With Special Guests Time Sawyer
If You Like: The Avett Brothers, The Felice Brothers, Blitzen Trapper, Justin Townes Earl, Dawes
Sometimes, truth can’t be explained. But it can be felt, running wild through a song. “I don’t want to tame myself. I want to be wild,” says Langhorne Slim. “If I can continue to refine the wildness but never suffocate or tame it, then I’m on the right path. Because it is a path. I feel it.”
‘The Spirit Moves’ is Langhorne’s newest artistic attempt to refine the wildness. The result is an effervescent collection of his now-signature, cinematic, joyful noise, rooted in folk, soul, and blues. Out on Dualtone Records on August 7th, 2015, the album marks his second with rock-solid band The Law, and the highly anticipated follow-up to 2012’s critically acclaimed ‘The Way We Move.’
‘The Spirit Moves’ is a stunning portrait of Langhorne’s life in transition: the “born to be in motion and follow the sun” rambler found a home in Nashville, Tennessee. While he’s put down roots in a place, he’s unattached to a person, single for the first time in recent memory. ‘The Spirit Moves’ is also the first album of his career written and recorded entirely sober. Together, the record’s beautiful glimpses of bold beginnings and risks taken create an ode not only to a better life, but to the vulnerability needed to live it.
“I’m a strong believer that sensitivity and vulnerability are not weaknesses. They’re some of the greatest strengths of man and woman kind,” Langhorne says. “And that’s what a lot of the record is about.”
With a new home and a clear head, Langhorne is exhilarated thanks to the realization of what he knew was possible. “I had a problem with drugs and alcohol from the time I was 15 until I quit last year on my 33rd birthday,” Langhorne says. “I was hitting my head against the ceiling. I knew all I had to do was quit, and my head would burst through that ceiling. I didn’t really know what would be there, but I knew it’d be something greater.”
For Langhorne, something greater includes making the best music of his life.
“By opening myself, I’m vulnerable and I’m fearful, but I start to get real. And in that realness, there is immense strength that I wish for everybody,” Langhorne says. “Maybe everybody’s scared to be a freak. But when you live as a freak — ” he laughs — “it’s so much more fulfilling.”
Special Guests Time Sawyer
Time Sawyer is interested in “real people and real songs” and that’s just what the listener finds in their music-a sense of realness. Time Sawyer blends a grassroots feel with heart-felt lyrics to put on a high-energy, entertaining show. The folk rock band’s name reflects the pull between the past and the future. The character Tom Sawyer evokes the rural background and love of home that the four band members, who all hail from the rolling foothills of Elkin, North Carolina, share. Time is a muse for songwriting; it’s the thread that runs through life, bringing new experiences, giving us a sense of urgency, while still connecting us with our past.
Location: Abingdon Market Pavilion MAP
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Tickets: This event is free to the public. Food and Beverages will be for sale. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. No coolers allowed. No outside alcohol allowed. All beer sales benefit Abingdon Main Street, a Main Street USA non-profit organization, dedicated to highlighting and preserving Abingdon’s historic downtown while supporting the merchants, artists, culture and events.
Call 276-676-2282 for more information.
Abingdon Music Experience 