Hey everybody... We're thrilled to be getting on the road again this march, it's been too long.

If anyone down South wants to get in touch, has a place we should play, cousins we could crash with, etc, please get in touch... I could use the help.

Also, we're recording a new album in January. It's a bunch of happy sounding songs about dying, and songs in minor keys about happy stuff. Good, good tunes, I'm ecstatic about the prospects.

Toodaloo, for now.
Peace and love,
Nick

Howdy,

Some of you may have noticed that our summer has not been one of breakneck show booking and marathon touring. This is a departure from our usual pacing and the hiatus this summer has come about for a number of reasons. The past several months have been demanding on all of us in the band in regards to our personal lives and we've decided to take this time to focus on some individual matters such as school, housing and employment. There have also been some pretty major line-up shifts within the group and we are in the midst of hashing out some new material and figuring out where our sound is going. Pariah Beat will be back to sweetly blister your ears at the end of August when we perform at the Providence Roller Derby. We are beginning to book for the fall and are considering winter tour dates for the South.

We are extremely excited to get back into the busy swing of things and are looking forward to breaking in our new songs. There are some favorite numbers that are being retired from the set list rotation that will surely be missed. This motion is made with respect to the fact that the infamously unique and fantastically talented Justin Bendel will be going a separate way from Pariah Beat. Justin's tireless energy, potent aesthetic and vibrant soul are characteristics that have certainly helped make Pariah Beat the uncommonly diverse, devilishly dirty and downright fun band it is and his contributions will be sorely missed. We wish him the best and and are grateful for the 3 awesome years that we've had to collaborate together on this most incredible of endeavors.

Fall is coming and we are pleased to announce that we will be in New England to enjoy the turning leaves, brisk weather and bright days with our home communities. North Carolina and the van are on hold for the time being while we focus our efforts on developing our material. Sterling College will probably be getting a visit from us again for orientation and we invite any of you all to inquire about rocking your event this fall.

See you all soon. Until then, be well, be swell, go to hell, show 'n tell,
xoxo pariah beat

Phew, what a weekend! It took a day to recover from the whirlwind that was the Pariah Feat of ’09, but now that we’re relatively rested and settled, we’re ready and eager to sigh a sincere “Thank you!”. We’ve always known that we’ve been blessed with a bevy of amazing friends and supporters, but this endeavor brought out a monumental kindness in people that we are rather floored by. Let us elaborate:

For starters, our buddies are the best and most devoted pals anyone could ask for. Gigantic thanks to Jo Robin, Chef Rachel “J Box” Miller, Misi Goddet, Barb Goddet, James Mannox, Julia Kleinhaus, Jess Da Silva, Taylor, Paul, Graham Robinson, Maya, Jean Ballin and everyone else that helped serve food, move heavy things, lend dishware, paint signs, roll cigarettes, and be there to help out in general. We have nothing to offer these folks other than hugs, a good time and our admiration. That said, we can’t possibly imagine why anyone would sweat as much as our friends did for us this weekend. Thank you!

Of course, we wouldn’t have had many events at all if not for the generous and trusting people who lent us their facilities to do our prep work and performing in. Boat loads of gratitude to The Parish Players, in particular Alex Charrington and the Tuesday Night Improv troop who added some twists and turns to our performance at The Eclipse Grange Theater. Our praise to the fabulous Martha Jane Rich who let us commandeer her kitchen in order to cook up our prix fixe meals. Thank you, thank you Thetford Academy. We revere thee! Sorry we set off the fire alarm, pancakes are tricky business. The Main Street Museum, our home away from home. Five Old Nugget for bringing a rock band into their little, timeless, tuneless bar. India Queen is our favorite and we’re psyched to have celebrated there with Karaoke and the secret society. Barb, countless kids have slept, cooked, showered, smooched and stored piles of stuff at your home in the name of Pariah Beat, and for that, we are grateful. Thanks also to Bruce at Upper Valley Events center for cutting us a deal on renting his truly lovely outdoor concert space.

Now we might be an alright band with some catch songs, but this weekend would have been seriously dull if not for the variety of performers that graced us with their talents on our various bills. First and foremost, we would have been dead in the water without the enchanting Brazilian folk tunes of So Sol, who entertained our guests and fans while we fumbled for forks, power strips and forties. Thanks to Nate Bagley for making everything sound extra-awesome at The UV Event’s center. Hire that man! He’s a stellar sound wiz and we can’t believe how lucky we are to have him as a friend. Thanks also to Diana, Ed and Chico Eastridge of The Jitters for performing at the brunch, providing a PA, lending cars and raising a daughter who plays bass. Big props to Ford Daley & The Fogie Mountain Boys, GHOTI (aka The Kermond Kalamata Orchestra), Mark Vogel and The T-Town Blues Band for rocking our socks off on Memorial Day. Of course, our performance on Friday would have been all the more incomprehensible if not for the theatrics of Chico Eastridge, Jess Da Silva and Raf Kelman. Thanks also to Caring Babies and Jan Meese for warming up our first act on Friday.

Dang, the list goes on and on! Our auction and cookout went better than expected on Memorial Day, and for that we can thank our various sponsors: FOLK, Hanover Strings, Nutty Steph’s Granola, Madlyn Smith and her 10 dozen biscotti, Revolution and Made Marion, Cranio Sacral Therapist Brenda C. of Thetford, Bill McKenney for the Red Sox tix, Diana Eastridge of Enlightened Lamps, Laura Foley, Crossroads Farms for the greens, Longwind Farm for the t’maters…

Did we miss anyone? God, the list goes on. That about does it though. If we missed anyone here, that doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate and recognize your help. If we could, we’d shake the hands of the entire UV for all of the support we received during every single event we threw this weekend. Selling show tickets aside, a lot of folks were moved by or effort to procure a van and simply gave a donation, which blows our minds. We hope to put every penny to good use. Thanks again, everyone. We had a blast and hope you all did as well.

Xoxoxo Pariah Beat

We’re at it again, folks! The Pariah Feat is upon the Upper Valley for the second time! Feast your eyes below on the line up of events we will be hosting over Memorial Day Weekend for the Pariah Feat of ‘09:

THANKING OUR LOCAL SPONSORS:
The list of shows you see below would not be possible if not for our awesome volunteers and tremendously generous sponsors. We’d like to thank – Made Marion, FOLK, Hanover Strings, The Hammonds, Crossroads Farms, The Parish Players, Longwind Farms, Enlightened Lamps, Stinson’s Corner Store, Nutty Steph’s Granola, Lampscapes, The Co-Op, Five Olde Nugget Alley, Thetford Academy, The Main Street Museum and all of our friends who have helped us pull this thing off.

And without further ado…

LINE UP OF PARIAH FEAT EVENTS:

FRIDAY May 22
Pariah Feat: A Pig’s Tail ~ The Truth Behind the Curious Case of Mysterious Disappearance of Pig & Wolf and Their Miraculous Homeward Odyssey.
The Eclipse Grange Theater
Academy Rd off 113 in Thetford Ctr, near the green
Cost:$10-18
Doors at 7:45PM, Show at 8PM
Description: This will be a variety show featuring a mystery musical by Pariah Beat, performances by Jan Meese, Caring Babies. Spring Drama, Tuesday Improv, a preview of Billy Sharff’s The Sparrow & The Tigress, and more . Two acts.

SATURDAY May 23
Pariah Feat: Stinson’s Alley
Allen St. Hanover, NH
Cost:tips
Noon-4pm
Description: Street music in Hanover! Who’d of thunk it possible? We’ll be busking here next to Stinson’s Corner Store until 4pm.

SATURDAY May 23
Pariah Feat: The Main St. Museum Hobo Symposium
58 bridge street WRJ, VT
Cost:$8
8pm – quittin’ time
Description: 6 - 8 p.m: A do-it-yourself outdoor concert with Hobo Stew and BYO-BBQ on the Museum Riverside. Bring a song and a musical instrument! 9 - 11 p.m: “Tramp Rock” with Pariah Beat, The Sworn In and So Sol. Includes Stew!

SUNDAY May 24
Pariah Feat ~ Pariah Pancake Brunch
Thetford Academy
Thetford Center, Vermont
Cost:$10
Noon – 2pm
Description: Pancakes galore with all you can eat scrabbled eggs, toast, coffee, juices, granola by Nutty Steph, bacon and so forth. Pariah Beat is excited to invite The Jitters to play this year’s brunch. The Jitters, also known as The Eastridge Family Circus, is a country standards outfit hailing from wild donkey badlands of Gove Hill Road.

SUNDAY May 24
Pariah Feat ~ Five Olde Nugget Alley
Behind The Dirt Cowboy Cafe off Main St
Hanover, NH
Cost: tips
9pm - ? 21+
Description: An acoustic set in Hanover’s sweetest dive bar. We’ll be passing a hat for tips and playing as long as you folks keep listening.

MONDAY May 25
Pariah Feat ~ Memorial Day Cookout w/ Turkish Auction!!!
At The Upper Valley Events Center
RT 5 Norwich across from the Subaru Dealership
Norwich, VT
Cost:$5 show, $5 Cookout
Noon-4pm
Description: Grab a blanket and get some sun with Pariah Beat, The T-Town Blues Band and a slew of surprise guest ensembles. Chef McHugh and Chef Miller will be cookin’ up some mean burgers, dogs, slaws and salads for the cookut. There’s gonna be a TURKISH AUCTION AT 2:30PM SHARP!!! It will feature local goods and services that have been donated to the cause of helping us raise money for a van. Come one, come all

THE PURPOSE OF THE PARIAH FEAT
Last year we decided to throw this marathon weekend of shows, suppers and splendid entertainment as a means of raising money to print our latest album, Pariah Beat Radio. This year, we’re shooting to save up enough funds to get a tour van, something that we desperately need if we are to stay on the road. By attending the Pariah Feat, you are not only supporting our art, but you are making it possible for us to continue to bring outstanding national acts to the Upper Valley. Just take a gander at a small handful of the musicians that we’ve dragged to the UV for you all to enjoy:

Megan Jean & The Klay Family Band ~ Charleston, SC
Sundown Songs ~ New Orleans, LA
Over A Cardboard Sea ~ Portland, ME
Rick Berlin ~ Boston, MA
Blackbird Raum ~ Santa Crux, CA
The Designer Drugs ~ NY
Rusty Belle ~ North Hampton, MA
Dylan Sneed ~ Hartsville, SC
Amity Front ~ North Hampton, MA

Yeah, sure do we have a way with picking up killer bands and bringing them home to VT. Did we mention that %90 of our shows are all-ages? Sure, we may not be the most shining examples of good role models, but we know how it is to be a teenager in VT. At the Main Street Museum, we host community positive music events where everyone can come and dance, be themselves and sleep on the floor if need be. They even have recycling bins! So, you wanna help us buy a van? The come on out! Oh, and bring yer dancin’ shoes…

Again, many thanks not only to our incredible staff of volunteers, but to our incredible sponsors who have made this slew of events possible and potent.

XOXOXO Pariah Beat

This is Nick here. I wanted to briefly mention a few developments in Pariah Beat's world, and reiterate our thanks to everyone whose made the last year or two such a successful and exhilarating period for the band.

First and foremost, I think we've finally found a sixth band member, something as a guitar player I've been lusting after for a while. John is the new fellow's name, and he's a phenomenal guitar player, songwriter, singer, and all around handsome and endearing chap. He'll be playing with us as long into the foreseeable as we can convince him to stick around. To that end, I'd appreciate anyone who reads this helping to make him feel welcome, as I personally really want him around. As a band we have a "no hire, no fire" policy, so once you're in you're in.

As a group, I think we're all feeling a bit re-energized, and restless. The positive outcome of this is we're writing new material, reworking old stuff, and playing out more than ever in the coming months, as well as a trip to the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX.

Two bits of business, if anyone wants to help us find some cool festivals we should play at this summer, knows a bar we should play, wants to recommend a tune we should cover, has a chicken recipe to recommend to James, etc, please be in touch, we'd appreciate the input.

Also, this spring we're going to be putting on a series of shows, BBQs, competitions of strength and athletic prowess, as well as a greased pig and flagpole sitting contest to raise money to buy a van of our own, it's about time... The dates are up on our myspace show section, mark your calenders, we'll do our damnedest to show you a good time.

Right on, stick it to the man, and thanks,
Nick

Bootleg Magazine
Wilmington, NC

Pariah Beat essentially throw a party on Pariah Beat Radio. It's a rave-up built not on expected explosives, but a running aggregation made solid by traditional instrumentation – fiddle, accordion, guitar, harmonica and a wild fire of vocal capabilities – both male and female. Think Squirrel Nut Zippers possessed by Reverend Horton Heat and punkier songs by Paleface.

It's something akin to music played on a New Orleans Show Boat. Using traditional instruments Pariah Beat focuses to a crowd appreciating originality and creativity within the confines of older, established music. The use of static at the album opening isn't new (Arrested Development did so in 1992 album when the CD began with a record player needle hitting vinyl) but serves as a reminder of music's lineage, allowing the listener to remain in the present while aware of the past. 'Front Porch' paints a picture of the obvious – stories told there, PBR's and blood in the backstreets of my hometown Justin Bendel sings. Or note the sultry honesty when Emily Eastridge sings if we're not doing business there's no charm in shaking hands on 'City Far Away'. 'I Overheard' (You Were Over Her') sounds like a country song if the Rolling Stones made it in their own funky way. 'Leavin', even with all its zesty accordion playing sounds like a southern take on a track missing from Bat out of Hell. It further exemplifies the sprit and energy found throughout the album

Although songs are energetic, lyrics tend to be mostly meaningful love songs infrequently sang between man and woman. The music elicits the urge to dance or a feeling of electric contentment. The musicians illustrate that even in the midst of a horrible time or losing your lover there will always be friends, love, dancing and music in life. The lesson is that you should just learn to enjoy, despite the pain.

Pariah Beat turns swing, jazz, zydeco and bluegrass upside down, into a concoction of inebriated fun, hearty emotions and salt of the earth freshness. They take traditional accompaniments and make rowdy, down home fun out of them

Pariah Beat, Pariah Beat Radio

Album Review
By Jarrett Berman [11.26.08]

(Vital Records, CD)

Vermont has birthed its share of exports, but Pariah Beat stand a breed apart. Suffused with salty Green Mountain charm, Thetford's gypsy outlaws compose a multigenre maelstrom that threatens to hijack Boston airwaves. Framed as a faux FM broadcast and brimming with jug-band enthusiasm, Pariah Beat Radio teeters between roots and rockabilly, often within the same track. There's much to discover here.

"Front Porch" is a thumping Appalachian opener that might befit the Dropkick Murphys, if those Beantown pugs traded bagpipes for banjos. And while the barrelhouse number "Leavin" might seem ham-fisted, Justin Bendel's playful accordion saves the Elvis-inspired honky-tonk from parody. It's as if Firewater hotwired the King's tour bus and took him for a drunken joyride.

Everybody sings on Radio, and that's half the fun. Emily Eastridge lends soprano to the old-time "City Far Away" — a quirky number that serves up irreverence behind a folksy façade: "If we're not doing business, there's no charm in shaking hands," she warns.

Mischief runs like a current through the record, escalating from wry country to frenzied Old World romp. Imagine Brian Setzer vamping below deck on the Titanic and you've got something approaching the tipsy "Tipperary." It's a sloshy blast that pits Nick Charyk's plucky jazz guitar against Billy Sharff's lyrical fiddle. Sharff is expert at introducing exotic textures, such as on the slithering "Sinners and Saints." But the fiery Shaker hymn "Babylon Is Fallen" is the real sparkplug: Thick with cheers, it's a neo-Cossack anthem. You'll want to kick your heels till dawn. Gogol Bordello, beware!

Shape-shifting through '60s surf, jukebox hand jive and Delta blues, the band's versatile bards mine a century of iconic sounds. And stamina is clearly not an issue. James McHugh anchors the myriad tempos with snappy stick work that never flags.

Sixteen tracks in, the Beat drop "H-Bomb," a bawdy rocker that smacks of lo-fi Kiss. It is the set's kinetic apex, a final exclamation point before the album's somber finale.

Eerily quiet, "New Year's Eve" brings a tearful close to 60 minutes of whiskey-soaked Americana. But this party's far from over. Marking Pariah Beat's first feature-length release, Radio speaks volumes both to the band's influences and to its broad abilities. Sure, there's some mimicry to their cabaret. But there's conviction, too. Such depth demands it. Committed to the cause and soaked with talent, this show is worth tuning in.

Were looking for a sixth Pariah, who likes our music, enjoys a good time, and can help me out on the rhythm string end of things. That would include, guitar, banjo, or even lap/pedal steel prowess...

We're a busy band, have lot's of fun, don't make to much money. Please drop me a line if interested, or have any good leads. We don't haze, hard, in Pariah Beat.
Love,
Nick
(603) 359-4554

Part II

Alright, back at home. We made it! Tour has a funny way of making time a little blurry, so in order to relay anything with any coherence, I'll have to start from the end and work my way back.

Tour may or may not have ended on Monday night with a rare Tickleback performance at Jacques Cabaret in Boston. For the few of you who don't know, Tickleback is a very serious side-project which has been fine-tuned and executed by none other than Justin and myself. The act features our respective instruments (accordion, bass, Vietnamese jaw harp and mouth trumpet) and yards of obnoxiously patterned fabric, which is draped all over our bodies. During our set, we sing, play and high five. The show was well attended by the showcase host, Rick Berlin, Nick, and a few (few) Jacque's regulars. The Grand Mandibles opened up with a blazing odyssey of turbo-folk mumbo-jumbo and closed with darkly soothing lullabies about Chris Mullins, our cat. Rick Berlin, was….sigh….wunderful.

So, a few hours before this spectacular evening at Jacques, the band was sweatin' in out in the Enterprise van, making the long haul from Wilmington NC to Boston with a drop-off in NYC. It took a long time…many hours, between 12-18. James, Nick and Billy were animals at the wheel and plowed all the way through, right out of the gate from The Juggling Gypsy. The JG was a nice change of pace from our blacklisting days at Reggie's in Wilmington. This was our last tour show with MJATKFB and there was a good handful of fun-lovin' lunatics present to share it with us. Take into account our trip to the beach with our buddy Rachel and one could safely say that our brief stay in Wilmington rocked.

Before that….we were in….let me think…………….Saturday night….oh shit, Easy's Bar & Grill! This was a very special night. Easy's is one of those thoroughly vacuumed sports bars that you find in small, boring shopping plazas. They really only serve Bud Lite and Miller Lite. Really. To say the least, we let it all hang out at this show….or let it all bunch up in some cases. It was a mess and it was fucking FUN. A few folks noticed….but for the most part they were preoccupied with staring at NASCAR. Nothin' wrong with that…

Before that we played at The Mill in Charlestown, SC. Cool place, really sweet folks, excellent time. They have this amazing stuff called American Honey….it can get you into some trouble. We stayed with Jamie & Jason and they tried to kill us with awesome home cooking. We'll be back.

On Thursday night we had the pleasure of catching up with Doug from the illustrious Can Kickers. Doug pulled out all of the stops and threw a show at The Cave in the name of his birthday, his neighbor's birthday AND his engagement to Aimee.
The Cave, which is in Chapel Hill NC, is one of my favorite bars ever so far. It's as if you were dreaming about being in a cozy bunker in a subterranean colony. There's an Indiana Jones pinball machine, which is very challenging and good for getting your game face on for a gig. The bathroom was nice, even when there was a bunch of vomit on the floor.

I guess that brings us back to where I last left off, at The RootBar in Ashville NC. This show was a good'un. Everything sounded pretty awesome as far as I can remember. We got everyone dancing, which apparently is an accomplishment at that particular venue. I do not remember much else, except for wandering around Ashville with my buddy Mike looking for a nail salon. I busted an acrylic in Johnson City, but apparently Ashville ain't a fake nails kinda town so I was out of luck. Oh yeah, at some point we all stuffed our faces at 12 Bones, which is a top notch BBQ joint around there. Highly recommended.

So that's it! Hooray, another tour! We managed to sleep in warm, dry places every night and to feed ourselves off of something other than Wafflehouse, so we must be doing something right by now. We're looking forward to the next bout…but until then, New England will just have to put up with us hangin' around and making noise, as usual.

yours Ernest Truly, Emily