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Saturday, August 8, 2020

Rube & Rake and the fiery folk bluegrass narrative of "Somewhere" longing for home













photo by Tom Cochrane

Newfoundland folk duo Rube & Rake (the band name of Josh Sandu and Andrew Laite) have a way of nourishing the roots of folk and bluegrass with porch blues and Americana. On their latest offering Somewhere they also infuse their fever pitch runaway blend with flying finger picking and lead work coated with country western and (even) jazz patinas. 'Somewhere' is from their forthcoming full length, "Leaving With Nothing", the fist album since their 2017 debut album "Back and Forth", which garnered the St. John's, NL-based duo multiple Music NL Awards, national charting, and appearances at events such as Folk Alliance International, Lawnya Vawnya, and the Stan Rogers Folk Festival. 

Session players Maria Cherwick (fiddle), Josh Ward (bass), and Andrew Sneddon (dobro) lend the song a bluegrass charm, softening the edges of Sandu's lyrical restlessness: 

"Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere there’s a place to lay my head / Oh lover will this burden be unshed / There has to be a place to lay my head."

Loving the jammy and lush sound here, the sad forlorn vocal aesthetic, the harmonics and incredible musicality.

-Robb Donker Curtius










THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

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After working together for the past five years, Josh Sandu and Andrew Laite have fused an intimate musical connection that comes across in each performance. Every song has a story behind it. Whether it’s the acceptance that there are loved ones you’ll never see again, the memories you make hitchhiking on highways with no town in sight, or a series of natural disasters, there is a definite stamp of "Canadiana" on their music.

Often described as a darker Simon and Garfunkel, Rube & Rake engage audiences with a mixture of stories, intricate guitar work, and rich vocal harmonies. Their music is an exercise in creating something beyond the sum of their parts.

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PRAISE FOR RUBE & RAKE:

“Rube and Rake's bare bones delivery is both warm-hearted and accessible,

yet technically challenging.” - Heather Barrett, CBC Radio


“All I know is, the two dudes harmonized beautifully and sang lovely songs

and it was gorgeous.” - Vish Khanna, Exclaim!


"Sparse poetry, melancholic and introspective, afloat on a wave of interwoven

vocals and a steady banjo current...something that sticks out even in a city

with a sizable folk music community." - The Overcast



"Rube & Rake have cultivated a reputation as one of this province’s most

immersive and must-see live acts." - The Newfoundland Herald

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