Since 1861, the United States has changed tremendously, along with that comes the change of musical styles and genres. Fortunately, for the New Mongrels, folk music is more popular than ever. From a civil war veteran to 2014, the “Mongrels” have been rocking audiences and producing nothing but pure auditory folk-magic.
New Mongrels date back to 1861 when current band member Haynes Brooke’s great grandfather founded the “Smyth County Mongrels Society,” whose purpose was “the joyful promotion, through song and rhythmic utterances, of a unified moral code for all creatures.” Brooke found his civil war veteran great grandfather’s charter in the Smythe County Courthouse and re-ignited a very, well received old flame. Renaming the band, New Mongrels helped combine some of the old with the new.
Currently, the band boasts talented names in the entertainment industry from bands like the Indigo Girls, Michelle Malone, and the Dudley Manlove Quartet and several other artists spanning across seven cities. In 1861, the “Smythe County Mongrels Society,” lived their lives based on by-laws, which include, among other things, “membership by invitation without regard to species affiliation.” The New Mongrels continue to live by these by-laws, even if some of them are outdated. 2014 brings the release of Raised Incorruptible, which has more than just a hint of folk and down-to-Earth lyrics. Raised Incorruptible, recorded in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, and New Hampshire, gives the album a bit of wanderlust-free-flowing vibe.
True to the original by-laws set in place by the “Smythe County Mongrels Society,” the New Mongrels have struck gold with the revival of the “Mongrels.” Any folk music lover will enjoy Raised Incorruptible (and every other album the New Mongrels release!). Genuine folk music can transform a lousy afternoon into a get-up-and-dance kind of day and the New Mongrels have mastered just that.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: THE OFFICIAL NEW MONGRELS WEBSITE
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