This month’s St. Louis Magazine doled out the awards and Rough Shops made the grade for “Established Music Act.” Here’s the nice piece.
Established Music Act
Formed four years ago, Rough Shop comprises multi-instrumentalist Andy Ploof, bassist Anne Tkach and multi-instrumentalist John Wendland with other area musicians. Ploof, Tkach and Wendland all contribute both vocals and songs to the band’s second full-length CD, Here Today, released in March. The 12 tracks on that Perdition Records disc do far more than exquisitely blend songcraft, harmonies and technical virtuosity: They testify why Rough Shop has earned accolades not just locally but nationally.
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You can find our blog at the Post-Dispatch’s Band On The Run Series.
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The Euro Americana Chart is compiled by DJs, journalists, retailers, promoters and other people who are interested in Americana music from all over Europe.
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The RFT Music Awards nominees were just announced. Rough Shop received a nomination in the following category:
Best Americana/Folk:
*Caleb Travers & Big City Lights
*The Linemen
*Rough Shop
*Rum Drum Ramblers
*Theodore
Cast your vote here.
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Rough Shop
Here Today
(Perdition Records)
By Christian Schaeffer
Published: March 26, 2008
The lines separating bluegrass, jazz, rock and folk are made wonderfully hazy on Rough Shop’s sophomore album. The quartet boasts three accomplished singer-songwriters, each mining a different vein of American music and adding a distinct note to the vocal interplay. Andy Ploof and John Wendland played together in One Fell Swoop in the ’90s before that band split in 2003. A year later, the pair teamed with bassist and singer Anne Tkach to form Rough Shop. Those who have only seen Tkach as the current drummer for Bad Folk (or as the longtime bassist for the late, great Nadine) will be surprised to hear her clear, gentle voice draped over these waltzes and rags. She takes the lead on five of the twelve tracks collected on Here Today, opening the disc with the languorous, mournful “Clean Slate” and closing it with the similarly tender “Stumbling Angel.” While many of Tkach’s cuts sound sweetly somber, on the title track she settles into a relaxed, acoustic-jazz sway that recalls a more folkified Madeleine Peyroux. Wendland’s “Golden Slumber Inn” is a highlight here — the detail-rich cheating song drops in at least two Beatles references alongside some slippery dobro licks. Several of Ploof’s songs highlight his deft instrumental skills and give a nice counterpoint to his sometimes-flat voice; “Dance All Night” gives a brisk, mandolin-led look at the piety and revelry that took place at big-tent religious revivals. Of course, “revival” is a hard word to avoid when encountering this type of roots music, but Rough Shop finds a way to mix tradition and idiosyncrasy in a comforting and compelling fashion.
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