Bowery Boy Blue: Press

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One of my favorite things to do is drive up North into the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. Bowery Boy Blue's new album Stalk That Myth sounds like the perfect companion to the winding narrow roads of that terrain. Set to be released tomorrow, Bowery Boy Blue's new album is also tailor-made for fans of Neil Young, Will Oldham, and Magnolia Electric Co. Developed out of lead singer Zeb Gould's solo material, the album clocks in at a brisk yet impactful 32 minutes. Gould's vocals are actually eerily reminiscent of Jason Molina's at times and it's backed by crunching guitar chords, strings, and even horns. Stalk That Myth opens with the sparsely melancholic "Dead Great Town," but tracks such as "They Sleep Standing, Like Cranes" exhibit the band's capacity to bring the Son Volt-esque country rock. While Bowery Boy Blue's brand of Americana isn't exactly earth shattering, Stalk That Myth is as listenable as anything else in the genre and it puts Gould on the list of songwriters to take note of. Highly recommended for fans of folk-rock/Americana fare. -- Capt. Obvious

The debut CD, Stalk That Myth, by NYC's Bowery Boy Blue is unusual for being based on Greek mythology, as interpreted by Jean-Paul Sartre in his play Les Mouches (synopsis). As ponderous and depressingly artsy as that sounds, the album could not be further from either of those descriptions. Every tune is crafted to make you want to listen again and again, starting with "Great Dead Town" all the way to its twin, the last track, "Dead Great Town." My special favorite is the Wilcoesque "Ahh, What a Cruel Change," closely followed by "Big Blinding Star" and the two Dead Town songs, whose guitar style borrows heavily from late 70's Neil Young--but that's a good thing here!

The author of these songs, Zeb Gould, plays all the guitars on the record himself as well as singing. The part Neil Young/part Wilco sound is developed by Sam Crawford on guitar and lap steel (Crawford also produced and mixed the album), with Michael Trepagnier on bass, and Christian Rutledge - drums.

But this album would not be nearly as good without Megan Gould (nee Weeder, so she may be related by marriage somehow to Zeb), on strings and background harmonies. Megan arranged and plays three of the four pieces in the string quartet that acts as a vocal counterpoint throughout much of the record. I think this is a band you'll be hearing more about.

Stalk That Myth by Bowery Boy Blue ended up in our inbox about two months ago. I’ve been itching for the release date to post this review because it took no more than one listen to enjoy it. It took a few more to really start finding the nooks and crannies in the music.

The band is fronted by Zeb Gould and evolved from his solo work. Gould and crew deliver a 32 minute set of melancholic Americana that is at parts, beautiful (Eye For Love) and at others heartbreaking (Ghost Of The Blues). The production work is well thought out and they have a knack for finding the perfect accompaniment for Gould’s vocals and lyrics - Nothing too overpowering or complex to take away from the end game.

Strings, banjo picking, steel are all present and used perfectly on Stalk That Myth. The lead track, however, brings some crunching chords that will have everyone comparing them to Magnolia Electric Co. and Crazy Horse.

Sometimes you hear music that is so heartbreakingly beautiful that you can't help being drawn to it. That is definitely the case with NYC's Bowery Boy Blue. Their CD, Stalk That Myth, plays like a lo-fi Americana orchestra. Touching vocals delivered in a way that you can't get out of your head, layered instrumentation... it's all there. Take a listen to "Come Closer, Sisters" and hear for yourself.

Comparable to Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers and Rolf Klausener of The Acorn, Bowery Boy Blue’s Zeb Gould has one of those gorgeously soft and delicate voices. Likewise, much like The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain, Zeb Gould’s magnificent vocal is backed by the equally brilliant instrumentations by the rest of the band on Stalk That Myth (the violin on "Come Closer Sisters", "Eye For Love" and "Ghost Of The Blues" is especially beautiful!). Bowery Boy Blue’s debut full-length is a fantastic folk rock album; it is wonderfully breathtaking and genuinely passionate.

New York’s, Bowery Boy Blue are set to release their debut cd, Stalk That Myth on July 29. I’ve been listening to on repeat it all weekend working on the house and haven’t grown tired of it. Over the course of three years Bowery Boy Blue has grown from the solo efforts of Zeb Gould releasing EP’s to a quartet featuring Sam Crawford on lap slide and lead guitar, Christian Rutledge on drums, and Michael Trepagnier on Bass. Stalk The Myth is a lo-fi americana experience that should be considered must listen for any fans of Neil Young or Magnolia Elec. Co.

If it's possible to have a father figure whom you've never actually met, Neil Young is mine. Ever since I can remember, he's taught me some valuable lessons just by picking (or swinging) at his guitar, blowing into his harmonica, and singing in that sweet, cracked falsetto. You get the sense that Bowery Boy Blue has learned a lot as well. Zeb Gould (who, with his wife Megan, also makes music as Stereofan) certainly borrows from Young's catalog for both his quieter moments and for his way with guitar fuzz. But he's equally enamored, as with Will Oldham and many of his kind, with the gothic roots of Americana. The result is songs that are somber, heartfelt, and sublime.

Here's a link to an interview with Indie Rock Reviews

It's wet and sad, soaring and intensely intimate, and has tunes that after hearing them only twice were running through my sleepy bed-head every morning for a week. Bowery Boy Blue is a master of lo-fi orchestration and uses limited means but exceptional ingenuity and craftsmanship to create these 5 haunted moments...The first track, 'Give em' what they want (Okay!),' will be added to every mix tape I make for the rest of my life - lyrics like pastoral paintings of stolen moments and subtly anthemic chorus.

[Bowery Boy Blue's] five-song EP is filled with traces of Trembling Blue Stars. His soft forlorn vocals and gentle guitar strumming definitely give off a good twee-pop feel for you Belle and Sebastian fans.