From the unique mind of Garth Forsyth, comes Poor Luther's Bones, a band born and reared in the rural Berks County farmlands of Oley, PA. Since beginning in 1992, Garth and Poor Luther's Bones have existed on the outskirts of the Lehigh Valley music scene both in sound and geography. Poor Luther's Bones' music occupies the space somewhere between explosive garage rock, gritty blues, and ebbing psychedelic rock; and 25 years on, there hasn't been anything else quite like it.
Most of the LV-area bands who were performing in the early-to-mid ‘90s are not actively releasing new music or performing live anymore. From the Psyclone Rangers to Crack Babies to the Original Sins, this era in the Valley is littered with many great bands who have moved on with their lives (the exception to this list being the Original Sins' Brother JT). Before this last year, this is how we thought of Poor Luther's Bones--a band renowned for their electric live performances, but one who was ultimately lost to time.
What this past year has given us is a flurry of activity from Poor Luther's Bones. Garth has recorded and released three Poor Luther's Bones albums and a solo album dedicated to his daughter. Wrapped up in this story of new music is the mastering of their 2016 album Tall Tales which was done by Tape Swap's Matt Molchany here at Shards, which made our Top 10 Lehigh Valley DIY Releases of 2016 list. Garth has also recruited a group of talented younger musicians to fill out the ranks of the band: Alex Forsyth on guitar (Garth’s son), Chad Huntington on guitar, Leo Scott on bass, and Sydney Howells on drums. Poor Luther's Bones is no longer relegated to the LV music scene's past, and what 2016-17 has shown us is that Garth is entering what may be one of his most prolific periods as a songwriter. It is with this backdrop that we recorded Poor Luther's Bones as a five-piece at Shards in May 2017.
1. Driving Wheel (0:03)
2. I'm Not a Braggart (2:44)
3. Sinking Ship (5:40)
4. M.T. (7:51)
5. Last Ego Sapien (10:04)
6. Interview (14:09)
7. BAND PICK: Brother JT - Sweatpants (18:22)
Brother JT (Band Pick):
www.brotherjt.com/
Poor Luther's Bones:
poorluthersbones.bandcamp.com/