Langhorne Slim

by Stewart Mason
Something of a one-man mixture of the Cramps, Beck's early indie records (circa One Foot in the Grave), and the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou, singer and guitarist Langhorne Slim offers a sardonic, modern take on traditional folk, country, and blues. Fancifully dubbed "the bastard son of Hasil Adkins" in some of his early press releases, Langhorne Slim is in fact a Pennsylvania native who resettled in Brooklyn after his graduation from the State University of New York at Purchase. After a self-released demo garnered some local and online attention (as well as a semi-regular gig as the opening act for indie novelty outfit the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players), Langhorne Slim signed with the indie label Narnack Records and released his first EP, Electric Love Letter, in March 2004. The more varied and band-oriented full-length When the Sun's Gone Down followed in the spring of 2005. Much touring ensued over the next year, including support dates with Lucero and Murder by Death, with drummer Malachi DeLorenzo and upright bassist Paul DeFiglia (aka "the War Eagles") in tow. In 2006, Langhorne Slim signed with the larger (though still not major) label V2 Records, which released the all-new EP Engine in September of that year, as the singer was finishing recording his second full album, produced by Josh Ritter's keyboardist, Sam Kassirer. The deal fell through, however, and the band was left labelless. Langhorne Slim found a new home on Kemado Records, who released the self-titled album in the spring of 2008.