Mottled sunlight flows betwixt gray-hued clouds and casts a hazy tint on the day. The air is thick with mist, while the grass is cushiony and damp from dew. It’s a jingle-jangle morning in summertime, the air too heavy from humidity for anyone to fly to heaven—but not weighty enough to prevent me from tumbling backwards through time. Song People, a folk-rock/jangle-pop group from Philadelphia, conjure a myriad of old favorites, many of whom I first discovered some 40 years ago this summer (give or take 12 months).
I’ll skip most memories fantastic, as I’ve rehashed that specific long ago too often on this blog, and leave it with this: The mid-1980s were a fine time for many of us, economy and politics be damned. Past and present swirled and twirled together via the flowing sounds of the Paisley Underground, with the 1960s-flavored offerings that inspired them afforded turntable time, too. I worked in a mall-based store the summer of ‘86, ostensibly saving cash for my coming senior year of college but buying a few LPs and/or cassettes most weeks—not to mention strawberry daiquiris over lunch or dinner at Friday’s. Much on my musical mind, those months, were discoveries that came from spinning songs on my college radio station’s weekend folk show. Song People would have fit right in.
The group features Shaina Kapeluck on vocals, Darian Scatton on guitars and synths, and Benjamin Schurr on bass, synths, organ, and piano; on “Silver Flag,” the first teaser track from their forthcoming (and compelling) sophomore album Tho I Seem Tame, they’re accompanied on drums by Nick Landstrom, while the remaining tunes feature Drake Tyler. (More on that 10-track set closer to its October release date.) The three principles have played together for a lifetime, just about, first in the music collective Edible Onion and, since 2022, this band. The press release I received lists a handful of RIYL (“recommended if you like”) bands, including Fairpoint Convention, Cocteau Twins, Stereolab, and Yo La Tengo, but the two that they most remind me of: Pentagle and Jefferson Airplane.
Of Pentagle: I’m sure I first heard the British folk-rock group on Philly’s original adult-alternative station, WIOQ-FM, in the late 1970s or early ‘80s, but came to appreciate them while playing select tracks on-air—and, too, by listening to my fellow folk-show deejays spin their songs on my shift-free weekends. Of the Airplane: Everyone knows (or should know) that they were far more than “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” (Give a listen to Takes Off sometime.) As demonstrated by “Silver Flag,” Kapeluck’s delivery falls between Jacqui McShee’s and Grace Slick’s, while the jangle behind her matches the folky vibes of both bands.
The Old Grey Cat 