded-American in a way only raw country music can express,
“Slappin' a Rabbit...” proves that the Ebony Hillbillies aren't
just playing the music of yesteryear – they're evidence that it's
very much alive.
The NYC-based Ebony Hillbillies cite as
artistic influences Murph Gribble, Mississippi Sheiks, Canray
Fontenot, Doc Roberts, Dennis Murphy, Leonard Bowles, James Brown,
Willie Dixon, and other legends of the North-American music
tradition.
“This is another slice of Americana,”
the Ebony Hillbillies say of their style. “We're trying to bring
back 'porch music!' The idea of bringing people together is what we
are all about. This music is infectious and the impetus of what we
call American music.”
This goal of unifying the people isn't
just a dream, either. The Ebony Hillbillies write and perform their
music with the principle guiding every movement and phrase.
“It's got it all in there,” they
explain. “Pop, jazz, folk, country, blues, funk, R&B, dance,
Native-American, African, Irish, etc… It's truly American music –
a melting pot. That is what we are, warts and all: real Americana!”
The band goes on to describe their
overarching philosophy behind not just their own music, but of all
American music. They explain that the music of the United States
isn't based on exclusivity and individualism, but rather, a tendency
to bring in, to appreciate, and to synthesize.
“Since our music [represents] the
basics of all American-based music, the songs are just that –
everything! In the early string-band tradition, no repertoire was
off-limits. They played everything. As we play everything!”
The Ebony Hillbillies have been called
“the toast of the North.” Their history of prominent performances
includes venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, international
music workshops and festivals, collaborations with popular visual
artists and museums (Kara Walker, the Whitney Museum of American Art,
the Smithsonian, etc.) and on television networks such as ABC, NBC,
CBS and the BBC.
North-Carolina favorites the Carolina
Chocolate Drops have cited the Ebony Hillbillies as key inspirations,
and the Pete Seeger family have given them enthusiastic accolades.
The history of the Ebony Hillbillies is a trail of critical and fan
approbation and rousing, universal applause.
Their current official bio describes
them as “consisting of fiddle, banjo, washboard and bass fiddle …
they have successfully created a
following that has bridged a gap in audiences in pop, country,
bluegrass, folk, jazz and beyond while maintaing their grassroots
credibility.”
Credibility, nothing. The Ebony
Hillbillies don't play music that once was – they've brought this
American sound through time, thrumming, jumping and alive, to the
thrilling ears and dancing feet of discerning audiences of today.
“Slappin' a Rabbit – Live!” by
the Ebony Hillbillies is available online worldwide. Get in early,
music fans. Very early.
-S. McCauley
Lead Press Release Writer
www.MondoTunes.com
“Slappin' a Rabbit – Live!”
by the Ebony Hillbillies –
Website –
“What
a wonderful connection to all our humanity.” – The New York
Times
“They are the real Y'alternative!” – Creative Loafing
“They provide NYC's soundtrack…” – LA Times
“They get double takes, if not full pauses when they play!” – The Wall Street Journal
“They are the real Y'alternative!” – Creative Loafing
“They provide NYC's soundtrack…” – LA Times
“They get double takes, if not full pauses when they play!” – The Wall Street Journal
Be sure also to see the Ebony Hillbillies on the new BBC documentary, “Blues America,” featuring Keith Richards, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, and Chuck D.
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