Malcolm Holcombe makes his long-awaited Sundilla debut on Friday, September 27. Showtime at the AUUF is 7:30, and advance tickets are just $15 and can be found at Spicer’s Music, Ross House Coffee, and online at sundillamusic.com; admission at the door will be $20. Free coffee, tea, water and food will be available, and attendees are welcome to bring their own favorite food or beverage.
Malcolm Holcombe grew up in western North Carolina, home to some of the planet’s oldest mountains and some of America’s deepest musical traditions. Radio and TV fueled Malcolm’s musical passions as a kid, and music became even more important after he lost both his parents relatively young.
He toured with bands and landed in Nashville, where he took up an inconspicuous station at the back of the house – the very back – at Douglas Corner, one of the city’s best singer/songwriter venues. Stories began to circulate about the mysterious dishwasher with the subterranean voice and oracle-like talent. Sadly so did stories of wildly inconsistent behavior – profound sweetness crossed by bouts of stunning abrasiveness.
He flirted with an official music career. But his stunning debut album made for Geffen Records was abruptly shelved, producing melodrama that only exacerbated Malcolm’s drinking and depression. A business that once had a place for complicated genius turned its back on him, and he teetered near the edge.
Moving back to the North Carolina hills proved a powerful tonic. Holcombe let in help where before he’d pushed it away. With a renewed commitment to his art, Holcombe repaired himself and his career.
And that’s a pretty good nod to the effect of hearing Holcombe sing. If you’ve not seen him in a live setting, this is what you have to do. His presence is spooky and timeless, as one imagines it was like to see Son House or Leadbelly. No emotional stone is left unturned.
While you plan for this important experience, collect Malcolm Holcombe albums… He is cryptic, demanding, polarizing, bold, passionate and free, a combination badly needed in our time of infinite trivia. He’s even more interesting for having made a remarkable journey of recovery and discovery.
“Malcolm Holcombe is fiercely striking every time you encounter him on or off stage. You just get sucked into his extraordinary world of the twisting of words and wisdom that come from a bottomless well. The melodies and fierce rhythms wrap his narrative into an event where you find yourself at his unique musical carnival. Then suddenly he slays you with a sweet love ballad or a sarcastic social commentary.” — Ray Kennedy
“Malcolm scares the living bejezus out of me as he writes from a place only a true poet knows and channels ancient mountain tones from dark overgrown hollows where ghosts and spirits moan and plead their cases to the devil and… and… sorry, I got carried away there but I have become a Malcolm fanatic.. .also he possesses a genuine good soul.” — Ray Wylie Hubbard
“If you fear honesty, despise authenticity, and love New Country music, then by all means avoid Malcolm Holcombe. His darkness is palpable. His light is blinding. He’s a leper and a prophet. He’s a drifter and a sage. He will move you in so many directions at once that you will break, and once you break, you will either love him or hate him but you will never forget him. If even one seat goes unsold, it will be an injustice.” — Jonathan Byrd
“Malcolm Holcombe is the best songwriter I ever threw out of my recording studio.” – Steve Earle — Steve Earle
“Malcolm Holcombe’s songs, his work, his art, introduces me to parts of my subconscious self that have no voice and can only be accessed through art…I am a huge fan. His work has influenced mine for years.” – Mary Gauthier
“Malcolm Holcombe’s music is essential and timeless and it makes the world a better place.” – Tim O’Brien
“From the first note I was drawn in. Malcolm Holcombe is an old soul and a modern day blues poet.” Lucinda Williams
“But if you’re not touched by Malcolm Holcombe, you’re not alive. And it isn’t about blowing him up, parading him in “Parade”, it’s the cumulative effect of multiple Holcombes that creates a scene that makes people pay attention to music, become enraptured, talk about it, devour tracks like they’re food.” –Bob Lefsetz