The Slow Burners, Stumptone, Shibboleth

There are few bands that manage to come up with a name that really says something about the band's sound, but The Slow Burners are perfectly named.

The electrified, countrified folk songs of George Neal's post-Little Grizzly band smolder intensely but deliberately. Drummer Grady Don Sandlin and guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Thomas Becker are quite capable of blistering instrumentation but usually play with considerable restraint so as to not overpower Neal's delicate vocals and painful stories. If you haven't familiarized yourself with them yet, this Friday night show in the cozy setting of The City Tavern is an ideal opportunity.

The soaring psychedelic roots rock of Stumptone, whose Gravity Suddenly Released is one of the year's best local releases, and Shibboleth's tight instrumental lounge-pop should each nicely contrast and complement the Burners.