Thee Old Night Premiere “Precious Blood” Video; Self-Titled Debut Out Oct. 17
Posted in audiObelisk on September 18th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Thee Old Night make their self-titled debut on Oct. 17. Releasing through Firelight Records, the acoustic-based three-piece represents a creative sidestep for Erik Sugg, known for harder-hitting fare in outfits like Demon Eye, Lightning Born and The Magpie, and carries shades of foregone country wistfulness in the pedal steel of Kevin Wade Inge (Horsehead) and the stately, sometimes sad cello of Michigan-based Anne Polesnak (The Ready Set and others).
But while the root style of the project is Americana in its affect and songs like “Leave the Day Behind” and “All Around Us” are structurally stripped down, the arrangements want nothing for flourish between the three players — Inge also contributes synth and piano — and the possibilities feel broad as they lean into neofolk drawing from the likes of Wovenhand, Johnny Cash‘s American recordings, and while closer “Darling” starts out relatively minimal with Sugg on guitar and vocals, the manner in which the textures take shape around that is distinguishing and speaks to a progression starting out.
You can read the background of how Sugg, Polesnak and Inge came together, and in the album’s
spirit of trimming out what doesn’t need to be there, you’ll pardon me if I skip paraphrasing. Before that blue text, you’ll find the premiere of a video for “Precious Blood” from Thee Old Night‘s Thee Old Night. It’s the opening track of the 10-song/39-minute LP and, and in addition to introducing the basic sounds involved — i.e. what the recording is like and how the material is presented in the mix; spoiler: the recording is clear and the mix mostly but not exclusively puts guitar and voice forward — it showcases some of the christian-imagery influence in Americana that’s the source of the Wovenhand comparison above, and the vocal approach that Sugg has ported over from his other bands.
It by no means represents the scope of craft throughout Thee Old Night, as the later “Life in Pain” takes the Nirvana Unplugged version of “Polly” for a doomfolk strut and “The River The Mountain” feels born out of Led Zeppelin‘s impulses to bask in the empty space rather than attempt to fill it in their subdued moments, taking a quieter approach than the dug-in low strum of “Sibyl” or the handclap-and-organ-inclusive “Red Like Crimson.” The pedal steel on “Leave the Day Behind” plays more toward country, but the earlier “Shadows” is heavy and dark regardless of the actual volume or distortion quotient. You can almost hear the band learning who they are collectively as “Darling” builds up to the finish.
The sense they give as a result is that they’ll move forward from here, but I won’t try to predict a shape for things to come except to say Thee Old Night set themselves up for a multifaceted growth around the songs, which carry the solidity that Sugg has brought to numerous projects to new and differently-engaging places. They may end up moving toward one tradition or another sound-wise, experimenting with arrangements or different aesthetics, but there’s songwriting at work here, and the album is about more than the atmosphere that nonetheless emerges from its tracks.
All of which is to say enjoy the clip. If “Precious Blood” is your first exposure to the band — it’s mine too, that’s okay — just know that they build a world around it from there on the record.
PR wire info follows:
Thee Old Night, “Precious Blood” video premiere
Thee Old Night is a dark, minimalist folk trio based out of North Carolina and Richmond, VA, featuring members of Demon Eye, Lightning Born, Utah, and Horsehead. The group blends elements of psychedelia, classic country, and traditional doom metal into an unprecedented, spectral sound focused on melody, meditation, and the liminal spaces between established genre norms.
1. Precious Blood
2. Shadows
3. The River, The Mountain
4. All Around Us
5. Red Like Crimson
6. Life in Pain
7. Sibyl
8. Leave the Day Behind
9. Salvation
10. Darling
The group began as a solo foray for Erik Sugg, following his years of fronting the celebrated doom metal outfit, Demon Eye, and his work as a guitarist and songwriter for Ripple Records artists, Lightning Born. Delving into his long-standing love for the Imaginational Anthem school of acoustic guitar, Erik experimented with various elements of British folk, vintage psychedelia, and classic country, finding solace in the simplicity of rhythm and mournful melodies, allowing his voice to soar through lyrical explorations of human consciousness and the mystical notion of the “dark night of the soul.”
With a voice that often draws comparisons to Roky Erickson, rhythmically matched with Lou Reed’s minimalist strumming to the head-bobbing boogie of Billy Gibbons, Erik looked to the influence of fellow dark travelers, contemporaries like Nick Cave, Mark Langegan, Steven Von Till, and Chelsea Wolfe, to voices of the past, like Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, and Nick Drake. After a few solo performances throughout the Raleigh area, Erik opened doors for others to join him on his journey.
Cellist and Michigan native, Anne Polesnak, was a widely known and respected musician throughout the North Carolina triangle region, having played with indie rock outfits, Utah, The Ready Set, and The Monologue Bombs. Erik reached out to Anne during the pandemic era, asking if she would lend her talents to his visions. As the COVID years waned, Anne and Erik got together for a joining of the strings. The powerful, low richness of Anne’s cello was the perfect accompaniment to Thee Old Night’s developing sound.
Kevin Wade Inge was a kindred rock and roll spirit to Erik during the late ’90s and early 2000s in Richmond, VA. wherein they split sonic duties as guitarists for the MC5-influenced rock and roll band, The Dragstrip Syndicate. Throughout the years, Kevin made a name for himself, not only as the skilled multi-instrumentalist for the beloved Americana rock darlings, Horsehead, but also as a go-to session musician for artists all across the sonic spectrum, (including the debut solo album from Windhand’s Dorthia Cottrell). His atmospheric pedal steel guitar, along with his keyboard wizardry, completed Thee Old Night’s unique musical dynamics.
Thee Old Night will release their self-titled debut in October of 2024 via Firelight Records. The group performs regionally throughout the southeast, gaining new listeners beyond the confines of genre, scenes, and traditional expectations of what music should be.
Erik Sugg: Guitars and Vocals
Anne Polesnak: Cello
Kevin Wade Inge: Pedal Steel Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer
