Here’s what you need to know about Bombadil: The band’s name comes from a J.R. Tolkien character, all of the band’s members are songwriters, they consider themselves “rock nerds,” and on stage they play trumpets, glockenspiels, accordions and saxophones.
The group (James Phillips, Daniel Michalak, Bryan Rahija, Stuart Robinson), from Durham, also likes “taquerias, burrituerias,” if you want to go by what their Facebook says. Bombadil’s latest album, All That the Rain Promises, came as a bit of a phoenix from ashes magic. Following sophomore release, Tarpits and Canyonland, the band’s members scattered for various reasons and it seemed like Bombadil had breathed its last. Not so. Fate brought them back together, and then time apart proved fruitful. According to Salisbury Post, “still possesses the qualities that make the band stand out: poetic, intelligent lyrics couched in musical arrangements that manage to be unique, unpredictable and accessible all at the same time. There are still delightful bursts of vocal harmony and virtuosic instrumental passages.”
Stream All That the Rain Promises.
Bombadil plays the Emerald Lounge on Friday, May 4, with local retro jazz outfit Big Nasty Jazz Band and folk quintet Honey Locust from Nashville. 9 p.m., $7 in advance of $9 at the door.
Photo by Melissa Madison Fuller.
