Porter and The Pollies 

http://somedarkholler.bandcamp.com/

In the dead of winter of 2013, Chris Porter (of Back Row Baptists and Some Dark Holler) came home to his native Alabama to record some songs with some fellow Alabamians, the Pollies, who he justifiably calls “the best rock band I know.” Porter - yeah, that’s what everyone calls him - had relocated to Austin, Texas the previous year, running both to some things and from some others. Some Pollies were also caught up in life upheavals. As Porter puts it, “Each and every one of us were in some shape of disrepair or healing. It seemed that 2012 had treated all of us with equal amounts of drama, and reconciliation.” A somewhat rare Southern snowfall was approaching. And they gathered in tiny Greenhill, Alabama, just barely this side of Tennessee - the kind of place where you remember just how damn dark it gets at night when light pollution isn’t an issue. Porter brought a red guitar, and was of a mind to make some noise. The Pollies, of course, were game to rock. This is what happened. It’s fuzzy. It’s buzzy. It’s rough, and more than just a little surly.

“I heard all of its quirks and twitches the first time I heard the mixes. I heard the quirks and twitches while we tracked it, and I love them,” says Porter. “We ditched any desire to track cleanly and opted to go all five or so of us live. Dirty. For the next three days, The Pollies and I caught up, and conversationally covered all of the dramatic bases in regards to our winding up in the studio that week. We almost called the EP ‘Divorce Camp.’ We managed to have beers and whiskies in at least two different states, spend restless hours with countless Shoals area musicians, and tracked six tunes. Live. Those buzzes, fuzzes, and pops remain to remind me more of the context of the session. We kind of talked about cleaning it up a bit for y'all. Then we said 'f@%k it.’ We made it sad, and angry, and drunk.” We’re so happy that some of our family was able to get together, lean on each other a bit and draw from each other, have some good times - and share with us, and y'all, what they made together.

Chris Porter - Guitar, Vox 

Jay Burgess - Guitar, Vox, Producer 

Chris James - Bass 

Reed Watson - Drums 

Daniel Stoddard - Steel, Keys, guitar, vox 

Helen Gassenheimer - Fiddle, Vox on “Rest These Bones”

Recorded in Greenhill, Alabama 

Produced by Jay Burgess 

Mixed by TJ Mimbs and Jay Burgess 

Mastered by TJ Mimbs at Easy Street Studios 

cover art by Jeff Moore - Green Olive Media

Released by: This Is American Music 

Release/catalogue number: TIAM0031 

Release date: Nov 8, 2013