Our setlist is an ever-changing collection of favorite originals and covers.  This is a representative sampling from January 2008.  Page down for the originals.

Sloes Song List January 2008

Covers

Rock

Friend of the Devil                              Grateful Dead

Eyes of the World                               Grateful Dead

Franklin's Tower                                  Grateful Dead

Operator                                                Grateful Dead

Ophelia                                                 The Band

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere-Neil Young

Don't Let It Bring You Down            Neil Young

Crossroads                                           Robert Johnson

You Can't Do That                             Beatles

I've Just Seen A Face                         Beatles

Here Comes the Sun                           Beatles

Black Magic Woman                         Santana

Paint It Black                                       Rolling Stones

Thrill Is Gone                                        B.B. King

St. Peter                                                 Elton John

Misunderstood                                    Animals

Into the Mystic                                    Van Morrison

Moondance                                          Van Morrison

That's All Right Mama                      Elvis Presley

Tangled Up in Blue                             Bob Dylan

Senor                                                      Bob Dylan

Julio                                                        Paul Simon

Interstate Love Song                          Stone Temple Pilots

California Dreamin'                            Mamas & Papas

Everybody's Talking                          Harry Nilsson

Sitting in Limbo                                   Jimmy Cliff

Going to California                              Led Zeppelin

Bluegrass/Traditional

How Mountain Girls Can Love        Stanley Bros.

Bluegrass Stomp                                  Bill Monroe

Kneel Before Him                               Chris Thile

Midnight Moonlight                            Peter Rowan

Wayfaring Stranger                             Trad.

Walk Beside Me                                  Tim O'Brien/Darrell Scott

Oh Susannah                                        Stephen Foster

Folsom Prison Blues                            Johnny Cash

Dawg's Waltz                                       David Grisman

Salt Creek                                             Trad.

Jazz/Swing/Blues

Georgia                                                  Hoagy Carmichael

Summertime                                         George Gershwin

All of Me                                               Simons/Marks

Fly Me to the Moon                            Bart Howard

Don't Get Around Much Anymore  Duke Ellington

All Blues                                                Miles Davis

Night and Day                                      Cole Porter

My Favorite Things                             Rodgers/Hammerstein

Nevertheless I'm in Love with You-Kalmar/Ruby

Ain't Misbehavin'                               Fats Waller

Key to the Highway                           Big Bill Broonzy

Originals

Desperate Train

Felt the Sun

Don't Turn Your Back

Faux Monroe

Ammaria

Magicland

Desperate Times

Lovers by the Sea

'Til the Sun Comes Up

Where the Wild Wind Blows

Pony Man

ClickTrack

Love in Vain

Let It Play

I Feel Blue

Chains

Open Road

Pearson

Set Sail

Livin' Without Your Love

Outlaws

Wicked Town

Angeline

American Romance

Talk To You

My Ohio Home

Pieces of Jane

Wish I Knew Then

Winter Into Spring

Dr. Love

     So who and what are The Sloes? They are Rick Lisak and Scott Carnder, two Cincinnati musicians who broadly define their music as "progressive acoustic".
     Their name comes from the berry of the Blackthorn bush, which is most well-known for its use in gin, but also has the distinction of the being the most bitter of all fruits.
     The genesis of The Sloes began in early 2000, when Rick, an award-winning songwriter (2 Emmy's among others!) and longtime Cincy music veteran, met Scott. Then a well-known area bassist with a jazz education and a jam-band background, Scott's taking up of the mandolin proved a turning point in the evolution of the duo. In mid-2005 the group was happy to add acoustic jazz bassist Matt Holt to the fold for special events and larger shows, providing an even fuller and more dynamic sound to their already powerful live show.
    In early 2006, with the help of percussionist Stan Ginn, the Sloes released their debut CD, Desperate Train. The ten song disc covered a diverse terrain of material, from alt-country to swing to the Rolling Stones. Rick Bird of the Cincinnati Post called the CD "...an intricate musical work, a great collection of adult pop roots tunes buoyed by Lisak's crisp, sweet vocals mixing with Carnder's jazzy mandolin work and Ginn's world music percussion influences".  Mike Breen of City Beat Magazine called it "...an album full of subtle surprises, tied together by writing that is admirable in its creativity but also traditional enough to appeal to open-minded purists."
     Desperate Train can be sampled and ordered online at CDBaby.com.  In Cincinnati you can get it at Borders Books & Music (Eastgate & Kenwood locations), Joseph Beth Booksellers (Hyde Park); and Everybody's Records (Silverton). 

Hey!  Thanks for checking out our first blog.  This is a reprint of the review by Mike Breen of Cincy's own City Beat Magazine, from the April 12-18, 2006 edition, in the Locals Only section:
"Calling themselves a "progressive acoustic" band, The Sloes are a versatile three-piece specializing in (but not limited to) Americana stylings with the occasional World Beat undercurrent.  The band's 10-song debut, Desperate Train, is somewhat sparsely arranged, but the minimalism is filled up by the trio's lively, passionate performances.  Though built largely around the boundary-ignoring, melodically-solid songwriting of singer/guitarist Rick Lisak, multi-instrumentalist Scott Carnder (who provides inspired basslines as well as mandolin and bouzouki) and drummer Stan Ginn (who offers a variety of dynamic percussion sounds) are crucial to the album's warm glide and organic grace (a slew of guests provide strings and lap steel support to great effect).
The trio's debut elegantly rides the rails through shuffling roots rock (the title track); bluegrass-flavored folk rock ("Desperate Times"); folksy, winsome balladeering ("Letting Go"); wispy, crooning jazz ("Winter Into Spring"); and hooky, emotive pop ("Don't Turn Your Back").  Elsewhere, they toy with undulating Latin ambience ("There Was a Time"), and Middle-Eastern rock (on the blissfully strange cover of "Paint It, Black"), while the circular mandolin riffing, "Billie Jean" bass riff and off-kilter melodic leaps of "ClickTrack" result in the album's most unique moment.  "Felt the Sun" is another highlight, a gentle slither of folk pop that climaxes with some sunrise harmonies so gorgeous and meticulous, The Beach Boys would be jealous.
Desperate Train's fusion of tranquil folk and more exploratory roots music adventures makes it an album full of subtle surprises, tied together by writing that is admirable in its creativity but also traditional enough to appeal to open-minded purists."
Thanks for the great review, Mike!  We're glad you liked it!  If you would like to hear Desperate Train, please visit CDBaby.com and search for The Sloes.  'Til next time, see ya!