Elkins Reso-Phonic Stomp Rock duo Blackwater Mojo will perform a concert Saturday at the Randolph County Community Arts Center.
The show, which begins at 8 p.m., will feature songs from the group's debut album, Cold Holler.
The husband-and-wife duo of Seth and Erin Young derive their unique sound from their instrumentation: Reso-Phonic guitars and a single bass drum. Their music has been described as "Rock De-evolved," taking modern music back to its roots in the blues.
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Elkins Reso-Phonic Stomp Rock duo Blackwater Mojo will perform Saturday at the Randolph County Community Arts Center to celebrate the release of the group’s debut album, Cold Holler.
"The raw sound we strive for is one that was heard in pre-war blues music and has been popularized in the current era by rock bands like The White Stripes and The Black Keys," Erin Young said.
"It's a sonic that isn't often explored in contemporary roots, country and blues records, which tend to have more of an Americana or pop polish. The sound we want is somewhat genre-less and rough around the edges - at once vintage and modern."
The band sought out professionals known for their ability to create the particular sound they had in mind - Mark Poole, a recording engineer and owner of Zone 8 Recording out of Morgantown, and Brian Lucey, a mastering engineer out of Columbus, Ohio, who has worked with The Black Keys, O.A.R. and The Shins.
"It was important to us to find people who would understand the sound we were going for and not try to clean it up or modify it too much," Young said. "Mark Poole is a genius. He used really innovative methods to create exactly the sound we were looking for, and Brian knew how to take those raw recordings and make them sound industry-standard without losing their rougher qualities. We are happy with every note on the album."
Seth Young is a multi-instrumentalist and music educator. Along with working as a touring and studio musician, he teaches general music, band and choir at Jennings-Randolph Elementary School in Elkins, directs the Lab Band program at the Randolph County Community Arts Center and is the current instrumental music master teacher for the West Virginia Governor's School for the Arts.
An Ohio native, Erin Young has been a professional Blues, R&B and jazz vocalist since age 16. She is employed as the academic secretary for the Fine and Performing Arts Department of Davis & Elkins College, is the secretary of the West Virginia Governor's School for the Arts and assists with vocal instruction as a part of the Randolph County Community Arts Center Lab Band program.
Cold Holler features cameos from Jared Roy on drums and percussion, Rob Masten on tenor sax, Rich Norwood on baritone sax, Anthony Nucilli on trumpet and noted Piedmont Blues master Phil Wiggins on harmonica. The album cover art, titled "Old Truck #5," is an original work by local artist and Davis & Elkins College Assistant Professor of Art.
Following the concert will be an after-party and blues jam at El Gran Sabor. This event will be hosted by Washington, D.C.-based Blues pianist Ian B. Walters, who will join Blackwater Mojo on a Northeast tour in April. The concert is sponsored by the Randolph County Community Arts Center, El Gran Sabor and Mountain State Brewing Co. There is a cover charge.
