Roots revival rockets Slim to success

Langhorne Slim said if he had bet a bunch of money ten years ago that there would be a boom in folk-style music — the likes seen by The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons — he would be a rich man. 

Slim, aka Sean Scolnick, had a hunch there would be a roots revival and his raw, folk-inspired sound has rocketed his own band, Langhorne Slim and The Law, to fame. They recently came off a European tour with The Lumineers and have just been personally invited by US chat show host Conan O’Brien to perform on his show for a second time. 

A Langhorne Slim ticket is a hot ticket but luckily for us, he has a soft spot for Bermuda and will be performing an intimate solo show at the Bermuda Society of Arts on December 27. Bermudian promoter Jon Legere of Volcanic Productions met Slim when they attended the State University of New York and has brought him here to
perform five times. 

Performing alongside him at the gallery’s fundraiser are Gavin Smith from The Chewstick Foundation with original acoustic songs, and Daniel Frith (aka Uzimon) introducing a new solo play titled Dumb Class. 

Slim, who has been on the road with his band mainly in the US for two years, will perform songs from his latest album The Way We Move (2012) as well as older songs from his Be Set Free album (2009) and beyond.

Speaking exclusively to the Bermuda Sun, he said: “I think the reason this music has become very mainstream is because a lot of people want something that is a little bit less polished and clean and shiny.

Full of emotion

“They want something that is chock full of emotion. It has very much worked in our favour in that we did the month-long tour with The Lumineers which was incredible. It was one of our best tours — we got to play in big venues and those guys are truly wonderful humans, we made great friends with them. Wesley (Shultz), the lead singer, talked about how their popularity allows them to spread the word about bands they like. 

“We have done Conan O’Brien (who played guitar on stage with the band) — he has really championed our music which has been surreal and awesome. After we performed on his show, he came to our show in LA and played with us again. He really dug it and, for the record, we are playing on the show again in February which is really exciting for us.”

Now signed with Ramseur Records, the band has a folk/rock element but the influences are as diverse as punk, soul and blues. The style is playful as is the singer himself — during previous gigs he has been known to dance on top of the drum kit. 

The latest album reflects a transitional phase in Slim’s life — he was moving away from a five-year relationship and from the place he called home in Oregon, while his grandfather, with whom he was extremely close, passed away.  

“If the music has matured it is because we all get older and try and get better but I hope that it is still childlike — I aim to be as wild and as free as possible. “We have been on the road together for about two years playing these songs and there’s no better way to get to know each other musically and as human beings than getting in a small, smelly van and travelling the country for two years. This time we are road-tested brothers.

“Writing the album I was in a search mode. I travelled with the band and I have now moved and live in Nashville, Tennessee. As someone who makes art or music, you are always searching for your personal truth, it is our therapy, it is our medicine. It’s not a break-up record or sad
record but it was very
freeing for me.”

The band is made up of Slim on vocals and guitar, Malachai DeLorenzo on drums, Jeff Ratner on bass and David Moore on banjo and keys though only Slim will perform in Bermuda this time.

He described his return  Bermuda as a “family reunion”. 

He said: “Gavin from Chewstick is an old friend and I am really excited that he is going to be a part of the show and I really respect what he and his friends are doing with art and music in Bermuda. Daniel, he has been an old friend since school and Jon (Legere) so it will be really
cool.”