Florry at the Raccoon Motel -- June 16.
Monday, June 16, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
With their brand-new release Sounds Like ... hailed by The Fire Note as "open-hearted, unfiltered, and always in motion," the touring musicians of Florry headline a June 16 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Pitchfork magazine raving that on their latest album, "the country-rock group rips through a set of free-spirited barnstormers with such ease and joy that even its tales of raw feelings and perpetual malaise feel uplifting."
As stated in the band's biography at DearLifeRecs.com, "the promise of a Florry show, a now-familiar caravan that has been honed over ambitiously trekked zig zags across America and Europe since the release of Dear Life Records debut The Holey Bible, is the redemptive promise and prodigal joy of rock and roll guitar music. Bred in the crackling warmth of the Philadelphia DIY scene, and forged with the alloys of community action, queer liberation and bedroom poetry, bandleader Francie Medosch and her absolute unit of collaborators have put in the work of sharpening their homespun tools to take up the mantle of the great lip-puckering rock and roll tradition pioneered by the likes of The Band and the Rolling Stones, but with proudly displayed Aimee Mann and Yo La Tengo bumper stickers on the rusty frame of the truck. At any second, the wheels could come off but they are steering just fine.
"For Sounds Like … Florry’s sophomore effort as a fully realized band, Medosch and co. decamped to Drop of Sun studios in the nest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to record with Asheville wunderkind Colin Miller, a critical voice behind the records of MJ Lenderman, Wednesday and Merce Lemon and a powerful songwriter in his own right. Three powerhouse days in late 2023 solidified writing work done by the band earlier that summer in the now defunct Haw Creek compound under Miller’s guiding suggestion.
"The result is a portrait of a ripping band cresting towards the height of their powers, uniquely equipped to capture a wildly loving, barn-burning camcorder clip of a turbulent trip with your best friends, without dipping into nostalgia bait. Lyrically, Medosch’s utterances are both careful and excessive, the product of sifting through the rubble of classic good-time media, and finding what works for both her and her community to reach the heights of abandon. 'The Jackass theme song was actually a really big influence on the new album.'
"The expansive personnel and continent spanning footprint of Florry casts a wide net for this community. Florry the band rolls deep in the herd of North American DIY, featuring Jon Cox (Sadurn, Son of Barb) on pedal steel, John Murray on electric guitar, Collin Dennen on bass, Will Henrikson on fiddle, Katya Malison (Doll Spirit Vessel) on Vox, and Joey Sullivan (Bark Culture) on drums. Medosch’s recent move to Burlington Vermont entrenches the Philly born project firmly within the ranks of fellow alt-country upstarts Lily Seabird and Greg Freeman, and gives them a vantage just outside of Pennsylvania at the thresholds of New England and the Midwest. There is a new life breathed into this music that confirms Florry as equally rooted in place work, and at home on the vast roads of America.
"For listeners who fell in love with Florry’s infectious charm on sweeping tours with the likes of Kurt Vile, Real Estate, MJ Lenderman, Greg Freeman and Fust, Sounds Like …, provides a refreshing memento of the band that surely left them smiling. If the support behind The Holey Bible provided validation for the insistent vision of these young artists, Sounds Like ... finds them reveling in and honing their vocabulary. Praise from outlets like Pitchfork, Stereogum, Paste, and Brooklyn Vegan touched on the potential of their wild idiosyncrasies, and accurately predicted that their next steps would see them continuing to write their own story, like a 10-car pileup that you can’t take your eyes off if you tried."
Florry headlines their Davenport engagement on June 16 with an additional set by Ducki, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $26.45, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
