Pert Near Sandstone Album Release at 830 North “Live on the Lanes”

Thursday, November 9 w/ The Henhouse Prowlers

Presented by Mishawaka

Doors 7:30pm/ Show 8pm; $15 adv/ $20 dos
830 N College Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80524
www.chipperslanes.com/locations/830northfortcollins

Click for Tickets

Pert Near Sandstone Independently Releases 8th Studio Album

Waiting Days – Oct 20, 2023

Pre-save Waiting Days on Spotify: https://show.co/kHU93US

Stream “All Waves Break”→ li.sten.to/t2sthw1

Stream “I’ve Been Traveling” → li.sten.to/v2ht7mgz

Stream “Out of Time”→ li.sten.to/26iksw8f

“‘Out of Time,’ is deliciously raucous. It’s traditional in tradition but it has an edgy exposition that makes this old music quite renewed in the hands of these musicians… the 41-minute CD continues in the tradition of music that was ignited by the likes of Old And In the Way with Jerry Garcia & David Grisman, a little of Seatrain, lots of John Hartford, a swipe at Goose Creek Symphony & if Alison Krauss ever chooses to use a different band other than Union Station this is my choice… it’s all delightful to listen to”
—Americana Highways, John Apice

“One of Pert Near Sandstone’s hallmarks is its unwavering commitment to authenticity. This dedication to tradition while infusing modern elements has found a dedicated following across the U.S. and produced a string of acclaimed albums.” —Bend Source Weekly, Armando Borrego

“Midwest bluegrass/roots-music heroes”
—Adventures in Americana, Carol Roth, “Believe” Song Premiere

“They offer infectious energy without pushing the pop on an album that includes songs often honest as dirt, pertinent, and pert near perfect for anyone who likes prog bluegrass.”
—Something In Music, Will Phoenix, Track by Track Review

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ST. PAUL/ MINNEAPOLIS, Minn — Pert Near Sandstone independently releases a new album Waiting Days Oct 20. Longtime stewards of the modern stringband resurgence, Pert Near Sandstone are known for their contemporary appeal and collaborative spirit with their lively music, quick pickin,’ and creative lyrics.

“The band seems to forever seize the importance — and sound — of being earnest, while never fearing the somewhat strange. It’s a winning combination, and one worth waiting to hear,” writes Aarik Danielsen in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Pert Near’s four songwriters/vocalists—also all instrumentalists: Justin Bruhn (bass), Kevin Kniebel (banjo), J Lenz (guitar), and Nate Sipe (mandolin, steel guitars, fiddle)—write songs that speak to the present and are rife with allusions—spanning a breadth of content including traveling songs, concerns of the modern era, and surrealistic scenarios. The album showcases the bands harmonious musical interplay and turnbuckle solos, which are elevated further by guest instrumentalists’ accents of piano, trumpet, choral vocalists, steel guitar, and percussion.

Trampled By Turtles’ fiddler and original Pert Near member, Ryan Young, recorded and mixed the album—the fourth he has gifted his audio wizardry to— and added his fiddle and other accouterments to bolster the energy of the songs. The intimacy of collaboration is at the heart of this new project, which was recorded during several of the harshest weeks of a midwestern winter in Ryan’s NeonBrown Recording Studio in Crystal, Minnesota.

“Out of Time,” the album’s heaviest hitting song, is a gazette of concerns that we face in troubled times. The explicit itemization is an alarm for movement; the singer’s vocals singe of desperation is motivation to confront the things most feared and to hold on to what is most dear.

Pert Near Sandstone’s very own Nate Sipe created an intricate and vintage-looking video collage (with his own original artwork) for “Out of Time” → https://youtu.be/7Qpi3y20jxc.

Lest we get lost in despair, we can find rejuvenation in one of the strongest songs, and first radio single, “All Waves Break,” which gestures with surrealism to offset the bleakness of a just-as-wacky reality. The Current, Minnesota Public Radio, NPR listed “All Waves Break” as the Song of the Day 9/29/23 and it was premiered by JamBase who called the song “poignant.”

It’s a strikingly different world than when Pert Near Sandstone first began nearly two decades ago near the sandstone river bluffs of St. Paul. The former latchkey kids who grew up together a few Mississippi-miles upstream have grown into a band of brothers, bonded together as family. By contrast to tik tocs, reels, and tweets in an ever-changing terrain that is digitally enhanced and quickly refreshed, this album was formed from the wilderness and carved from the heartwood.

“Our waiting days are finally over,” the title track from Pert Near Sandstone’s new album decries, echoing the sentiment of a community recently pent up and beyond longing. What can develop from the turbulence of a still dwindling global pandemic and also respond to the noise of prattling politics? Art has its purpose in this exact hour.

Another early streaming single, “I’ve Been Traveling,” offers a taste of what is in store with the full album. This tune, along with “Soo Line,” and “On To Dawn” are traveling songs, sung by a band that has hit the pavement hard over their time, simultaneously creating a soundtrack for those all night drives that music festival devotees well know.

In “Clouds Are Gathering,” the story and images reach into a field that isn’t always aglow with sunlight, while finding beauty in the tenderness of relationships. In “Believe,” we are granted access to an inner world propelled by an almost symphonic string section. “Lay Down Your Burdens” has a simplicity that indeed helps us believe the genuine intentions of Pert Near Sandstone’s creative resolve.

“Who To Choose” gives permission to an indeterminate personality to decide their own path in this human condition. The railroad laden album cover looks as though it could be an illustration, “End of The Line,” wherein a conversation between a hobo and railroad brakeman confront the possible obsolescence of their livelihoods. A distant whistle is heard as a token of hope with Sipe’s electric steel guitar sliding into the conversation with a nod to early country music.

Well known for their humor and levity, with charm that is never far from the surface, the connectedness to community is at the core of Pert Near’s music and philosophy. Nobody on earth is having a singular experience, as these songs shine a light upon. We are all here together. As the title track declares, “… I want to take you with me when I go.” Let’s get ready. Now is our time. The waiting days are over.

Pre-save Waiting Days on Spotify: https://show.co/kHU93US

Find out more at www.pertnearsandstone.com and stay up to date with Pert Near Sandstone news at facebook.com/pertnearsandstone and instagram.com/pertnearsandstone.