Cricket Tell The Weather is a fiddle-swelling, banjo-plucking, story-relating, undeniably Americana vision. The NYC quintet includes fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, upright bass, and a rotating cast of singers with varying tones. Their self-titled debut album at times swings into full on bluegrass territory but isn’t married to tradition—some songs dare to stick an arm or two out the window. The switching off of singers/songwriters helps to keep the record diverse—one moment you’re out contra dancing between golden bales of hay and the next you’re staring up at the Brooklyn Bridge, feeling ambushed and wondering aloud about the stars in their absence. The band will take this sound on an east coast tour this August, kicking things off with a performance at Rockwood Music Hall on August 14. – Leora Mandel
