The North Country
Washington, Washington DC, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF
Music
Press
Washington, DC - I've got a soft spot in my heart for any artist that finds creative ways to honor popular music's rich history. We have that in spades today. Storytellers THE NORTH COUNTRY have a new richly nuanced sound that looks back across its shoulder at both recent and far-flung pasts.
Today we debut the band's new track "Never There Part I" from There Is Nothing To Fear (Apr 20 release). The name of the band is an homage to Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country" from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963.)
Like Dylan's stolid song of love and loss, there is a quiet progression on this track - it plods lightly moving towards the light and we are witness to it all. The North Country have drafted a new, precise spell-of-a-song; one that's full of wonder and restraint. It just goes to show that while there's but a few undiscovered islands of creativity out there, there's still hope all around. Follow the link below to peruse their back catalog. Waiting anxiously for the new one! - Ryan's Smashing Life
On its forthcoming album, D.C. folk-rock band The North Country meditates on the instability of youth — particularly that special time in young people’s lives when they’re old enough to be adults, but not quite sure how to grow up.
“I think that’s probably the most recurring theme — just having the modern experience of being young and trying to figure out who you are and what you’re doing,” says Andrew Grossman, 28, the band’s lead singer and songwriter. He says the record touches on the experience of “being in your mid-20s and not having a goddamn clue.”
thecrosswebear“The Cross We Bear” is the first single from The North Country’s There Is Nothing to Fear, out April 20. The Columbia Heights-based musician describes it as a montage of images that reflect an experience. The song begins in a dream, with Grossman’s wistful talk-singing coaxing it into clarity, and crescendos with a cheery burst of instrumentation and rousing harmonies.
Grossman says the rest of the album sounds similarly “rich and lush,” rooted in Americana rock with hints of psychedelia. He extracted his lyrics from his own life, with a particular interest in recognizing the beauty in the mundane. “There are a lot of lyrics in this album that try to take very simple, seemingly meaningless things, and show that there’s some actual inherent beauty in them,” he says.
The songwriter cites Paul Simon as an influence, as well as one famous Colombian writer: Gabriel García Márquez. The late author of One Hundred Years of Solitude was a “big influence in how I was writing these lyrics,” Grossman says. “He will often take something very mundane and simple and show its significance.”
García Márquez’s magical realism comes through in Grossman’s songwriting, particularly when he combines ordinary memories with rosy instrumentation. “We’ll call it psychedelic realism,” he jokes. “Let’s go with that.”
The band’s songwriting process involved “fooling around on instruments” and a lot of drafts, Grossman says. Overall, the process could take about 20 minutes or several months. “I like to think of writing songs not as deciding what a song is going to be, but listening to what the song tells you it should be,” the musician says.
While Grossman has been involved in music since high school, the band has undergone plenty of transformations, with a change in drummers and the addition of saxophonist Jonathan Parker. But the fluctuating lineup hasn’t soured Grossman on music-making.
“There’s just a lot of really great creative energy in this city right now that’s very stimulating and also really motivating,” Grossman says. “D.C. is a very ambitious city, so it drives you. A lot of people are very driven in this city, in the music scene and outside of it.” - WAMU 88.5 Bandwidth
The North Country is premiering with Glide the video for “The Cross We Bear”, the debut single off their upcoming album, There is Nothing to Fear, due out April 20. A wry sense of humor presents the embattled modern man in an Office Space style narrative of the human condition that asks, “How do we overcome the malaise of modern life?” The North Country prove skilled song-smiths, where delicate compositions and earnest lyrics make for an immediate emotional impact.
In this witty visual tale, The North Country cry out, “if I have everything that I could think I wanted then, why do I feel so strange?” The noise of an alarm going off. Waking Up. The daily commute. Meeting deadlines. The common personal disconnect. These tedious cycles are all something we can relate to as shown in North Country’s themed video. “The Cross We Bear” is about the struggling transition from post grad life to adulthood, but could easily fit into the storyline of any generation in the workforce.
“There’s a certain malaise that people of this generation tend to feel around the post-college time that I think is really interesting, and perhaps unique from other generations,” says lead singer Andrew Grossman. “We’ve been told all of these lofty aspirational things from our parents about the future and being happy and this glorious American dream waiting for us. Then we get out on our own and realize that most of its untrue, everybody’s broke, and no one knows where to go or what to do.”
Compelling songwriting and tasteful musicianship are the pillars on which The North Country stands. Over the band’s four years in Washington, DC’s freshly reborn DIY scene they’ve forged a reputation for colorful and raucous shows. Drawing initially from roots Americana music, The North Country take things a step further, weaving a vivid web of psychedelic tones and colors into their sound that are both distinct and invitingly familiar. - Glide Magazine
Folk rockers The North Country released their spanking new video for their single, ‘The Cross We Bear” last Friday. The video follows a day in the life of a “modern man” with a creative spin. Tragic, fun, funny with a touch of an existential crisis the video has it all. We featured the single as a Daily Krapht a few weeks back, and it’s so good we couldn’t help but share it again especially now with a terrific video accompanying it.
The band’s latest album, There is Nothing Left to Fear will be released April 20th. In the meantime press play and ask yourselves, “How do we overcome the malaise of modern life?” - Wordkrapht
Huzzah! The North Country have released a video for "The Cross We Bear," a single off their upcoming album There Is Nothing To Fear. The video shows the day in the life of a wooden artist's mannequin-cum-Everyman who's got just the dreariest life. I don't want top ruin the ending for you, but he gets out of his rut with the help of a skateboarding apatosaurus and some acid. Also serendipitous love.
The North Country is hittin' the road this April, with dates through the mid-atantic and South (and a couple stops in Texas), spreading the glory of the DC DIT scene far and wide. You should really go see them. --Natan Press - The Deli
Frontman Andrew Grossman has the potential to be the next generation's Ted Leo. He's able to write personal and political rock pop songs with conviction. This is the last time to see the band before they head into the recording studio. An excellent chance to become a fan of the up and coming band. 8 p.m., 18+, $8 to $10 - The Huffington Post
Discography
There is Nothing to Fear (to be released 4.20.15)
You Can Never Go Home Again (oct 2012)
Photos
Bio
Compelling songwriting and tasteful musicianship are the pillars on which The North Country stands. Over the band’s four years in Washington, DC’s freshly reborn DIY scene they’ve forged a reputation for colorful and raucous shows. Drawing initially from roots Americana music, The North Country take things a step further, weaving a vivid web of psychedelic tones and colors into their sound that are both distinct and invitingly familiar.
In an age of disposable music The North Country are built to last, with rich musical and lyrical ideas wrapped up in catchy melodies. Lead singer and songwriter, Andrew Grossman, elaborates, "I think disposability is something that we unfortunately value in our culture today. A lot of the things we consume reflect this; it’s meant to be used once then thrown away. A lot of music I believe is made in this way as well. I don’t ever want to make something that’s disposable. I want all of our music to be something that someone would want to listen to over and over again and form a relationship with."
Grossman, crafts a musical fabric that is nuanced and affective all at once. We’ve all suffered heartbreak, we’ve all feared loneliness, but the music stands as a testament it was all worthwhile; the over-arching belief being: we’re all alone and confused so let’s be alone and confused together. Grossman, along with bassist Shaun Dubick, form the core of the band that dates back to their early days as a folk-rock quintet. Fast forward three years later, a little less violin solo, a little more delay pedal, and we reach the latest, most rollicking incarnation of the band yet. Drummer Michael Hernandez drives a groove that can turn from subtle to explosive at the drop of a hat, while guitarist and resident mixing engineer Ilia Kobrinsky brings an articulate and, at-times, aggressive touch that weaves an alluring texture into the bands musical fabric. The band recently recruited alto saxophonist Jonathan Parker to the band. Parker, best known for his work in the DC jazz scene, spent a good chunk of his early career gigging in Shanghai, China and brings his unique experience and uncompromising skill to the band.
As big believers that context shapes content, The North Country are happy to have their roots planted in DC’s vibrant DIY scene. The band draws much of their creative mojo from the Bathtub Republic, the house venue, artist collective, and general epicenter of DC freakdom that band calls home base.
Band Members
Links
