The New Mongrels’ Raised Incorruptible is a new record from a 148-year-old band. Those familiar with group will know the bizarre history of band member Haynes Brooke and his great-great grandfather Henry. Deaf in one ear, shell-shocked, a 17-year-old veteran of the civil war, Henry founded the “Smythe County Mongrels Society” in 18661. He stated their purpose as “the joyful promotion, through song and rythmic utterances, of a unified moral code for all creatures.” Apparently the group met to drink hard cider and sing the entire book of Psalms to their own improvised melodies. Dogs and instruments welcome. Great-great grandpa rocked. The original“Mongrels” enjoyed a rich history before fading away in the early 1940’s. For example, in 1887, Mongrel member Laurens Tucker Holmes published an article on “Communal Singing and the Simultaneaity of Inspiration,” still available in the manuscript archives of the University of Virginia. By 1911 the Mongrels had over seventy official members as far north as Pennsylvania and as far west as St. Louis. Brooke was part of the Atlanta/Athens music scene when he found the charter of the society legally intact in the Smythe County courthouse and brought the group back to life as the New Mongrels. Today this underground society of musicians, artists and writers still operates under an amended version of the original by-laws, which calls for, among other things, “membership by invitation without regard to species affiliation.” This makes for strange committee meetings but great music. Raised Incorruptible began in a rented house on the Rogue River in Oregon, when some impromptu mongrel recording sessions yielded promising results. Back in LA, Brooke created a calimitous batch of low-fi demos working with drummer Ken Palmer, house percussionist for Tim Robbin’s Actors Gang Theater. These demos went out to mongrel members across North America for input and review in keeping with the group’s odd collectivist procedures. Field trips to New Hampshire and Canada brought back musical contributions, then Brooke’s garage became the main recording facility and as mongrels passed through LA they were added to the final project. The record was mixed by film composer and mongrel member Kubilay Uner. Despite the sometimes cumbersome procedural demands of their organization, a dispersed and evolving group of Mongrels built a powerful and unified sound. An ear-catching, mixed-breed blend of styles emerged, anchored always by the unique and lyrically rich songwriting of Brooke. Each cut has its own strong personality; together they have the combined intensity of a pack of wild dogs. The New Mongrels: 131 years old and still rocking. SOME CRITICAL OPINIONS OF NOT DEAD (YET) (still available on Daemon Records) ”In keeping with his great-great grandpappy’s love of music as founder in 1866 of the “Smythe County Mongrels’ Society,” the purpose of which was “the joyful promotion, through song and rhythmic utterances, of a unified moral code for all creatures,” Haynes Brooke has revived the “by invitation only” club in a bi-coastal recording of pure American songcrafting and sterling musicianship. Not a bad track on the entire album, which includes among its distinguished guests band members from such notables as Indigo Girls, Big Fish Ensemble, Celibate Twist, et al. Fine American roots music in the tradition of The Band and Gram Parsons. Totally lacking in pretense and performed with rooted-in-the-soil conviction. A portrait of some great things to come.” --- B-Side “To the delight of acoustic folk, country-tinged music lovers everywhere, Brooke has brought the [Smythe County Mongrels’] Society back together. Recorded in both Atlanta and Seattle, the New Mongrels society, which is by invitation only, boasts of members of the Indigo Girls, Big Fish Ensemble, and Celibate Twist--13 all together. Not Dead (Yet) at times recalls the harmonies and feel of Simon and Garfunkel or Crosby, Stills & Nash, yet with a distinctive traditional/historic sense of itself. Charmingly subtle, well-crafted songs performed with grace and style.” -- Joel Hollis, The Rocket Report “The new incarnation is made up of a talented group of musicians from Atlanta and Seattle, including Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The 13 members of the New Mongrels--who also include players from Big Fish Ensemble and Celibate Twist--have created one fantastic roots/folk album that manages to combine a modern sound with traditional intrumentation and vocals. “There are traces of country here with the lapsteel guitar on Preston Rose, the mandolin on Wingtip Sheriff, crystal banjo playing on Everybody Falls, and the mournful recorder that enhances 9 Fingers. “The vocals on Not Dead (Yet) are downright gorgeous, with Brooke singing on every track with stellar support. There are shades of Uncle Tupelo’s uncluttered instrumentation and Michelle Shocked’s detailed type of storytelling. But, the New Mongrels really deserve their own category; this is a slice of Americana at its tastiest.” --Nicole Pensiero, The Philadelphia Welcomat BIG CUP OF EMPTY REVIEWS: ...this is one amazing album. The vocal teaming of Michelle Malone, Emily Saliers, and Haynes Brooke on 6:15 Diesel is simply stunning... Folk-rock fans, get your hands on this hot little number and you won't crave a new Indigo Girls record for at least another year.... Simply wonderful.... JITTER MAGAZINE A brilliant melding of disparate sources, the New Mongrels, (and Big Cup of Empty) form a unique, almost-mythological creature in southern music... INK 19 When Amy Ray’s alto enters the haunting opening clarinet and drums of Guy Lombardo, youíre congratulating yourself for buying this album. When the warm fuzz of guitar and Caroline Aikenís vocals join Ray on the chorus, you'll want to set your cd player on repeat.... ETCETERA (ETC) MAGAZINE 6:15 Diesel ...is beautifully accented by Michelle Malone's backing vocals; it's mournful and moving like the more quiet side of REM.... Amy and Emily Indigo could stand to hang with this crew awhile; they haven't been this relaxed in a long time. CREATIVE LOAFING The title track... is as improbable as it is entrancing. Imagine if Brian Eno had been raised in the gothic deep south.... Many of the songs sound, at least initially, like simple roots based material, but there's always a twist, either musically or lyrically, to surprise you. AMPLIFIER Excellent songwriting, and I'll have to agree with the band's claim that the album contains no bad songs. Check it out. SPLENDID E-ZINE It sounds real, it sounds blissfully casual, and in case the word eclectic hasn't surfaced recently eclectic. But be assured, this one (and its predecessor) hang around a lot longer than most discs. -MUSIC REVIEWS QUARTERLY