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WORD ON THE PORCH

Maverick Magazine

A true American Roots album

"Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis, a partnership made in heaven, or at least Austin, Texas which any Texan will tell you are one and the same! Both Rose and Davis have worked with various people on other unrelated projects, but it is this diversity that gives the album much of its appeal. It covers everything from alt.folk to blues and alt.country, with even a slight jazziness on a couple of tracks and that's without even mentioning vaudeville! Virtually all of the melodies are easy on the ear and stick in the memory but without ever descending into easy listening. This is avoided by the fact that many of the songs are tales of life and its at times, harsh realities, particularly in the case of Rose's mournfully eerie 'Blow Away.' Of course, not all of these beautifully written stories are so serious. Davis' 'Ramblin' Around' has plenty of humour as evidenced by lines such as:'… I looked at her bum and I looked at my shoe. And realised her bum is prettier than my shoe.' (I think this is probably a 'bum' as interpreted in England rather than America!) Not deeply meaningful but just another example of this album's melange of styles and ideas!

Seadar Rose's vocals have the almost languid drawl of Lucinda Williams, but with more range and expression evidenced by her own beautiful 'Cold Mountain Breath', whilst Aaron Davis can at times sound like a Whiskeytown-era Ryan Adams with his ability to play around with his emotions and tone. Their harmonizing and support on each other's songs is responsible for the various styles working so well together and enabling their differing songwriting directions to give the album an almost thematic feel. This album is a really good example of the instrumentation being used to highlight rather than overpower the songs, with the playing of guitars, fiddles and steel guitar being of the highest quality, but never overpowering. It would probably not have held together so well if the songs had been buried by the density of too many instruments. A good example of less being more! The production has great depth and openness giving even the sparse acoustic songs an almost epic nature. All of the songs are strong but probably the most unusual is the almost 'vaudevillian polka of 'Zemurray,' whilst Rose's 'Gold' is beautifully sensuous and their co-written 'Morning Sun' seems to be almost comforting in the way it meanders pleasantly along! All in all a highly diverse and listenable album that possibly shouldn't work but most definitely does! "

Austin Chronicle
CD Review - SCREEN DOOR PORCH

"The amalgam of geographic roots represented by Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis sonically manifest throughout Screen Door Porch's Ramble Creek-recorded eponymous debut. The local duo's former haunt of Jackson Hole, Wyo., lends an easy Western flair to their more prominent native influences of North Carolina and Kentucky, a combination that goes down as smoothly as top-shelf bourbon. Rose's voice triangulates the soulful grit of Lucinda Williams, the easy twang of Gillian Welch, and the acoustic indie intensity of new songstresses like Sera Cahoone, melding well with Davis' understated drawl on opener 'Wrong the Right' and dark balladry of 'Cold Mountain Breath.' Davis' lead on 'From Sea' could have been mined straight from locals Frank Smith's Big Strike in Silver City. The Tin Pan jazz lope of 'Zemurray' and 'Two More Than You' and swingin' 'Jivin' balance the beautifully mournful 'Blow Away' and 'Gold,' a diversity that will situate the twosome well among Austin's like-minded alt-folkers."

Americana UK
CD Review - SCREEN DOOR PORCH 

"Texan alt-folk duo prove a shrewd pairing
Screen Door Porch are Austin Texas Duo Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis, who have roped in the help of percussion, peddle steel, fiddles and even a choir to flesh out these soulful country vignettes that they share vocals on. Although each manages to brand their own personality to their respective tunes.
Having released a number of albums separately as part of other projects, Rose and Davis seem to have forged a complimentary partnership on this self titled debut. Opener ‘Wrong the Right’ is a magnificently effortless groove, augmented by some restrained violin ambiance, shuffling drums and a simple electric guitar figure. Rose’s regretful country lilt is elevated by some fabulously sleazy blues slide guitar that sounds like it could have been cribbed from a ‘Sticky Fingers’ out-take.
Rose’s songs are far more folk inflected; acoustic and blatantly rootsy in hue (‘Cold Mountain Breath’, ‘Firewater’ ‘Blow Away’ et al.). The musically/emotionally stripped bare ‘Gold’ is her finest moment though. Rose up close as if she’s softly whispering in your ear over some elegiac controlled acoustic and electric picking. “I loved without meaning, I left without reason” she muses with a convincing ache.
Aaron Davis’ contributions however are a touch more adventurous and thus far more fascinating and further reaching. His Ryan Adams-esque vocal and easy technique with a melody provide the albums most intriguing moments. ‘From Sea’ where Rose and Davis’ vocals combine to fabulous effect, alluding to The Cardinals jamming with Mazzy Star is among the albums highpoints. Elsewhere the junkyard polka of ‘Zemurray’ features some wonderfully wonky violin and could easily be the result of Whiskeytown messing around with Tom Waits’ sonic toy box.
‘Screen Door Porch’ is an album of soulful honest music, managing to be equally true to its core Americana roots as it is to being forward looking and mildly adventurous."

605 Magazine

"...When you close your eyes and the music is long since turned off, what remains is Rose's voice and the vision her and Davis creat to match it: their ability to go deep into the well and pull up a fresh sound with every breath, every note. Rose's voice, paired with Davis's multi-instrumental shops and the support of Austin's finest makes Screen Door Porch the band and Screen Door Porch the album what it is: something new and fresh that can't or shouldn't be compared with anyone or anything else."

Missoula Independent 
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"Rose has sweet-and-smoky vocals reminiscent of Catherine Irwin from Freakwater. Together with Davis, who sports mellow countrified pipes à la Mark Knopfler, they're a mighty force."

Hear Ya
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"When we received an email with Screen Door Porch in the title, I was immediately drawn in and their music lived up to the billing. Consisting of a mix of tunes by Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis, the Screen Door Porch sound is perfect for sitting on a tattered porch swing accompanied by some sweet tea. Or sipping whiskey."

Shotgun Majors . KRVM Eugene, OR

"Definitely the best 'new' band I've heard this year and a strong contender for 'Best Album of 2010.' "

The Alternate Root (Featured Artists of the Week)

"Screen Door Porch songs and sound act as a road map of American music blending styles of the south, west and north."

Lonestar Time

"The result is particularly interesting for an approach that mixes poetry and roughness, country harmonies and folk influences, composing all twelve songs on the disc to considerable effort."

Side One: Track One

"Songs move with energetic consistency, rhythmically revealing one riff, one lyric at time. Yet, like time itself, each consistent moment is charged with new dynamic contrast - a plot twist, a few perfect words hitched together in metaphor, a long tone on a dominant chord."

Twangville
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"Like putting on your favorite old lucky hat on the way out the door for a night on the town, just plunk the figurative needle down anywhere on this disc and there’s a good time to be had."

A Fifty Cent Lighter and  a Whiskey Buzz
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"[On 'Wrong the Right'] Davis' electric dobro and harmony vocals are the perfect compliment to Rose's rasped delivery. The song asks if this is 'death or thrill.' I'll let you decide."

WhisperinandHollerin.com
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"The voices and characters of Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis compliment each other perfectly.Morning Sun is the one song where the lyric credits are shared and is illustrative of the spirit of a record which Davis says 'was born of moving around and growing musically closer.'
The alternating vocals together with lines like 'I'll sing your song and you'll sing mine' ensures this warm hearted album ends on an appropriately harmonious note."

Planet Jackson Hole Weekly

"An eclectic batch of songs that should please fans of traditional Americana, while also pleasing those who enjoy the more contemporary sounds of folk revival."

Charleston Scene
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Screen Door Porch bypassing conventional route to get straight to the music

"They describe themselves as groove-injected alt-folk and soulful Americana, with a sound that is not quite acoustic. And although that description might sound a little complicated, it seems very simple for a lot of their fans. This duo plays good, honest music."

Mary Nishimuta . Kentucky Coffeetree Café

"Aaron and Seadar put on a spectacular concert in our café. They varied instruments and styles so well, and definitely have a sound that appeals to a wide audience. The are very professional as well, and easy to work with."

Ryan Allen . author of Catch the Wind

"Screen Door Porch's music finds a way to make the old new and fresh again. They strip songs and feelings down to the familiar. They make time-filled music sound timeless."