Mad. Sq. Music: The Deadly Gentlemen I The Vespers

THE DEADLY GENTLEMEN

Led by Greg Liszt, acclaimed Crooked Still banjo player, and originally formed as an experimental spoken word bluegrass band, this wildly innovative group has evolved into master purveyors of epic folk and grasscore. The Deadly Gentlemen use nonstop orchestration of somewhat unconventional vocals, with everybody in the band doing everything they can. Expect a lot of three-part harmony singing, group shouting, really dense rhymes and an almost rap-like phrasing. Rounding out The Deadly Gentlemen with Liszt is Stash Wyslouch, guitar and vocals; Mike Barnett, fiddle and vocals; Dominick Leslie, mandolin and vocals; and Sam Grisman, double bass and vocals. Their versatile songs can be described as a kind of a rock ‘n’ roll feel, despite the acoustic bluegrass instrumentation with a splash of the punk or hardcore mentality.

THE VESPERS

The Vespers are one of those lucky young bands who are becoming a word of mouth sensation though they’ve only quietly self-released one record. With two sisters on lead vocals and two brothers filling out the sound, the foursome are distinguished by an arsenal of instruments and the kind of harmony only siblings can create. They have toured from Boston to Austin, hitting everything from festivals to college campuses in between. On The Fourth Wall, out April 3rd, they create infectious folk-pop with both the buoyancy of youth and deeper spiritual themes. They believe “folk and roots music tend to draw from spiritual themes. We don’t run away from our faith when writing, because that’s where our hearts are planted.”