Posted on: January 18, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Roman Candle’s third album Oh Tall Tree in the Ear was released May 12th by Carnival Recording Company. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus and Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, the smart, lyrical album is a loose meditation on the connection between music and longing, full of hooks and impassioned vocals (download album track “They Say” here). Oh Tall Tree… has been earning the band some of the best reviews of their young career, with USA Today declaring, “…These are simply witty, sturdily built and charming pop/rock tunes that owe their debt to Wilco, The Jayhawks, Ryan Adams, perhaps even My Morning Jacket. That’s great company, and these songs should accompany you on summer road trips.” Summer is over, but Roman Candle will continue to warm up and keep fans company on these winter dates…

Roman Candle tour dates with Alejandro Escovedo:

JAN. 19 KNOXVILLE, TN THE BIJOU

JAN. 21 BIRMINGHAM, AL WORKPLAY THEATER

JAN. 22 MEMPHIS, TN MINGLEWOOD HALL

JAN. 23 LOUISVILLE, KY HEADLINERS

At the core of Roman Candle are Skip (vocals, guitar), Logan (drums), and Timshel (Wurlitzer, Farfisa) Matheny – Skip and Logan are brothers; Skip and Timshel are married. Formed in Chapel Hill, NC, in 1998, the band released their debut album Says Pop on small indie Outlook in 2002 and quickly rose to prominence in the ever-burgeoning music scene of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Triangle, even catching the eye of Rolling Stone, who deemed them Chapel Hill’s “darling” band on the rise. Roman Candle re-tooled the songs on Says Pop with the help of producer Chris Stamey (Yo La Tengo, REM, Whiskeytown) to create The Wee Hours Revue, and after some unfortunate turmoil with another would-be label, the album was picked up and released by V2 Records, eventually landing at #38 on Paste’s Best 100 Albums of 2006 list. Sadly, V2 folded in 2007, but the band continued working and wrote Oh Tall Tree in the Ear while staying with friends in the English countryside outside of London. Roman Candle began recording the album themselves at their family studio in Wilkesboro, NC, and finished the album with the help of producer Jason Lehning in their adopted hometown of Nashville, TN, after signing with Carnival Recording Company.

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