Palmyra Takes the Stage at Dogtown
-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on January 6, 2021.
Dogtown Roadhouse welcomed the up-and-coming Appalachian Folk trio Palmyra to the stage on Saturday (1/1/22). The band kicked off the New Year with a three-set performance as the start of a six-week southbound tour that will bring them to other venues in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Blending Appalachian music traditions with a contemporary Americana flair, musicians Teddy Chipouras, Willis Landon and Manoa Bell played a variety of instruments, incorporating cello, upright bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo and kick drum for a well-rounded sound that was highlighted by the band’s harmonizing vocals and their engaging song lyrics, reminiscent of the best of the singer/songwriter tradition.
The Virginia natives, who met as music majors at James Madison University, moved to Boston, where they were set to launch their career from when COVID shut the city down. “We didn’t get to play many gigs, but we spent a year writing tunes,” Bell told the audience.
The trio’s spirited performance that ranged from rousing or humorous to sweetly tender got the attention of some Dogtown patrons. Although they primarily played original songs, the band’s covers included songs by the Avett Brothers, The Strokes, Neil Young’s Vampire Blues and a signature cover of the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer, which prompted attendee Patrick Pascale from Patrick County to say, “I like their (Palmyra) version better,” adding that he felt “fortunate” to hear the band.
Chipouras and Landon have recently returned to Virginia from Boston and currently live in Copper Hill, Floyd County. Together with Bell, they will be performing at Floydfest 2022 for On the Rise, a patron-voted competition for prizes and a chance to perform on the festival’s main stage in 2023. _______Colleen Redman
