91.9 WFPK presents
FREEDY JOHNSTON and WINTERPILLS

8:30 pm / 8:00 doors open
21+

Chamber-pop, Folk, Indie

Veteran songwriter FREEDY JOHNSTON’s songs are often praised for their literary quality – and deservedly so – but they also hit you on a gut level. As a young man, Johnston was drawn to both the raw energy of punk and the austere beauty of Paul McCartney’s vocal melodies. It’s no surprise that Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True is among the first albums that inspired him. One can hear Costello’s gift for meticulous songcraft and wry storytelling on Johnston’s second album, Can You Fly, hailed as a masterpiece when it came out in 1992 by both Rolling Stone and Spin. Dubbed “a perfect album”, its success led to a major label deal with Elektra, for whom Johnston released four albums, including 1999′s critically acclaimed Blue Days, Black Nights produced by T-Bone Burnett. Johnston took a break from songwriting in the ‘00s, then released his first new album in eight years, 2009's Rain On The City. Pitchfork, the Los Angeles Times and others praised the album, calling it one of the most assured efforts of Johnson’s career. Now splitting his time between New York City and Madison, WI, Johnston is currently writing and recording songs for his next album, tentatively titled Neon Repairman. In an age where the internet has greatly diminished the power of radio to dictate artistic success, Johnston is poised for perhaps the most exciting stage of his career. At this point, though, it isn’t about destiny. Johnston fulfilled that long ago. Now it’s about joy, both for Johnston and his fans.

Uncle Slayton's once again hosts WINTERPILLS for their sixth appearance in Louisville, this on the heels of All My Lovely Goners, their fifth album that released last year on Valentine's Day. Since their stunning self-titled debut in 2005, Winterpills have built a vibrant career with their exquisite chamber-pop songs that The Washington Post called “densely packed but hugely evocative, tiny bombs of feeling and meaning...fiendishly melodic”, attracting fans from their native New England to the Netherlands and beyond. One of the most exciting bands to emerge from the singer-songwriter hotbed of Northampton, MA in recent years, the 'Pills add another chapter to the ever-expanding world of ethereal indie-pop. Fronted by singers Philip Price and Flora Reed, they harmonize closely, often and gorgeously, building elegant arrangements steeped in 1960s folk-pop and rootsy rock that hints at Simon and Garfunkel and Fairport Convention. Theirs is haunting, delicate, dynamic, room-hushingly beautiful music with shimmering melodies and aching lyrics, cropping up in numerous television shows including the hit ABC show Grey’s Anatomy, NBC’s Parenthood and the U.K. series Skins. They have shared the stage with such notable and diverse artists as Vampire Weekend, CAKE, Grant-Lee Phillips, Lisa Germano, Crowded House, Fountains of Wayne and Martha Wainwright. The 'Pills play an opening set then become Freedy's backing band for this show. Welcome back, lovely people!