Where the Roots All Grow

"Portland's The Builders and the Butchers are a young band steeped in folk tradition. The name alone harks back to another time, a time when men tilled the soil from sunup to sundown, when dusty Americana truly lived and breathed. Last year's Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well regales the listener with stories of life, death, and all the labors in between. With rousing banjos and plinking mandolins, the heavily thematic album builds upon the band's Southern Gothic gospel, even adding flourishes of Spanish horns. The recent live effort Where the Roots All Grow captures what the Builders are probably best known for: a stage show as fiery as frontman Ryan Sollee's screechy howl." - AVClub.com